storing and displaying photos

[Brian]

Evening, all.
I am sure this topic has been covered, but I have been unable to find it with a search. I have recently become obsessed with photos (8x10, 10x13, etc), especially those of ballplayers and Hollywood actresses from the 1920s-1940s.

I was wondering how people store and display their vintage photos? Framing gets expensive, especially when you go custom with museum quality glass. Nothing beats the presentation, though. I think thin Mylar and polypropylene sheets may be the best from a preservation standpoint, but the thinness of the material makes them less than ideal. What about the hard plastic ones, like top-loaders--do they work well or do they end up sticking to the photos over the long-haul?

I am looking for something archival but also sturdy enough not to bend. Any suggestions for a vendor and product info?

Also, I would love to see some displays and have some tips about storage of large and small photos. I will post some of mine once I figure out how to avoid the glare.

Thanks as always, Brian

[drcy]

Old photos are usually dried out, so you don't have to worry about them sticking in top loaders or other holders. It's modern photos that have moist images fronts that stick.

Top loaders offer the most protection and are the best, but I don't know about the extra cost. I've kept old photos raw in stacks which offers group protection and have had no sticking troubles. The only times I've had sticking troubles was with with modern photos and, even then, sticking was uncommon.

If you are stacking raw photos, don't stack them image side to image side, because that's how they'll most likely stick. This applies mostly to modern photos that, as already mentioned, are still moist, but it's still a good rule with old photos. If you stack your photos this way you almost certainly will have no issues with sticking.

If you're worried about damage due to displaying in light, you can make digital copies-- including from your home computer printer-- and display those. If and when those fade, no problem.

[Lordstan]

Brian,
I have seen so many different ways to store them.
I use a combination of 3 things.

1) 4mil Mylar comic book bags. They are not really what you imagine as bags. They are pretty stiff in comparison to plain pages. Some I will put in top loaders.
These are the ones I use. E Gerber has some great info on their site about conservation. I got them at a comic store.


2)This idea I got from Ben. Itoya Presentation Portfolios. They make different sizes. I went with 11x14 so I could fit pretty much any photo in. The pages are crystal clear and archival safe. Some photos I put in Mylar and then in the portfolio. Keeps them safe and flat while allowing safe removal to look at the back.



3) Lastly is the frame job. Obviously you need archival safe mats. You may or may not need UV glass depending on your light source. In my mancave, I put in only LED lights which give off little to no UV, so I went cheap without the UV glass. Some of my photos I scanned and framed the scans instead of the original.

This is an original photo framed with 2 publications it appeared in.



This is a copy of an original I own.



Also, regardless of which you use, I know some members store their most valuable in a SD box.

Good Luck and show off some of your stuff.
Mark

[Brian]

Thanks, Guys! Great advice as always, what I love about this forum.
I will try to post some photos soon.
Brian