Question Acrylic directly on photos?

[Splitthewind]

I’m trying to find a way to display a group of several very small color Kodak photos from the early 1980s (size of a quarter and smaller). But I don’t want to do anything that can’t be reversed, such as permanently mount them to a backer.

Are there any long-term risks of putting these photos directly under UV filtering acrylic to display on a shelf, while keeping them in place? Does acrylic stick to photographs in a climate-controlled setting? Would Mylar be any better?

Thanks!

 

[Rick Granick]

What about scanning and reproducing the photos? This would also provide a means of preserving the images, and also an opportunity to improve the contrast, sharpness, etc. If you do want to frame the originals, you could do a mylar overlay (encapsulating directly to a preservation quality backing), so no adhesive would be touching the photos.
Rick

 

[wpfay]

Hi, and welcome to the G.

Analog color photos from that time are probably C Prints which have a water sensitive emulsion. Even though condensation isn't as likely to occur on acrylic, I would shy away from direct contact with emulsion based photos. Is there any way to use spacers (FrameSpace) with the glazing to avoid contact with the images?

They are also susceptible to fading and UV acrylic, while very good protection, won't be able to keep that from happening as other forms of light energy causes fading as well.

And, as Rick types faster than I do, If it isn't important that the original photos be displayed, faithful digital copied can be made and used in their stead.

 

[Splitthewind]

Thanks so much for your help, Rick and wpfay. It’s tough balancing preservation with display. But using a scanned reproduction could be a decent compromise. Thanks!