Damp and Woodworm!
What more could you want to find on a Monday morning?
We’re extremely lucky that the vast majority of our collection is in great condition and only requires the odd bit of repackaging. As I work my way through the boxes (I started at box 1 back in May 2022 and I’m now at box 920!), I re-wrap any plates which are not in a glassine envelope or if their envelope looks a bit tatty or damaged.
September 2012, the big move - before...
September 2012, the big move - after!
Until 2012, when the collection was removed from the Photo Centre building, the negatives were at the mercies of a Georgian building, with fluctuating temperatures, the odd damp wall and even a bit of wood worm! Sadly a few boxes which were were stored against a damp wall in the negative room at 17 Bridge Street and have suffered from their surroundings.
Today I’m repackaging a few boxes which have been both damp and have been eaten by a confused woodworm. Possibly the offending insect had dodgy teeth and preferred card to wood?!
Box 2180 in its original state.
The box shown here may look terrible but thankfully only about 1cm of one edge of the negative has been damaged. Once digitised this damage could be all but removed from the resulting image in photoshop. I find that it’s all a case of luck with these damaged plates - it just all depends on how the plates were placed into the box and which edge of the box was against the wall. Sometimes the damage effects an edge where there is little or northing of importance in the photograph. On other occasions we lose a head or an arm or very rarely, a whole image. This usually occurs when plates have stuck together when the emulsion has been softened by damp and then dried solid. Thankfully, the majority of jobs covered by the Photo Centre resulted in more than one photograph so we usually have a back up!
Negative No. 2180/2 - Damaged portrait of Miss Haddon
I begin by taking a note of any information written on the outside of the box, usually a brief list of contents is given. I then remove the plates from the box and take them out of their original damaged packaging. Where legible, I transfer all the written information onto new packaging. After removing any dust or debris from the plate, I pop it into its new glassine envelope. As the box has been damaged beyond use, the bundle of plates is then wrapped in an acid free clamshell card folder and the original box number is applied to match our index.
Box 2180 repackaged and fit for another 60 years (at least!)
It’s always a relief to repackage these plates as it gives peace of mind that they have been preserved and will remain stable well into the future. (Plus I always enjoy delving through boxes to find those hidden gems!!).
I’m working on my next post which will hopefully appear in your inbox next week… just a warning its a bit of a tearjerker!