Preservation: The Redgrave Project

Preserving Our Photographic Heritage

Archives have done a good job of preserving the photographic heritage of the rich and famous; they have done somewhat less for the humble and obscure. I have had the privilege since 1996 of sharing family photos with other Redgrave researchers. I have also confronted the reality that many families have lost their photographic heritage through ignorance and misfortune. I'd like to do something to stem that by providing some guidelines for preserving our photographic family history.

The advice I offer here is based on a course in archival conservation and preservation which I took at the University of British Columbia in 2003. What follows is deliberately conservative.

PROTECT ORIGINALS; DISPLAY COPIES
Originals should be housed in lignin-free, pH-buffered envelopes in lignin-free, pH-buffered boxes.
Originals should not be displayed.
Scan originals at high resolution (300-600 dpi) and use these as masters for printing copies.
Don't photocopy originals; over time, the light from the copier will damage them
Display only prints made from digital masters.
Beware of scrapbooking materials labelled as "archival"

paper or card products should be lignin-free and pH-buffered
Avoid corrugated cardboard; the glue emits peroxides and other acid by-products.
Plastic products should be PVC-free; if it has a strong smell it's not PVC-free
Beware of the brightly-colored; dyes should be "colorfast"
Scrapbooking is a great way to display some family treasures but it should never be done with your original photos; use the copies

Protect all materials from extremes of temperature and humidity

Temperatures should be 68 degrees F +/- 2 over 24 hours
Humidity should be 40% +/- 2
Fluctuations of temperature and humidity are the real killers; keep it constant.

Housing materials are not that hard to find, but it can be difficult to create a constant environment in your home. If you cannot do this work yourself: DEPOSIT ORIGINALS WITH A REPUTABLE LOCAL ARCHIVES

A good site for more information: http://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/