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Old Documents and Photographs
We have received many emails asking for
advice on preserving antique photographs and documents.
People become concerned when they see their vintage paper
collectibles becoming brittle, turning yellow, or even
crumbling. This page helps you understand what causes this
degradation, and what can be done to limit the damage.
Why Are My Old Photographs, Documents and
Newspapers Turning Yellow?
We should first understand the source of the
problem. It is really pretty simple, acid is the enemy.
Remnant acid in the photograph or document slowly begins to
dissolve the document over time. The document or photograph
is literally eating itself up from the inside over time.
This process causes the material to slowly turn yellow,
become brittle, and then finally to crumble.
 The
obvious question is, how does the acid get into the paper?
There are three primary sources. First, there can be remnant
acid left in the paper as part of the manufacturing of the
paper. In general, the more acid that is left in the paper,
the quicker the paper will yellow and degrade. Newsprint
from the 1900's is notoriously bad. Newsprint from this era
can show visible signs of yellowing in as little as a few
months. Newsprint from the mid-1800's tends to be made on
relatively low acid paper, and hence does not yellow and
become brittle. I have many newspapers printed in the 1860's
which show no signs of acid-based degradation. These
newspapers can be handled (carefully), framed, and displayed
without fear of damage to the historic images.
The second source of acid is associated with
the storage of the document or photograph. Even if the
original paper is acid free, the document can still become
damaged if it is mounted on or against an item that is not
acid free. In many cases, historic documents have been
framed using acid-based cardboard as a backing board, and
matted in an acid based matt. Over time, acid from these
products will leach into the document, and acid based
degradation results. Similarly, many photo albums contain
acid in the paper or adhesives used in holding or mounting
the photographs. The album itself is introducing acid into
the photographs, accelerating their decay.
The third source of acid is associated with
photographs. The photographic process itself can introduce
acid into the underlying paper substrate. In some cases,
photographs which were not processed with suitable washing
steps can have elevated levels of acid, and hence, a faster
rate of yellowing and degradation.
What Can be Done to Stop the Yellowing and
Damage?
This section describes what you can do to
limit further damage and degradation to your vintage
documents and photographs. In general, removing or
neutralizing acid already in a paper document, or photograph
is beyond the capability of most people. While there are
businesses and institutions which offer this service, the
price is prohibitive for most private collectors. In most
cases, the best option is to improve storage methods to
limit further degradation as much as possible. We will share
some tips and tricks to allow you to preserve these vintage
treasures.
The first and most important thing, is to
limit any further introduction of acid into your document of
photograph. If the material is in an old frame, there is a
good chance that the framing material (matt, backing board,
adhesive) is NOT acid free. We suggest taking the item to a
custom frame shop and have them re-frame it with archival
grade framing material. If the frame itself is of historic
or personal importance, in most cases, you can have them use
the same frame, but just replace all the paper and adhesive
products with modern acid free material. We also suggest
that the glass be replaced with non-glare, ultra-violet
filtering glass. Limiting exposure to UV rays in normal room
light will extend the life of the document.
Old photo albums are another particular
problem. In general, old photo albums have acid-based pages,
adhesives, and covers. We suggest that you purchase modern,
archival grade, acid-free photo albums. I like albums that
have very stiff pages, so that the photographs are not bent,
or flexed as the pages are turned. I like to see the pages,
and hence the photographs, remain flat as the pages
are turned. I also prefer albums that do not cover the
photograph. I prefer albums where the photographs are
affixed to the surface of the pages. Of course, only the
highest quality archival grade adhesives should be used. I
have had good luck with the Lineco archival adhesives,
particularly the Lineco photo corners. These allow mounting
of photographs with no adhesive toughing the photograph, and
the adhesive near the photograph is acid-free.
Finally, for bulk storage of documents or
photographs, acid free storage boxes are available, and
allow stacks of pictures to be safely stored.
Despite our best efforts to preserve
documents and photographs, some degradation will occur over
time. Worse, there is always the chance of a catastrophic
event. We all want to have our cherished documents and
photographs handy to enjoy and show others, but this makes
us vulnerable to fire, theft, or natural disaster.
Because of this, we suggest you consider creating your own
Digital Archive of you vintage pictures and documents,
protecting yourself against the unlikely, yet devastating
results of fire, theft, or natural disaster.
When considering a digital archive, most
people think of snapping a few digital pictures of the old
photos, burning a quick CD, and then throwing the CD into a
desk drawer. Unfortunately, this is woefully inadequate.
Consider this; 20 years ago you wanted to preserve a vintage
photograph. You made a digital scan on an IBM scanner,
stored it on an IBM PC 5 1/2 inch floppy disk, using
Genigraphics software. My friend, even if you could find
where you put the disk today, the chances of you getting to
the file today would be almost nil. Creating a scan, and
having the scan on your hard disk creates a false sense of
confidence that you have protected your cherished photos.
We have created a tutorial on
Digitally Archiving
your Photographs. This tutorial takes you through a step
by step process of creating your own digital archive that
will be genuinely useful in the case of disaster. The
tutorial considers all the issues of importance in creating
a hundred year archive.
Repairs
Careful handling is one of the most
important aspects of caring for vintage photographs and
documents. Even with careful handling, accidents can happen,
and our vintage
material can become damaged. It is possible
to do some level of repair at home. The most important issue
is to use the proper tape to do the repair. Normal office
tape should NEVER be used on a vintage document of
photograph. Some plastic tape is advertised as "acid free",
but we suggest that no plastic or polymer based office tape
ever be used on an old document. We prefer linen based
mending tapes.
We suggest use of Lineco document mending
tape. We have used this product for years with excellent
results. They have been making archival grade adhesives for
years, and we trust their products.
In doing a repair, we prefer to try, if at
all possible to use the tape on the backside, not frontside
of the document or photograph. If done carefully, a backside
repair will result in a repair that is completely concealed,
bringing the document back to optimal condition.
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