Greetings! Although most of the recommendations Ive read on this thread are good, as a certified picture framer and former art and framing studio owner, I feel I should clarify a couple of things. 1. Scanning and old photo in which the image has already been bleached due to UV exposure can cause irreparable harm to an already damaged image. In these cases, it is better to have the original photo professionally copied by a qualified studio (who should be able to do so without the concentrated light of a scanner) and the original preserved. Scanning old photos which are not already UV damaged should cause no harm, as long as it is not done repeatedly. One good scan, saved in a high resolution, should suffice. Personally, I save mine in multiple locations, just in case disaster should strike. 2. I personally display the originals of my antique family photos, but with a couple of considerations: mine are archivally framed with lignin-free mats and mounting boards, and glazed with UV-protective glazing. The latter is probably unnecessary in my own home, which is a bit of a cave as far as outside light is concerned, but which is very important in most locations. 3. When choosing framing materials, please note that not all mats labeled "acid free" really are. Crescent, in particular, marketed their paper mats for years with "Acid-free" stamped upon the back of each, despite the mats being proven as containing high levels of both acids and lignins, both highly damaging to artwork on paper in general, and to photographs specifically. The mats I chose for years were Bainbridge Alphamats, which are 100% acid and lignin free, and are used by a number of prominent museums in framing their own collections. They have a selection of them specifically formulated for the preservation of photographic art. Crescent also has a line of 100% cotton rag mats (which are softer than the Alphamats, and don't cut quite as cleanly) which are also buffered specifically for photographic art. And don't forget the backing board, which should also be archival - under no circumstances should non-archival materials be used in the framing package. A first-quality framer will even seal the inside edge of a wood frame, to prevent acid migration from occurring in the future. There are a lot more details in dealing with old photographs, and a great deal of information available to those with the interest. Just be aware that the primary reason for framing anything is to protect it from harm, and care and quality materials cannot be overrated. Regards, Cori ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jerry Tichacek" <tichacek@quixnet.net> To: <MO-STLOUIS-METRO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2003 12:57 PM Subject: [StL-Metro] Recommendations for Old Family Photos > Joan: > > Scan the original family photos at 600 dpi TIFF (non-lossy large files with > high-resolution to retain detail) and burn the master images onto CD-Rs (700 > MB) and/or DVD-Rs (4.7 GB). Get everybody identified in the photos along > with dates and places and write it on the back of photos so your children > and grandchildren who inherit your photos will know who the people are. You > can always use photo-editing software later to clean up the photos and/or > create JPEGs of your high-resolution TIFF masters as needed to send to > family or for your genealogy software program or screensavers. Display > copies of the photos in your house on the walls, NOT the originals as you > don't want them to fade or be damaged anymore than they already are. Put > the originals in a safety deposit box for safekeeping. With new DVD-editing > software on the market, you can customize your family photo collection > burned on your DVD-Rs to play in a DVD player and display on your TV, HDTV > or big screen. You can also create customized screensavers with JPEG images > of family and ancestors that cycle through photos when your computer is > idle. Designate in your will, living will or estate the trusted relative, > child or grandchild who values you having an interest in genealogy and who > will be the future caretaker of your genealogy stuff and who has enough > brains not to throw away or sell all of your valuable records and personal > belongings after you die. > > Jerry > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Joan T Kaemmer" <jkaemmer@juno.com> > To: <MO-STLOUIS-METRO-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2003 11:39 AM > Subject: [StL-Metro] photos > > > Dear List, > > I recently received a treasure in the mail...an old photo album with > photos of my great grandfather's parents and most of his siblings. The > pages in the album are falling out. The photos are glued in. > > Any one have any experience with old photos? I think I would like to > take them out of the album (the album itself isn't that old) and either > frame them or put them in a new album. I experimented with one photo and > it won't be that difficult to remove them from the paper. > > Any thoughts or suggestions? > > Thanks for your help. > > Joan > > > ==== MO-STLOUIS-METRO Mailing List ==== > If you haven't visited Dave Lossos' "Genealogy in St. Louis" website > (http://genealogyinstlouis.accessgenealogy.com/) you might want to take a > look. > > > > > ==== MO-STLOUIS-METRO Mailing List ==== > Search the Archive of Messages for MO-STLOUIS-METRO Mailing List at http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=MO-STLOUIS-METRO >