-Photographs will fade in direct sunlight.

-Never laminate photographs. (This cannot be reversed).

-Do not put sticky tape on photographs.

-Never attempt to clean old photos by wiping with water. This will soften the emulsion and tear it.

-Use silica packets in boxes of photos to protect from moisture.

-Don’t put photos face to face as they may stick together.

-Generally, with photographs, the colder the storage, the longer the life.

-N.B. Before attempting any “repairs” on an original photograph consider potential damage. If in doubt, consult a conservator.

 

Family history research- photography.

Remembrance Day.

 

On researching my own family history, I discovered a newspaper article on line

which included a letter from my great aunt, who was serving as a staff nurse in

England and France during world war one. She talks of Charles, her brother,

who was killed at Gallipoli.

“It is exactly two years since my brother Charlie sailed away looking so bonny. I

wish we Could find out something definite about him; it would be a help. It is

hard to realise we shall never see him again. How happy I would have been to

have been coming over to him.”

Olive lived to a good age, dying in 1964 in Camberwell. She was one of 8

children (2 boys and 6 girls). Her father was a Methodist minister and leading

figure in the church. We have a good collection of photographs of the Saloway

family, including several of Charles. A sad note was

the lack of detail surrounding his death and burial place. Rev. Saloway wrote

several letters to the war office trying to ascertain this but to no avail. Later his

grave was discovered by Annie Cox on a pilgrimage to Gallipoli.

The photograph on the left shows Olive in her service uniform. It was taken in

Melbourne before she was deployed to England then France.

As we approach Anzac day, it is worth remembering the families of servicemen

and women that were left behind. In the case of Reverend Saloway, who never knew what happened to his

son and to Olive who remembered her brother as he “sailed away, looking so bonny”.

 

 

See our blog page for other interesting articles on photo preservation.

Historical Images

The State Library of Victoria has a large collection of historical images that can be downloaded from its website,

“Time out Melbourne” has a number of interesting vintage photographs of Melbourne. 

These are important as we are rapidly losing much of our architectural heritage to modern development.

Also, they provide an important reference for how previous generations lived.