Compared to drawing and painting, photography is a relatively new art form. Still, thousands of prints from the early days of the medium have been around long enough to show the damage that time and the elements can do, a fact that creates challenges for historians and archivists seeking to showcase and preserve these valuable images. To keep your own treasured photographs and digital prints looking vibrant and new for years to come, you'll need to mount and store them just like the pros do.
Fred Baker, of Frederic's Framing Studio in Chicago, has been a fine museum quality framer for more than 25 years. Here he offers a basic guide to mounting and storing photographs:
- Display & preserve.
Simply put, archival mounting is a way of displaying and preserving a photograph in a way that will keep it looking great and protect it from fading and corrosion.
- Avoid discoloration.
If you look closely at an old photograph from the 1920's, you'll probably notice that everything is glued down and turning an ugly brown. This brown color is caused by the glue migrating onto the artwork.
- Mount on acid-free board.
These days, archivists and other professionals mount old photographs on a rag board, which is made of cotton fibers that have been chemically treated to be non-acidic.
- Use photo corners.
The photo is affixed to the board using photographic corners or photo hinges, which are available is photographic shops or art supply stores. Professionals like Baker often make their own corners out of acetate.
- Frame with UV-filtering glass.
Once you've created an acid free mount, you need to protect the photograph from light that will fade or otherwise damage the image. The best way to do this is to frame the mounted photo using special glass that filters out the UV rays.
- Store snapshots in acid-free boxes.
To preserving your snapshots, buy special non-acidic photo storage boxes. To prevent scratching, put a sheet of acetate between each photo.
For more about custom framing and archival mounting, check out the following websites:
The Art & Framing Headquarters
www.artframing.com
Library of Congress Guide to Preservation Matting and Framing
www.loc.gov
Professional Picture Framer's Association
www.ppfa.com
Art & Framing Council
www.artandframingcouncil.org
The American Museum of Photography: Preserving & Protecting Photographs
www.photographymuseum.com
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