"31 Days of Tips from The Archive Lady"
DAY #28
Preserving an Old Black Paper Photo Album
Photographs!
I love family photographs!
Looking into the faces of my ancestors in photographs and wondering what they were like, how they lived and what they did on a daily basis is a huge part of my genealogy research journey.
One obstacle that we might face with our photographs are those old black paper photo albums that look like this:
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| Wiseman Family Photo Album, Houston County, TN. Archives |
These were extremely popular back in the late 1800's and throughout the 1900's. The photographs were either pasted onto the pages or they were inserted with photo corners that are pasted into the album.
We have several of these types of black paper photo albums in the Houston County, TN. Archives. It is very important that these types of photo albums be handled with care and preserved properly. Any home archivist can preserve their own black paper photo albums. But I always like to say that if you don't feel comfortable doing this preservation project yourself, then I highly recommend you consult with an archivist or conservator in your area to help you.
First and foremost, the black paper in these albums is not archival. They are not acid free and are full of chemicals. The paste that was used to adhere the photographs is also not archival and can be damaging to photographs.
The first thought would be to remove the photographs from these albums. STOP!!
I would caution you about removing the photos from these types of black paper albums. I will say that if the paste has worn away or deteriorated enough that the photos come off the pages easy, then removing the photographs would be okay. Otherwise, DO NOT REMOVE THE PHOTOS! Dismantling a photograph album like this should be your last resort.
We know that the pages are not archival but you could do much more damage to the photographs trying to remove them than the paper is doing.
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| Wiseman Family Photo Album, Houston County, TN. Archives |
Before you even start, put on GLOVES! When working with photographs, archivist always use gloves to keep the oils and dirt from their hands from getting on the photographs and causing damage. You can use white cotton gloves or regular latex gloves. Do not handle any photographs without wearing gloves.
I would suggest that you first digitize the pages in the photo album. Use a flat bed scanner, digital camera or some other device that allows you to lay the pages flat. Do not use any device that requires you to feed the pages through the device, that could cause damage.
Digitizing and documenting each and every photograph from the album is a great archiving tool. If something were to happen to the album, you will still have the digital images.
Use archival tissue paper and interweave the tissue paper between each and every page. This will create a barrier between the photographs and the adjacent black paper pages.
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| Interweaving Tissue Paper, Houston County, TN. Archives |
Place the entire photograph album in an archival box. You will want to purchase a box that fits the album as perfectly as possible. If the album is moving around in the box, crumple up tissue paper and put around the album so it doesn't move. Do not cram the photo album in to too small of a box. You want the album to fit snuggly so it doesn't move at all.
Store the box with the album in a cool, dark and dry place. Never store documents, photographs or artifacts in an attic, basement or someplace where it is humid. Always keep out of the sunlight.
If you are fortunate enough to have these wonderful old black paper photo albums with your ancestor's photographs in them, you have a treasure! So, let's preserve and archive that album so that future generations can enjoy those photographs!
REMEMBER: IT'S NOT ALL ONLINE, CONTACT OR VISIT AN ARCHIVE TODAY!!
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Several years ago I was confronted with an old photo album with my mother's homemade glue that is guaranteed to keep the pictures stuck. I cut around the pictures leaving a narrow margin of black and placed the pictures in a better album
ReplyDeleteVivian, that is a great idea, especially if you want to remove them from the book. I have seen photos stuck very well in some of these books. Thank You for reading my blog!
DeleteI have one of these albums, it was my great grandmothers. Many of the pictures are from before she emigrated to the U.S., showing early 20th century German life. Probably my most prized family history possession.
ReplyDeleteMany of the photos are postcard style, and have letters from friends and family written on the backs. The problem is that she glued the photos to the page, using a dot of glue in each corner. On the one hand, I happy she was very frugal in her glue usage since it makes it relatively easy to remove a photo without damaging it. On the other hand, those corners with glue are now obscured with black paper, making it impossible to read what is underneath it. I always feel like there is an answer to some great family history mystery hiding under those black spots. :)