Hello. Any ideas how to handle old photos and albums. I was once in museum worker there show me some 1918 Finnish war portraits with cotton gloves. I dont want to spoil any valuable photos. I dont wear gloves either...
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Well, the best way to handle photographs is with white cotton or latex gloves, but if you don't have them available just make sure your hands are clean. Wash them with soap and make sure they are completely dry, try to pick the pictures up along their edge....don't scratch your nose and then use that hand to handle a picture, it'll transfer oils.....just common sense stuff.
If you have individual pictures or album pages the best and easiest way to store them so you can see them without having to touch them is to keep them in archival sleeves made out of mylar (polyester), polyethylene, or polypropylene. Don't use cheap PVC (anything that has a smell to it or feels "greasy".......those will kill your pictures).
As for storing an entire album the best is to keep it in an acid free box in a cool, dry environment. Albums are hard to protect because the paper used in them was almost always very acidic and very hard to prevent breaking down. -
As stated, cotton gloves are great. You can also buy one of those book spatulas, I believe they're on Amazon, to turn the pages to keep your hands off them entirely.
No matter what you store them in, be sure it is acid free. Also, lighting. Keep out of direct sunlight and UV light. LED lighting is much gentler than the old fashioned bulbs, and does not cause the fading associated with previous light typesComment
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