Found some OLD family photos

[SteveH]

All,
Found these at my dad's place a week ago, and I just got the chance to scan them in. Right now Im figuring out the best way to unmount them, and properly store them. Any suggestions ?
I have about....40-60 pages worth of photos like these, plus some hand colored ones as well.

 

[removed account4]

hi steve:

i just got finished making copies of about 40 images from a similar vintage.
the nedcc (new england document conservation center) has some information listed on their website here that may help a little bit. the folks there are very good.

i know the photographs i made copies of were mounted on board. i have never heard or removing the image from the backing and don't know if i would recommend anything like that. the nedcc would be able to advise you, without a doubt. it might be worth making copy negatives ( using 35mm film ) of some of the ones that have special meaning to you. i did something similar a while back and it isn't very hard. you just need a "grey card" a tripod and a telephoto lens.

have fun!
john

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Don't unmount them!

Steve-

I would only "Unmount" them if the photos are attached to a piece of something like construction paper. There were a lot of old albums like that out there that people pasted images into, and the old paper is highly acidic and can damage the images.

These do not appear to be mounted that way - the old heavy cardstock backings that the photos came on are generally ok, and are often an intrinsic part of the image. Unmounting images that are made that way may cause them significant harm, and will certainly have a negative impact on their historical value.

 

[SteveH]

Thanks for the help...Im not really sure how they are affixed to the board, I never took a close look (I was in awe of the photos themselves at the time). But, I will be back out there in a week or so - then I'll get a better look at them.

Thanks again,

 

[JHannon]

I have a book of family photos from the 1920's. Corner mounts were used but an important part of the album is the written descriptions/dates under each photo.

Since I will not ever ship this album I scanned each page and made a CD to give to family members. I am trying to figure out how to preserve the album. There is no seperator paper and some of the photos seem to be sticking to each other.

 

[pgomena]

John --
You just said it -- separator paper. If you don't want to unmount the images, separate the pages with acid-free rag paper. Light Impressions and similar outfits stock it in varying thicknesses. This is a basic conservation step, one that we use with albums and scrapbooks here at the Oregon Historical Society. We can't afford the time/effort to unstick them, so we conserve as best as possible. Store the entire album in an acid-free clamshell box.

Peter Gomena

 

[JHannon]

John --
You just said it -- separator paper. If you don't want to unmount the images, separate the pages with acid-free rag paper. Light Impressions and similar outfits stock it in varying thicknesses. This is a basic conservation step, one that we use with albums and scrapbooks here at the Oregon Historical Society. We can't afford the time/effort to unstick them, so we conserve as best as possible. Store the entire album in an acid-free clamshell box.

Peter Gomena

Thanks Peter, I will do that.