Presevation of photos

[matthew lucas]

Hi

I have have a number of these photos taken in France and Ypres in 1919. Some in poor condition and most in a delicate state.

Any ideas on preserving them? And storage/display?

Thanks

Can post more if interested

Matt

[FROGSMILE]

On 02/07/2023 at 22:30, matthew lucas said:

Hi

I have have a number of these photos taken in France and Ypres in 1919. Some in poor condition and most in a delicate state.

Any ideas on preserving them? And storage/display?

Thanks

Can post more if interested

Matt

I can’t comment on preserving old photographs (don’t have the knowledge), but if you can scan them electronically to make digital copies as soon as possible (once stabilised or if in a stable condition now) that will at least preserve the image.

Edited 5 July , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[derekb]

10 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

I can’t comment on preserving old photographs (don’t have the knowledge), but if you can scan them electronically as soon as possible (once stabilised or if in a stable condition now) that will at least preserve the image.

I scan and print off all of my WW1 photographs, apart from having preserved copies, it is amazing the detail that can be seen in the scans on my PC.

[FROGSMILE]

15 minutes ago, derekb said:

I scan and print off all of my WW1 photographs, apart from having preserved copies, it is amazing the detail that can be seen in the scans on my PC.

Yes indeed, that is exactly what I was trying to encourage.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

As a start, don't keep them in plastic sleeves.
Moisture and plastic degradation will inevitably cause the emulsion to stick to the plastic sleeve, thus permanently damaging/destroying the photo.
As derekb says - scan them on a flatbed scanner at  a high resolution (1000 dpi or more) and save the digital images on computer.
Once they're on computer,the images can be enhanced - their sepia appearance isn't how they originally appeared. They probably would have been true black & white with  decent contrast, poor fixing at the printing stage has meant that the black has faded to brown, and a lot of contrast lost. Those changes can be corrected relatively easily.
Then save the hard copies in old fashioned  photo albums in a dry environment. Do not glue them in...

[Terry_Reeves]

Mathew, I am a collector of photographs, not just WW1,  with many dating back to the mid-19th century. Dai is quite right with his advice, in particular making digital copies. To protect originals I would suggest a professional archive supply company such as:  https://www.preservationequipment.com/Catalogue/Photographic-Products/Archival-and-Presentation-Boxes?gclid=CjwKCAjw44mlBhAQEiwAqP3eVjsD1Nsz70c2Xm3M40QEkJaJJYmw8mQ4f4v8iu5cxbowMx0eRRTXbxoCFiIQAvD_BwE

They, and similar companies, are worth exploring.

TR

[Ian Ference]

Hi Matthew,

Always handle your photos with freshly cleaned hands or with clean nitrile gloves - and try to never touch the image area of the photograph. Don't dust the photographs, but rather, use a blower bulb to blow away dust. Even light rubbing with a microfiber cloth can damage sensitive emulsions.

As others have already suggested, I would digitize the photographs as soon as possible. A cheap and easy home solution would be to invest in an Epson V850 Pro, paired with the SilverFast software bundle that makes everything easy for you. The Epson software is rubbish. Make sure to backup your scans, and if possible, to pass them on to either the general public (if you're comfortable with the possible rights-grab) or to some trusted associates so that offsite copies exist.

After scanning, store either in alkaline-buffered paper enclosures or in suitable plastic enclosures (uncoated polyester, polyethylene, or polypropylene) at or below 62ºF for B&W (40ºF for color) in a dark environment with relative humidity of 35-50% (and RH fluctuation of no more than 5% daily).

And be aware that photographic emulsions, even in a best-case scenario, will degrade over time. Creating good digital surrogates now, and doing your best to create near-ideal conditions for longevity, are about the best options you can hope for - looks like you have some treasures there; best to make the effort now!

In terms of display, a great option is to display copies printed from your digitized files. 1919 emulsions tend to be highly variant as to how fixed they are against even dim lighting; displaying the originals without UV glass or plexi (or museum glass) endangers your original prints. Also, getting new prints made allows you to choose the display size!

Good luck!

[matthew lucas]

Many thanks guys!