Conservation begins at home: at a time when many people are turning to framers for help in preserving family histories, the addition of archival photo albums, boxes and other items makes perfect sense

Art Business News, Jan, 2002 by Tricia Bisoux

Who doesn't have a shoebox full of unmarked photographs hidden in a closet, or a stack of memorable newspaper headlines steadily yellowing on a shelf? As time begins to take its toll on special mementos, people are realizing that these items need special treatment. As they retrieve their boxes of photos and stacks of memorabilia, they are looking for ways to organize and preserve them for posterity.

Picture framers have had no small part in this trend. Their efforts to educate the public about the importance of conservation framing have increased awareness about conservation in general. In addition, historians now are warning that the photographs and documents stored in attics and basements are quickly decaying. Unless action is taken to conserve these items, they predict a large part of history will be lost.

There are indications that many people are heeding that warning. The number of magazines and Internet sites devoted to genealogy--Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, MyHistory.org and Family Tree Magazine to name a few--is growing. In addition, the growing popularity of scrapbookmaking indicates that people are seeking to preserve their past and present to pass on to future generations.

In this climate, adding a selection of archival storage supplies may be a logical sideline for a frame shop, said Carol Schwarzer who owns Fredric Gallery in Harvard, Mass., with her husband, Peregrin. The Schwarzers stock a comprehensive selection of acid-free items, from photograph albums and Mylar sleeves to file folders and storage boxes to deacidification sprays.

"It makes so much sense for us to offer this service to answer the needs of our customers who have concerns about protecting and preserving their items," commented Schwarzer. "As framers, offering these products helps us add to our ability to serve our customers." Not only that, but such archival products also provide framers an opportunity to give customers small lessons in conservation, a perfect stepping stone to an interest in conservation framing.

A Historical Crisis

It has been about 150 years since the inception of photography and 120 years since paper began to be manufactured from acidic wood pulp rather than cloth. The substances inherent to the photographic process and the new wood-based papers turned out to be a mixed blessing: The very processes that made these revolutionary substrates possible also hastened their decay. Today, the earliest photographs, books and documents, often stored under less-than-ideal conditions, are beginning to reach the end of their life span.

"Many people's photograph collections are beginning to deteriorate," said Beckie Reisberg, who owns Photographic Archives Lab & Gallery in Dallas with her husband, Andy. "A shoebox won't cut it anymore. I think people are starting to become aware that their family collections are suffering. They are realizing that there are economical ways to present their photographs safely and attractively."

The problem is so pervasive that professional archivists are now stepping in to save these items. For example, Tony Behar, an archivist in New York, operates Apia, a service that helps photographers and collectors organize and preserve original negatives. The need for the service is becoming more prominent, said Behar.

"We try to preserve the original image and make a digital version or a good print that will be distributed," he explained. In addition, Apia creates archives in which negatives are carefully stored in Mylar envelopes and kept in temperature-controlled environments to ensure their longevity.

"We represent past preservation," said Behar. "We want our clients to be able to keep their photographs forever and give them to their children."

Framers, too, have a stake in the preservation of the past, which started to become evident in the early 1980s. It was during this decade that matboard company Bainbridge discovered how to remove the acidic lignin, a by-product of wood pulp, from paper, and introduced the first acid-free buffered mat. Although rag mats were available, they were so costly that most in the general public could not afford them. The new mats, said Schwarzer, opened the door to the many conservation storage options available today.

"We've been in business for 40 years, and we've always been aware of the problem. But there was a time when we simply didn't have answers for people who asked us how to preserve their items, except that they find some kind of archival method of storage," she said. "It wasn't until 1983 that we as retailers could offer customers an affordable option."

Now that people are learning more about conservation--what it means, and how it can help their keepsakes--many are eager to learn more and do what they can to preserve their family treasures.

"One of our clients has gotten very interested in genealogy and now teaches courses at the library in town," said Schwarzer. "She tells them how to save their family papers and encourages them to find archival materials in which to store them."