Uncurling old prints

[Tobywan]

I have a box full of old prints(some are 100 years old) that have been rolled up for a long time. They appear to be photos of large groups of people and printed on a heavyweight, cream colored paper. Most are 8”x16” or longer and were rolled tightly.
does anyone know of a way to unroll them without damage. They are from a small historical society I volunteer at and I would like to mount them for display.

 

[koraks]

Unroll them and place them under a heavy weight for a couple of weeks. Odds are they'll stay a little flatter after that, allowing them to be framed for display.

 

[Don_ih]

Don't unroll the photos without humidifying them, first, or they will likely crack. See this page.

 

[Rick A]

Unroll them and place them under a heavy weight for a couple of weeks. Odds are they'll stay a little flatter after that, allowing them to be framed for display.

No, the emulsion will likely crack from being dried out.

 

[Ian C]

You could safely relax them by putting them into a closet with an room humidifier or vaporizer for few hours or even overnight. Repeat as necessary until they are relaxed enough to be flattened under a weighted sheet of plywood. Cover the prints with a sheet of clean foamcore or mat board to prevent the rough surface of the plywood from contacting the prints.

 

[George Collier]

Ditto on the moisture advice, however you do it, to relax the emulsion, as stated above.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Ditto on the moisture advice, however you do it, to relax the emulsion, as stated above.

Put them in the bathroom and run the shower, make the room foggy, bring in the photographs, close the door. Repeat several times.

 

[MattKing]

If there is a museum that you can engage with, they may very well have a conservation department that can help you with advice.
The Vancouver Archives are the local resource that I would contact - they conserve Circut photos that have spent decades curled into tubes!