EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS IN LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE COLLECTIONS (original) (raw)

Photographic materials differ physically and chemically from collections of graphic media on paper. The chemistry and the composition of photographs vary by process. The diversity of image forming materials, binders, and emulsions, and the varying supports linked to each process create variations in the chemical and physical stability of photographs and therefore a greater sensitivity to the exhibition environment. As a consequence of the absence of an international standard for the exhibition of photographic materials, and due to the fact that many archives and libraries do not have a trained photograph conservator on staff, it may be difficult for institutions to determine the most recent guidelines concerning the exhibition of photographic materials. This impediment can lead to the use of standards created for collections of works on paper, which can have severe consequences for most photographic images. This paper attempts to summarize the conservation field‘s contemporary knowledge on the exhibition of photographic materials. Attention is focused on the viewing of photographs, their chemical and physical deterioration, and the effects of the exhibition environment, in particular the effects of light, temperature, relative humidity, and air quality.