Saving Your Treasures: Photographs

Types of Objects

PHOTOGRAPHS

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Photographs and negatives are composed of three different parts or layers: a support base, a binder, and image material. The support for a photograph or negative may be glass (glass plate negative), a plastic film (slide negative), metal (daguerreotype), paper (photo print), or a resin-coated paper (digital print). Some plastic negative bases are inherently unstable and will have a negative effect on the life of the image.

The binder layer or emulsion holds the final image material to the support and is most commonly gelatin, but may also be albumen, collodion, or another material.

The final part of a photograph is the image-producing material, often silver particles, color dyes, or pigment particles, suspended in the emulsion layer.

Photographs and negatives are generally cared for by paper conservators or those who have specialized in photographs and negatives alone. The videos below and handouts and websites on the right will guide you in the proper methods for preserving your items.

If you have any questions, ask a conservator.

Photographs

Negatives & Film

How to Care for Your Photos

The Harvey Boston Studio Photo Collection

Environment: Light

Environment: Relative Humidity & Temperature

Environment: Airborne & Gaseous Pollutants

Environment: Mold

How to Hinge & Matte a Work of Art

Housing Photographs for Archives

Housing Negatives, Film, Books, Newspapers, Scrapbooks, & Sound Recording Media

Pigments vs. Dyes

Plastics in Museum Collections

Plastics: Chemistry

Plastics: History

Plastics: Deterioration

Plastics: Preventative Care

TYPES OF OBJECTS