Conserving Documents and Photographs for Future Generations

Preservation of original photographs depends greatly on the type of photograph it is. Daguerreotypes have different preservation needs from tintypes, and the preservation needs of tintypes differ from cabinet cards. Although this article will not go into detail about preservation of photos, different types of storage enclosures, in a general sense, will be discussed. The final choice of enclosures used depends on the particular needs of a collection, the type of photographs stored, and budgetary restraints. The main point to consider in an enclosure is paper versus plastic. In order to weigh the choices, a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each is necessary.  For more details on preservation of particular photograph types, see the list of resources at the end.

In consideration of paper versus plastic enclosures, it is important to looks at the advantages and disadvantages of each. A basic understanding of the deterioration of original photographs is necessary. In general terms, long exposure to light, heat, and humidity increase the rapidity of the deterioration, much like that of documents. With that said, an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of paper and plastic enclosures can be better understood.

For Paper enclosures, there are more advantages than disadvantages. Paper enclosures are opaque, meaning that they help to block out harmful light. Paper is also porous, which helps to protect the photograph from the accumulation of moisture in the atmosphere. The disadvantage to using paper enclosures is that due to their opaqueness, it is necessary to remove the photograph from the sleeve in order to view it. This can potentially lead to problems with mishandling the image and increasing the rate of deterioration, for instance by exposing the images to the natural oils in a person’s fingers or fingerprint smudges.

Plastic enclosures have fewer advantages than disadvantages, but depending on the current condition of the photograph, the advantage may be more important. The biggest advantage to plastic enclosure is that the image can be viewed without removing the image. This is a great asset for images that have already undergone a lot of deterioration. Although plastic enclosures can protect an image from the atmospheric environment, the nature of plastic can actually lock in moisture to the image. In this case, humidity is an important factor. In high humidity, paper enclosures may be better, while in low humidity, plastic would be just fine.

Both paper and plastic enclosures have advantages and disadvantages. The choice will come from a combination of personal preference, how often the original photograph is used, and the condition the photograph is in. Photographs in good condition with minimal use would be fine in either paper or plastic enclosures, but poor quality or high usage may dictate that plastic enclosures would be best. On the other hand, if an area has a lot of light and high humidity, paper enclosures would be best. In some cases, the combination of paper and plastic enclosures would be a great idea, for example a photograph in poor condition in an area with low humidity, but a lot of light might be best stored in a plastic enclosure which is further stored in paper. In a situation such as this, the plastic would make it easier to view the photograph without further damage while the paper's opaqueness helps protect the photograph from light.

• Go back to the Introduction (Part I)
• Go back to Conservation and Storage of Documents (Part II)
• Go back to Conserving Your Digital Photographs (Part III)
• Go forward to Glossary and Description of Conservation Tools (Part V)
• Go forward to Conservation Resources (Part VI)