Caring for Cultural Material 1
Caring for Cultural Material 2
Damage and Decay
Managing Collections
Managing People
Handling, Transportation, Storage and Display
Glossary
Index
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Caring for Cultural Material 1
In this volume:
– Paper
– Books
arrow Photographs
– Paintings
– Electronic Information Media
– Acknowledgments
Photographs
In this chapter:
– Objectives
arrow Introduction
– Types of photographs
– What are the most common types of damage
– Common causes of damage
– The do's and don'ts of handling photographs
– The do's and don'ts of repair and labelling
– Storing photographs
– Practical steps you can take to improve your photographic storage
– Easy do-it-yourself methods for storing photographs
– Displaying photographs
– Summary of conditions for storage and display
– Photographs in Australia's climactic zones
– Some miscellaneous advice
  MORE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHS
– A brief overview of photographic deterioration mechanisms
– A brief overview of the chemistry of photography
– Layer structures for various photographs
– A brief history of the development of photography
– Identification of historic photographs
– For further reading
– Self-evaluation quiz
– Answers to self-evaluation quiz

 

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Photographs

Introduction

Since its invention in 1839, photography has enjoyed enormous success. It has gone from being something quite rare and mysterious to something quite everyday—commonplace. Unfortunately, because photographs are everyday items we don't always give them the care that they need.

All photographs, both old and new, require special care. Many photographs, including modern colour photographs, are unstable, and will fade rapidly if they are not processed properly in the first place, if we display them for long periods and if we do not store them appropriately. In some cases, this can result in the complete loss of the photograph.

image silver gelatine Silver gelatine Photograph—c1930.

Photograph courtesy of Fred Francisco

Compromise is nearly always necessary when trying to find a balance between using and preserving collections. However, there is much that can be done to preserve the photographs in your care, through careful and thoughtful handling, storage and display.

image of silver gelatine Silver gelatine Photograph—c1910.

Photograph courtesy of Fred Francisco
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