Go behind the scenes and find out how we care for our collection. Here, conservator Vanessa Torres explains how the Ellis collection of daguerreotypes was re-housed.
Not only have our Collection Care Volunteers been improving the care of our objects and archives—they’ve also had an opportunity to inspect some of the museum’s most fascinating collections.
Large format Polaroid photographs—some more than 2m high and 1m wide—were made in an instant but offer a challenge when it comes to long-term preservation.
Find out how to identify, store and handle nitrate film, and how to spot signs of decomposition.
Learn the basics of how to care for glass negatives, colour transparencies, lantern slides and photographic prints.
The biggest threat to the wellbeing of photographs is you! Most damage—especially to more fragile supports such as glass and paper—has occurred through human negligence or ignorance.
Use our photographic expertise to learn how to care for your own collections with these basic conservation guidelines.