Rudolph Valentino Photo's glued to paper..need help
 

I have a collection of 30+ vintage studio photographs of Rudolph Valentino and his co star Vilma Blanky for the 1926 film "the son of the shiek". None are signed but they are glued to black construction paper at the corners. Does anyone have any suggestions to release the glue without damaging the photos.

Shale,

I do not know how well this product works, but I have a scrapbook with same situation. I asked the scrapbook experts on ebay and one guy said he worked on a scrapbook also, and he used a product call Un-Do. He said it will remove you photos from a glued backing and not hurt the photo. But, he said this product does not work on all glues, to try a small corner first.
As I said, I have not tried this product yet, but this guy said Un-Do was awesome.
If anyone has used this product, please let us know how it worked.

I would first consult with a professional paper restorer and get an estimate.

I've used a local conservator many times, with excellent results. They may be able to give you a quote or refer to someone in Sacremento

http://fsrconservation.com/

I used Un-do recently. It is not a cure-all. It will release recent pressure labels, like the bar code labels that those idiots at the Tribune Archive slap onto every old photo they sell. It does leave a glue residue. I've tried it on some early scrapbook-glued items and it did not work.

if you are just looking to sell them, why take them off at all? Leave that to the buyers.

Adam,

Thanks for clearing up the information on the Un-Do. Looks like a "don't do".

Your best bet is water, plain and simple. You have to know what you are doing though.