Preservation in action! Part 1

A major aspect of archives is preservation and conservation. In order to keep materials available for future use, we need to be both conscious of our usage and work to repair any previous damage.

In my LIS 649: Documentary Preservation course this summer, I learned about different preservation techniques. For my final project, I needed to preserve two different types of documentary materials.

I chose to preserve an old photograph and an old book, both from my personal collection. For this post, I'll focus on my process of preserving the photograph, because it was the easier and more familiar process for me.

I found this photograph in my grandpa's belongings after he passed away recently. I found it stashed away with other family photos, however, this one was noticeably several decades older. And, with my grandpa no longer around to ask, I have no idea who the people in the photograph are. Regardless, due to the age and the curiosity surrounding this old photograph, I've kept it in a safe location in hopes that someday I'll actually do my genealogy and figure out who this family is.

Whose family is this??

As for the preservation of this photo, I immediately knew I wanted to digitize it. Digitization serves as its own form of preservation because it involves taking a digital copy of the original. This allows the original to be placed in a safe, secure, dry, dark place with limited handling (that can lead to more damage and deterioration), while the digital copy can be continuously viewed and shared (although, it helps to be aware that digital files are often compressed when shared via email or text).

Thankfully, as digitization is a large part of my current career in archives, I have a strong foundation in digitization standards and techniques, while also having access to digitization equipment. With that said, I did start off with some research on both the type of photograph this is and some contextual research, like searching for the photographer and narrowing down a date. This crucial information provided me with the basis of the photo's metadata (after all, a digital scan isn't nearly as helpful without the descriptive metadata associated with it).

I made a digital scan of the original photograph using a flatbed Epson Expression 10000XL scanner, using SilverFast 8 image processing software. I then used Adobe Photoshop to edit the digital image and export it as a JPG file. As a side note, normal digitization standards advise limited editing in order to be as close as possible to the original, however, as this is from my personal collection, I made the decision to edit the photo more than I normally would by removing stains (except one pesky one I had a hard time with).

Lookin' much better

Some helpful info on the back, but no date or names of the folks in the photo

Now that I had made my digital scan, I finished writing up the metadata. I generally followed Dublin Core metadata schema standards (with some exceptions due to my own limited knowledge of the photograph) in an Excel spreadsheet. Here are some highlights:

• Date: ca. 1887

• Photographer: J.E. Powell

• Location: Menomonie, Wisconsin (?)

• Original Format: Albumen print on cabinet card, 4.5" x 6.5"

• Description: Sepia-toned portrait of a seated man and woman, with two small children between them.

Yeah, it looks a little strange. Normally there are more items to add

Overall, I would consider my preservation of this photograph a success. I now have a digital copy that I can send to other family members in my quest to discover who the family in the photo is while keeping the original in an acid-free envelope at home. I tried to use as much of my own background knowledge while preserving this photograph, so the process was very familiar to me.

Here is a short video of me discussing the my results of preserving this photograph:

References:

Harding, C. (2013). How to spot a cabinet card (1866–c.1914). National Science and Media Museum blog. https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-a-cabinet-card/

Wisconsin Historical Society. (n.d.). Wisconsin photographers index 1840-1976. https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/pdfs/WHI-Wisconsin-Photographers-Index-1840-1976.pdf