Storing old photos and papers

[way2serious]

Am currently sorting through large amounts of old photos and paperwork going back up to 100 years. Am going to take photos of some but how is best to store these to preserve them?

You need acid free folders, envelopes or boxes. Look for 'archive quality'. If you have a local record office near you (not just a library, somewhere that stores actual documents) you could call in and ask their advice.

Remove any staples, pins or paper clips that might rust and cause damage. You can get archive quality paperclips, but they probably come in larger quantities than you will need.

Store the documents as flat as possible. If they're in a particular order, rather than all jumbled together, try to keep them in that order. Don't store near radiators or anywhere they might be subject to damp or extreme changes of temperature.

I recommend scanning and storing the images on a usb as well as photographing. Then you can look at them, and send them to other people, without needing to handle the originals too much.

@HonoriaBulstrode That is really helpful, thank you. Do you recommend any particular brand of acid free materials?

I can't make any recommendations, sorry. I've never bought any myself, but as a historian I've spent a lot of time researching in record offices, so am very familiar with the storage requirements. 😀

Some of your papers might have quite high acid content, so that over time they will go brown at the edges and start crumbling. Another good reason to get them scanned.

@HonoriaBulstrode Thank you again for your advice

Here is a great article on storing old photographs to prevent fading and further damage https://photoglory.net/how-to-store-old-photos.php

The main highlights are to make sure the conditions aren't too humid and to keep the photos away from bright light. Bonus points if you use envelopes to store them in.

@RealPearlDuck Thank you. That’s a really useful article.