Hogwood Article, June 2000

There is no disputing that modern technology has done wonders to help ensure that the surviving photographic images of our ancestors will be available for the information and enjoyment of future generations. Scanners costing less than a hundred dollars allow us to back up our own photographic images and to deposit the resulting digital files in safekeeping with others through electronic media. Higher resolution scanners and powerful image editing software in the hands of a skilled amateur or a professional studio can reveal details that were “invisible” in the original and can facilitate digital restoration. User-friendly “picture machines” produce stunningly crisp enlargements from even poor quality originals at a very modest cost. Nowadays, even the plain vanilla photocopier found at the local library can generate impressive grayscale images for mere pennies, and the copier at the mailbox store can produce amazing results in color for a dollar or so.

Despite the wonders of digital backup, we must not become complacent about the original photographic artifacts from which their electronic “issue” were born. Because they were produced and likely handed down to us by our own flesh and blood, old photos are even more precious – indeed in many cases irreplaceable. In their original form, old photos may bear information such as inscriptions and processing marks that are not normally captured on photographic or digital copies. Finally, old photographs can be valuable as antiques or as historical objects – not that your photo of Aunt Florence posing with Al Capone is for sale at any price!

To some extent, the care and preservation of photo artifacts depends on a variety of factors, including their age, the processing technique originally employed, and the type and quality of materials used. Nevertheless, the practicing genealogist will find the following advice to be generally applicable to management of his or her collection of still photographs, negatives and slides.

Photos should be stored where they are protected from their enemies -- light, moisture, pests, extremes of heat and cold and other contaminants. Basements, attics and garages are unacceptable storage locations. Period. If you would not enjoy the living arrangement yourself, chances are that your images won’t either. If possible keep your albums and boxes raised off the floor to protect from flooding – here I’m referring primarily to the danger of a flooding bathtub, commode or breaking pipe, not necessarily Hurricane Floyd.

While light was originally responsible for creating our images, continued exposure to light after development causes most photographs to fade. So, don’t display your original photos. Have professional quality back-up photographs made and display them instead, safely storing the originals in archival envelopes, albums and boxes. Many manufacturers advertise that their products are “archival quality,” “acid-free,” or “PVC-free.” While these are genuinely desirable characteristics, the claims are often overstated and offer little assurance to the buyer. So, unless you are capable of putting these albums through their paces in the lab, my advice is to purchase albums and storage supplies from a reputable camera shop. You can also trust manufacturers like Light Impressions, Print File, and Webway, who sell extensively to the photographic trade. I am also told that Webway manufactures the line of products marketed by Creative Memories consultants.

You may discover that you have inherited photos that were glued into albums or scrapbooks with matte black pages that were popular from the 1920s through the 1950s. Or maybe they are stuck to the pages of the “magnetic albums” that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Here you face a dilemma. Experts say that both types of albums are harmful to the photographs they house, but you may find that removing the photos from the backing is nearly impossible without causing damage. Try using a piece of dental floss between the photo and the backing. Alternatively, there is a product called “Undu,” available at most craft stores, that helps to neutralize glues and adhesives. Experiment on an unimportant image first. If your modest attempts fail, proceed no further. Leave the photo on the backing, and consider having a photographic copy made promptly before the image degrades further or is lost altogether.

Keep your albums and storage envelopes upright – i.e. in a vertical position. Avoid storing them flat, one on top of another, where the weight presses the images against one another and/or their carriers. Whenever possible, store your images so that they do not touch each other. If they must be housed in a common box or envelope, then separate them with archival quality, acid-free paper. Personally, I like the Print File line of plastic protective sheets and sleeves made for prints, slides and negatives. They come in a variety of sizes fit into standard three-ring binders. Most full service camera stores will carry at least an assortment of the most popular sizes.

Needless to say, try to minimize the handling of your photos, so that they don’t get cracked, bent or dog-eared. Photos that have been kept rolled up or that have curled on their own should be flattened out gradually, lest they crack. Never try to iron an image with steam or heat except after first consulting with an expert.

Invest a few dollars in a couple of pairs of white cotton lint-free gloves to use when handling prints, negatives and slides. You can find them in most camera stores that carry darkroom supplies. You’ll feel like an idiot or a mortician wearing them, but you’ll avoid leaving body oils and fingerprints on your images, especially on the negatives. The gloves also help remove the traces of earlier, less conscientious handlers.

As a rule, you’re probably best off not trying to remove stains and spots from old photos unless you really know what you’re doing. Many old photographs were printed on paper featuring a gelatin base that dissolves in water. The conservator’s rule is not to do anything that cannot be undone.

When labeling the backs of photographs, it is best to use a #2 pencil. Don’t use ink, especially a ball-point pen which has the additional disadvantage of making a physical depression in the paper. Some of the newer photo papers, while sturdy and resistant to stains, are also resistant to both pencil and pen. Ask your photo processor for advice on a safe marking pen that uses ink that cannot transfer from the back of one image to the front of another.

Many people assume that the older a photograph, the more prone it is to fading and deterioration. Fortunately, this is not necessarily so. A black and white photograph that has been properly developed, printed on quality paper, and stored responsibly, can survive indefinitely. The reason for this is that photography before 1900 was dominated by professionals who understood the importance of controlled development and printing. I have many nineteenth century prints that show absolutely no sign of degradation. On the other hand, I also have many family snapshots taken in this century and even color prints from the 1950s that have lost much of their original definition. Color photos taken today and processed at a one hour lab are likely to last hundreds of years, but only time will tell for sure.

We cannot go back in time to correct sloppy processing techniques or to reprint our images using technologically superior materials. We must take good care of the photos that are in our possession and help others do the same.

© Copyright Drew Hogwood 2000

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