Organizing Photos: Respect Age
January 24, 2010
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I realize that my advice about tossing photos (“lose the dreck!”) can make some folks nervous.
If you are one of those people, I want to reassure you that I do not suggest anyone toss out ancestor photos willy-nilly. No way.
Respect Age (when you toss photo clutter)
“Respect Age” – means just that. The older a photo is, the less likely that the person (or place, or time period) has been documented somewhere else. Photography was never a cheap hobby, and the earlier the date the more so that was true. In other words, it’s unlikely you have sooo many pre-1950s photos in your collection that you need to start tossing.
But then again, maybe you do.
In that case, I recommend that you find brothers or sisters or cousins to share them with. If you don’t have any of those, find a genealogy cousin. The older the photo, the more of those cousins are out there. (Am I right?)
The second half of “Lose the dreck” is
“Treat the keepers right”
“Treating the keepers right” means tucked away into archival photo boxes and envelopes
Treating them right also means stored away from:
- direct light
- fluctuating heat
- high heat
- high humidity
- fluctuating humidity
If you want to display these photographic treasures — and I strongly encourage you to do so — a simple digital scan will allow you to easily display a newly printed copy of the original.