Care & keeping

1. Handling

Clear a dry work surface and remove jewelry that can scratch. Handle sound paper mounts with clean, dry hands at the edges. Use close-fitting nitrile gloves for plates, glass, metal, and cased photographs; cotton gloves reduce dexterity and can snag damaged edges. Support weak or wet objects on rigid board rather than carrying them by a corner.

2. Storage environment

Stability matters. A useful home target is roughly 65–70°F (18–21°C) and 30–50% relative humidity, without rapid seasonal or daily swings. Cooler conditions generally slow chemical decay, but damp storage encourages mold and corrosion. Avoid attics, garages, exterior walls, radiators, pipes, and basements with a water history.

Use enclosures sold for photographic preservation: lignin-free paper folders or four-flap enclosures, and stable uncoated polyester sleeves for sound, non-flaking paper prints. Plastic is not right for everything. Static and abrasion can endanger loose or flaking media, including unstable tintypes and cased-image components.

3. Care by object type

Daguerreotypes and ambrotypes

Keep the original glass-mat-plate package intact and the case closed when it is not being viewed. Store it upright and supported, or flat if components are loose. Never touch or wipe a daguerreotype plate. Broken cover glass, a failed seal, loose flakes, or active glass deterioration requires a conservator.

Tintypes

The iron support can bend, and bending cracks the image layer. Exposed edges can rust; do not scrape or treat the corrosion. House a sound loose plate in a fitted paper enclosure and support it so it cannot flex. Avoid plastic if the image layer is lifting.

Cartes de visite and cabinet cards

Keep each mounted print in a paper or suitable polyester enclosure sized so the card does not slide. Do not trim an acidic, foxed, or broken mount away from the print: it is part of the original object and often carries the imprint and inscriptions. Store cards flat or upright with full support, never leaning.

Stereographs

House cards individually in boxes made for their size. Curved mounts were manufactured that way to aid viewing; do not press them flat. Avoid tightly packed sleeves that rub the image when the card is removed. Lift a card by its mount, with both halves supported.

4. Display

Light damage is cumulative and cannot be reversed. Keep originals out of direct sun, use low indoor light, and rotate sensitive pieces off display. Frame paper objects with conservation-quality mat board and glazing that does not touch the image. UV-filtering glazing reduces part of the risk; it does not make prolonged bright display safe.

A good reproduction is often the best permanent display. The original can remain in a stable, dark enclosure and come out when someone wants to see the object itself.

5. Water and mold: first response

• Move quickly, but do not peel. Separate loose wet paper only when it releases without force. Never pull an emulsion from glass or another photograph.
• Support wet material fully. Paper and mounts become weak when saturated. Keep the image surface from touching another surface while drying.
• Cased photographs: do not freeze. Open the case, place it face up, and air-dry with circulation while arranging professional advice.
• Paper photographs may sometimes be frozen when a large wet group cannot be treated promptly, but process matters. For valuable or early photographs, call a conservator before freezing when possible.
• Do not clean active mold from a fragile image. Dry and isolate the object first; professional treatment follows.

6. When to call a conservator

Call for lifting or flaking image layers, mold, water exposure, photographs stuck to glass, clumped wet prints, broken daguerreotype seals, cracked cover glass, active rust, pressure-sensitive tape, or anything you are tempted to wash. The American Institute for Conservation maintains a public Find a Professional directory.