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
– 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
arrow Answers to self-evaluation quiz

 

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Photographs

Answers to self-evaluation quiz

Question 1.

Answer: Answers could include:

Physical

  • dog-eared corners
  • insect attack
  • abrasion and scratching
  • tears and cuts
  • creases
  • peeling emulsion
  • indentations from labelling

Chemical

  • fading of the image
  • yellowing of B&W images
  • colour change of colour prints
  • staining
  • fading of colour prints
  • stains from repair tapes
  • silver mirroring (silvering out)

Question 2.

Answer: e): all of the above. Photographs are very susceptible to damage; but if you must handle them they should be supported and you should not handle them directly-wear gloves. Hands should be clean to minimise the risk of oils and dirt being transferred to the photographs.

Question 3.

Answer: b). This is the best way to label photographs. a), c) and d) are wrong. Inks can spread and cause staining; pressure can crack the emulsion and paper clips can damage photographs.

Question 4.

Answer: a) and c). Some aspects of conservation of photographs are complex and you should protect your damaged photograph and seek the advice of a conservator. Never use sticky tapes and rubber cement on photographs.

Question 5.

Answer: b). These are the ideal conditions but they cannot always be achieved.

Question 6.

Answer: b). a) and c) are wrong. If the collection is stable, don't try to alter the storage environment so that it meets the recommended ideal conditions. This could cause more harm than good. The emphasis should be on long-term stability.

Question 7.

Answer:

Good Bad
photographic-quality rag and wood pulp papers poor-quality papers such as newsprint or butchers paper
plastics such as archival-quality polyester and polypropylene black papers and boards—these often contain sulphur
photographic storage paper coloured papers and coated papers
photographic, conservation or museum quality mount board polyvinyl chloride — PVC—a common plastic
metal furniture with baked enamel finish furniture made from uncured wood or recently painted furniture

Question 8.

Answer: a) and d). Providing layers of storage is very protective and wastes neither time nor materials.

Question 9.

Answer: d).

Question 10.

Answer: a). Tungsten incandescent bulbs give out very little UV radiation and are not as hot or as intense as spotlights.

 

 

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