When George Eastman introduced a hand-held camera named “Kodak” in 1888, photography became a medium available to the general public. And after a century of amateur photography, most Americans today have a great photographic archive of their own.
Whether displayed or mounted in albums, these images are pegs for memories and sources of family history.
“Photographs are our links to the past. They are part of our heritage,” says Carol Turchan, conservator of paper and photographic collections at the Chicago Historical Society.
As with all historic resources, photographs need to be properly stored and displayed. Changes in temperature, dust, acid, direct sunlight and humidity are harmful and can make images deteriorate prematurely, according to Grant Romer, director of conservation at the George Eastman House, an international photographic museum in Rochester, N.Y. High humidity is a photograph’s worst enemy. Relative humidity of 40 to 50 percent at a temperature of 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal. At 60 percent humidity and above, deterioration accelerates.
Safe storage may be a problem in today’s heated homes, particularly in areas like the Midwest, where climatic variations are great.
Especially harmful are attics and basements, cold (or hot) and humid spaces commonly used for storage of family memorabilia.
Romer suggests common sense, by taking care of photographs the way we take care of ourselves. Because “few people are comfortable living in basements or attics, we shouldn’t relegate our photographs there either,” he says. A closet in an inhabited part of the house is a good space for long-term storage.
For photographs, insulation is key for withstanding changes in temperature. Romer recommends three protective layers for photographs: Keep the negatives and images in an envelope or album, store the envelope inside a box and store the box inside a bulk, whether a shoe box or an archival storage box.
Fingerprints are forever
The basic rule, both experts agree, is to not do anything to a photograph that you can’t undo easily because damage to print emulsion and negatives is irreversible. Using archival, non-acidic photo supplies for mounting and framing images is essential.
“The most important thing is to stay away from commercial albums of the magnetic type,” Turchan explains. “They have a tacky adhesive overlay, which is not (chemically) stable. There is a gas build-up, and the micro-environment in the adhesive gives off substances that cause the photograph to fade.”
For mounting, Turchan recommends photo corners made of acid-free paper. Avoid adhesive tapes, white glue or anything else that sticks to the image. It is especially important to protect the central part of the image, which usually contains the most important visual information.
When handling prints and negatives, do not rub or bend them. Never touch the emulsion side and don’t try to clean images and negatives yourself. If they need care or repair, seek professional advice.
Keeping your negatives safely is just as essential as taking care of photographic prints, because negatives are the irreplaceable originals and the sources for making duplicate images. Keep negatives separate from your prints so that in case of fire or a leaking ceiling you can make new prints.
Words are important too
Photographs, like all resources, lose their value if we don’t have access to them. So if you can’t identify your images, they become meaningless and are less likely to survive. “When the thread of identification is lost, we lose the link to the photos,” Turchan explains. “If you don’t know who the people are, the photograph will lose its meaning.”
When Carol Hiestand creates a family album, the photos are accompanied by plenty of margin notes and anecdotes. Hiestand is a consultant for Creative Memories, a nationwide, Minnesota-based company offering workshops and courses on how to create and organize interesting photo albums.
“It’s important to write about your pictures, because years from now, you will not remember, and your grandchildren will not remember all the details,” she says.
Hiestand, who teaches classes and meets clients in her Des Plaines home, is not a conservation expert. Like the other 30 to 35 company representatives in the Chicago area, Hiestand has basic training in safe handling and storage. “Our aim is to reach the average person who wants to get started organizing their photographs,” she explains.
Although her own albums are in good shape, she identifies with people who are too busy or too overwhelmed by a huge backlog of unsorted photographs. “The trick is getting started,” says Hiestand, who was 20 years behind in keeping up her own family albums when she joined the company in 1988.
“It’s easiest to begin with the most current photos. Sort through them chronologically and consider what kind of album you want to create,” she explains. “If you have children, pull out photos for each child and create albums that feature them.”
It’s never good to write directly on a photograph, but if it is absolutely necessary for the sake of documentation, always write on the back with a soft-tip pen. Turchan recommends writing on top of a hard surface, otherwise the imprint from the pen tip will make marks in the emulsion.
Walls of fame
A display of family photos makes a home look inhabited and cozy. And a wall filled with images can be an interesting design feature. Like many other professionals in the field, Christine Loula is the designated photo archivist in her family. Loula, a sales associate with Chicago-based Artists’ Frame Service Inc., a custom frame business, particularly enjoys working with customers requesting mats and frames for their family photos.
In her home, Loula is arranging a photo collage of family portraits covering an entire wall. Collages are popular among Artists’ Frame Service customers, Loula explains, because it is an attractive and interesting way to present images.
Mismatched and contrasting frames add life to a collage, she says. “I use different types of frames depending on the time period of the image,” Loula says. However, she recommends maintaining at least one unifying element, such as the color of the mat or frame.
Whether you hire a custom framer or frame the photos yourself, choose mats and frames in color, design and materials that harmonize with the images. It’s also important to consider where the images are going to hang.
Dark wood frames and warm tone color mats, for instance, go well with vintage photographs. Bright, radiant colors suit color prints that will hang in a child’s room. Although glass is the preferred and most durable way to protect a framed image, Loula recommends plexiglass for children’s rooms.
When displaying treasured photographs, keep conservation issues in mind. Direct sunlight or fluorescent light leads to chemical breakdown in photographs. If hung on outside walls, images are exposed to condensation due to temperature changes, causing the emulsion side to stick to the glass. Stay away from walls near heat ducts, stoves and fireplaces, where the photographs may be exposed to soot, grease and heat.
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For advice regarding handling and conservation of photographs, and referral to professionals for conservation and/or restoration, contact John P. Chalmers, curator of special collections at The Special Collections & Preservation Division of the Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St., Chicago, Ill. 60605; 312-747-4871.
Picture perfect tips
Considering the vast number of photographs most of us have in our possession, it can be a daunting task to decide which images to protect.
It is “like the Titanic,” says Grant Romer, director of conservation at the George Eastman House, an international photographic museum in Rochester, N.Y. “You can’t save all.”
But once you begin the weeding-out process, you not only will have your photos in better order; you may also start taking better photos in the future.
You may not want to rescue all your photos. Weed out images that are blurred, out-of focus or poorly framed.
“Spontaneous images are often more interesting than posed shots,” says James TerKeurst, a commercial photographer in New York and the Midwest.
He recommends avoiding formal portraits, which frequently make people look stiff.
“Your photos will look much more interesting if you manage to capture an activity or a natural pose,” he says.
To minimize technical flaws and difficult lighting situations, TerKeurst recommends photographing outdoors or in daylight, whenever possible.
And don’t rely on one sole photographer. If several family members document an event, you increase the chances of getting images of everybody. This is particularly important if there is a designated “family photographer” who rarely gets photographed.
And, as any parent who has helped complete a photo project for school knows: Don’t just take group shots of family events. Remember to take individual photos of each child (not just the oldest one who had no competition for awhile) so that there is enough material for his or her own personal album.
