IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Barton University Archives is committed to protecting the health and safety of visitors, customers, and employees during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Our museum and research facilities are closed to the public until further notice. In the meantime, feel free to use our resources. We are still here for you!
PHOTO PRESERVATION
Many of us still have sizable collections of physical photographs, negatives, and even transparent slides despite the popularity of digital photography. Photographic materials vary widely in their compositions, but there are general preservation strategies that will help you protect your items.
Preservation Tips
General guidelines detailing how best to handle and preserve photo materials.
Care and Handling
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Always have clean, dry hands or gloves (microfiber or nitrile).
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Only handle the edges of photos and negatives.
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Avoid writing on photographs, even the back. Write information on enclosures or accompanying materials.
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Keep your work area clear of debris, food, and liquids.
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Avoid paper clips (especially bare metal), rubber bands, tape, and adhesive.
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Avoid exposure to bright, sustained light for all photographic materials, but especially color images. Do not leave photos out in the light when you are not using them.
Storage Enclosures
All enclosures for photos, negatives, and slides should pass the Photographic Activity Test (PAT) to ensure the chemicals will not react with prolonged exposure. However, some materials may pass the PAT but are not safe for long-term photo storage, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC contains unstable plasticizers and can emit hydrochloric acid as it decays. It is best to enclose each item individually to avoid sticking together or cross-contamination.
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Paper enclosures are relatively inexpensive, protect from ambient light exposure, and are easy to label. However, items must be removed to view, which invites potential damage. Be mindful of how often you plan to handle your items. Envelopes and boxes for photographic materials must be acid- and lignin-free. You can find neutral (pH 7) or buffered (pH8.5) paper enclosures. Buffered materials are not recommended for more modern color materials.
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Plastic enclosures are more expensive but allow for easy viewing of your materials without removing them. Safe plastics are made from uncoated polyester (Mylar), uncoated cellulose triacetate, polypropylene, or polyethylene. However, in high relative humidity, plastic enclosures and the emulsions of photo materials can stick to each other, so it is best to use plastics in drier environments. Plastic enclosures will not protect from ambient light exposure and may attract abrasive dust particles through static cling. We do not recommend plastic enclosures for glass plates or negatives made of nitrate or acetate.
Environment
As a general rule, photo materials do best in cooler temperatures with low relative humidity. The cooler and drier (but not too dry) the environment, the longer your photos will last. Most important, though, is consistency: do not allow great fluctuations.
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Keep photo materials at room temperature or below and relative humidity at 20-30%. There are inexpensive monitors you can buy to measure relative humidity. Mold spores are always present, and they flourish in dark, warm, moist areas. Dark fading, or image degradation in the absence of light, is hastened by higher temperatures.
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Attics are too hot and basements are too damp for photos. Keep your materials in the middle levels of your home, within interior walls. Avoid storage near windows, doors, and utilities like water heaters that can create environmental fluctuations.
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Keep the environment dust free. Common pollutants can react with photo emulsions and dust can be abrasive.
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Color photos, negatives, and slides are particularly unstable and should be kept in cold storage for optimal preservation. Make copies or digitize these items for frequent use. Originals must be wrapped carefully in vaporless packaging before freezing, especially in frost-prone home freezers, and must have time to come to room temperature before being handled. Learn more about cold storage packaging from the National Park Service.
Copying and Digitizing
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Fading, brittle, or color photo materials are fragile and excessive handling invites damage. To easily view and share images, consider making copies and/or digitizing. Remember that these copies will need their own preservation.
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Copying or digitizing is especially important for original negatives, slides, and color photographs, which are more unstable than black and white photographs and are prone to scratching. There are commercial services you can use and some public libraries have digitizing resources. You can also use a digital camera at home along with some other tools (see video).
Photo Preservation
Photo Preservation
The Care and Preservation of Family Photographs
Columbus Neighborhoods: How to Archive Historic Photos
Intro to DIY film scanning
Additional Photo Resources
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Library of Congress: Care, Handling, and Storage of Photographs
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Northeast Document Conservation Center: Preservation Leaflets: 5. Photographs
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5.2.1 Types of Photographs, part 1: 19th and Early 20th Century
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5.2.2 Types of Photographs, part 2: Color
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5.3 Care of Photographs
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6.2 Duplication of Historical Negatives
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6.4 The Relevance of Preservation in a Digital World
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National Park Service: Conserve O Grams (section 14. Photographs)
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For those with a particular interest in color photographic materials, please see the Rochester Institute of Technology Image Permanence Institute Storage Guide for Color Photographic Materials (1998)