Advice on important vintage prints

[cptrios]

Hi all,

For years, I’ve had several prints sitting in a drawer rather than on display since I’ve always been too nervous to frame them and put them up. Which is kind of silly, really, in hindsight. Without going into specifics, they’re by two photographers who are about as ‘legendary’ as possible and were given directly to a family member by one of said photographers in the late 1930s.

I’m finally thinking of putting them on display, and am wondering if anyone’s got pointers on two things:

1. Are there any particularly good appraisers out there for these sorts of things? I have no interest at all in ever selling them since, the title says, they’re seriously important to me (and they’ve got creases and some water damage anyway), but I want to do it for insurance purposes.

2. I’d welcome advice on display choices. Is there anything I should keep in mind preservation-wise beyond UV glass/acrylic and acid-free everything? I’m tempted to put one of them in some sort of floating frame, since it’s got a handwritten note on the back that’d be a shame to hide.

Thanks!

 

[wiltw]

Put a matte in front of the print, so that glass does not come into direct contact with the surface of the print (to avoid possibility of emulsion sticking to the glass, and to eliminate possibility of Newton's rings.

 

[koraks]

so that glass does not come into direct contact with the surface of the print

That's quite essential advice. I was visiting a photo restorer a few weeks ago, and we briefly discussed a framed print she had sitting there with the emulsion stuck to the glass. I asked how she approached something like that, and the answer boiled down to "experiment a bit, but don't spend too much time on it as it's usually a lost cause".

 

[Mike Crawford]

1. Are there any particularly good appraisers out there for these sorts of things? I have no interest at all in ever selling them since, the title says, they’re seriously important to me (and they’ve got creases and some water damage anyway), but I want to do it for insurance purposes.

I was thinking that auction houses may offer a valuation service and checking Sotheby's, they do, including for insurance. https://www.sothebys.com/en/about/services/valuations
Presume it's not too far to NY, though you'll know if there are similar auctioneers in Boston. Though as you can imagine, creases and water damage will detract from the value.

 

[Udor]

Concerning apparaising value:

You could also approach a reputable gallery that represents the work of the photographer in question. I'm thinking for instance of the Edwynn Houk Gallery in Manhattan, or Galerie Karsten Greve in Europe, or other in that league. They can probably give you a ballpark figure on current market values. Their websites are sometimes informative (although actual prices and not systematically divulged). Another option is to browse through online auction results (on Invaluable.com or Liveauctioneers.com, or Christies or Sotheby's).

Also of note: if you have some kind of institutional access (via a university or college for instance), there is a database called Artprice that lists actual auction results. Good luck.

As for conservation, I would have the prints framed by a framing company that does work for museums. The shouldn't be too hard to find in your area. Get UV protected glass (even if it is more expensive) and make sure that the matt boards (both the window matt and the backing) are archival, 100% rag, and buffered. If your prints are not toned, sulphide components from atmospheric pollution can cause irreversible damage, so a good, sealed frame is a good idea (like a shadow box type frame). And do keep it out of direct sunlight under any circumstances.

 

[MTGseattle]

If they're not huge prints, matting and framing yourself isn't too crazy. If you've never done it before, the hunt for equipment and supplies may make it worthwhile to just pay a frame shop.
Acid free materials are key.
@Udor hit on quite a few good points above. A "legendary" photographer should be represented by a gallery and/or museum. Obviously, there may be a trust involved at this point.

Filmoplast P90 is the special tape I use for my corners. I cannot remember the type of paper, but as above it was something thin and acid-free. I use 1x1 inch squares and fold my own "corners" which are then held in place by the Filmoplast. These "corners" hold the print to the matt. No adhesives contact the actual print. When doing a hinged window style matt, hinge tape the window and the backer fully across the tops so that nothing can get between the matt boards. I use 1.5 inch adhesive backed (wet with a sponge) linen tape for this.

 

[MarkS]

If you're interested in the works keeping their value, invest in proper archival mounting and framing by a shop that specializes in that work- there must be several in Boston.
DIY framing will reduce the future value, as any later purchaser will just throw away the home-brew and have it done properly.

 

[Don_ih]

I would say get the prints to a photo conservator and see if that "water damage" is not improper washing after fixing (which will continue to degrade the print).

 

[Sirius Glass]

It is one thing to rewash your old prints. It is quite something else to do that to a print from the 1930's, which are on the order of 90 years old. Take it to a conservator and this is one time one should not stint on the costs.

 

[cptrios]

Appreciate the responses! I feel silly for not thinking of keeping the face of the prints away from glass, since I've had to deal with exactly that issue on some old family photos (the negatives for which I luckily found later). And it is, unfortunately, definitely water damage. I believe they were in a filing cabinet during a flood at some point.

I think what I'll do is eventually find an appraiser and just get their advice on what to do vis a vis conservation. I might even donate one to a museum at some point, provided there's an interested one out there.

 

[Sirius Glass]

As noted before by others, photographic prints should not be mounted touching the glass.