There are 4 simple things you can do to preserve your photos.
1. Wear gloves when handling them.
Purchase a box of disposable non-latex examination gloves at your local pharmacy. Once you’ve worn them, throw them out. Cotton gloves are fine, but they can cause pictures to slip out of your hands. The examination gloves help you hold on to photographic images. Remember to only hold pictures by the edges.
2. Find a proper place to store them.
Basements, garages and attics are inappropriate for long-term storage due to fluctuating temperature and humidity. Plus they are also home to critters that love paper. The best place is a windowless interior closet away from water pipes and heat sources. Use acid and lignin free boxes and inert polyester sleeves for storage.
3. Label your pictures.
Unidentified pictures end up being sold in estate sales or throw out. Don’t let that happen to your precious images. Use a soft lead pencil to write a caption on the back–name, approximate date, occasion, as well as your name and the date you labeled the picture.
4. Scan them.
A one-time scan at a high resolution (at least 600 dpi) color scan of the front and back of your picture will help save it. You’ll be able to put the original in storage and make copies for display. The digital file is your back-up just in case something happens to the originals.
For more preservation tips, see Preserving Your Family Photographs. It covers everything from daguerreotypes to digital imaging.
Ask Maureen to Analyze Your Family Photos
Don’t let heaps of unidentified, damaged, or disorganized family photos get you down. The Photo Detective can help!
If you would like to have Maureen, the Photo Detective, analyze your own family photographs, here’s how the process works. And now you can receive an audio file of your consultation with Maureen!
- Simply supply me with a photo or photos that you would like to know more about. You can do this online at my website.
- Tell me as much as you already know about the photo and upload your photo(s). I’ll email you back with an estimate for costs and you’re good to go. My new per picture rates won’t bust your budget either! I will combine the skills of a private detective with those of a historian/genealogist and look at identifying characteristics in the photo such as background, hair styles, clothing styles, jewelry, uniforms, quilt patterns, make of automobiles, etc. and even facial resemblance if necessary, to begin solving the mystery of when and where the photo was taken and who is pictured. Ill compare findings against any known family history or if additional genealogical research is necessary that can be discussed.
I’ll give you my findings in a telephone conversation which will be recorded; after the call, I’ll send you a copy of an mp3 file so that you have the recording for yourself to listen to over and over again.