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Caring for Your Collection

Photographs are some of the most common yet most cherished objects in our private collections.

Here are some tips to help you preserve those priceless family heirlooms!

Store photographs in a cool, dry place with a minimum of light.

Use acid-free—not magnetic or self-adhesive—albums. Never use glue or rubber cement to mount photographs.

Display copies of originals and keep originals safely stored.

Display photographic prints behind ultraviolet filtering glazing and use acid-free mats. Color photographs are particularly subject to fading, so it is not a good idea to display them for long.

Source: Jane S. and Richard W. Long. Caring for Your Family Treasures: A Concise Guide to Caring for Your Cherished Belongings (New York: Henry N. Abrams, Inc. and Heritage Preservation, 2000).

Pictured: Paul Burty Haviland, 1880 France–1950 France, Harold and His Mother, about 1910, platinum print on paper, 6 5/8 x 9 1/2 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment.