Old photos in old frames

[PrueM]

Hi Jane,
I'm at work right now but when I get home tonight I'll give you some advice about what you might be able to do with all your wonderful stuff...you are on the right track with it so far, in my opinion, but I need to have more of a think as you mention lots of different materials  
Check back in 10 hours or so!

Cheers  
Prue

[PrueM]

Well...personally speaking, I wish we lived close enough so you could throw those frames my way ! 

I don't know, but I don't think I could throw them away myself, purely based on age.

If I see Prue on the board today, I'll point her in your direction.

Cheers
Caz

 
Too quick for you China! 

[Woodentop50]

Haha , but I live close !   

                                      Jim

[Jane Eden]

Hi Prue

Space of course is restricted but I have so many things. I know I am so lucky but this is it as there are no other places to look now. I have washed a 1920s silk dress and a cotton dress but what do I do with them now. I also have my Mums cotton lace wedding dress from 1949 , underskirt, veil and Dads army uniform from about 1945 - 1948. I have 'silver' jewelry from 1940s Palestine, hundreds if not thousands of photos from 1870s to now, and now I need to empty Mums house. What do I keep and what do I throw away? I cannot keep everything.

I am worried about the old paper things as I want to see them but give them a much better chance of surviving than in the loft.

Another problem is artworks. I have some watercolours that are very old and from the loft. I do know one of the artists died in about 1815. The artists were mostly all from the Royal Academy so I will have them valued. I have taken up watercolour myself so I have put them in a flat box that my watercolour paper was delivered in. I have put tissue paper in between the pictures for the moment but it is not acid free, but it is better than the old electric blanket box they were stored in.

Great to hear from you again

Jane

[cazza59]

Jane

How about donating to a museum. At least in a museum, these treasure can be shared, your concience is clear and you can always visit the museum to view them yourself!

Caz

(or I'll pm you with my address and you can freight them over  )

[Polldoll]

Wow  Oh Wow ,      oh my ... you'll have to extend the house! .... you cant throw any away ...      I'd murder for the photos !!    !

Poll.. 

PS I'll share 'em wiv ya Caz

[LoneyBones]

It's a hard decision with lots of advice, but I can understand that you need a "reality check".
In reality you can't keep everything as much as you want to.
Caz's sugestion of a museum is a good one. I donated two 1920's dresses to the museum of applied arts and was gratified to see them restored and displayed.
After Prue gives her advice about storage etc, you might still want to think about donating to your local Historical Society.
Otherwise pack it all up and send it to Caz & Poll & Jim & .....
Leonie.

[adee7]

Hi Jane,

What a treasure trove!

Having cleared out an attic a few years ago that contained items gathered over 50 years, I have to ask -- how are you?   

There's such an array of feelings involved in the task -- sadness and weariness, but also excitement at what we'll find. 

Kathleen

[PrueM]

Hello Jane et al 

Sorry I didn't manage to get on the other day as I had planned.

I have found 20 to 30 old photos in old frames in Mums loft. They are dusty and covered in grime. Is it OK to take all the photos out and put in archive albums or should they all remain in the old frames (which creates a storage problem)?

It is up to you to decide whether or not the photos should stay in their original frames.  My own solution to this problem has been to take the photos out, scan them, print a new copy, store the original in an album, and put the copy back into the cleaned frame.  But then again, most of the photos I have in frames belonged to my great-grandmother, and I know she chose the frames herself, so I feel that is important and I want to preserve that contextual information. 

If you don't want to keep the frames, perhaps you could donate them to a charity shop?

Documents:
After spending 3 years or more researching the family tree I also found about 12 BMD certificates. The earliest is a birth and baptism certificate 19 Dec 1828. This is a bit dirty after being in the loft for years in a suitcase. I intend to put it in an albumn (S & N Genealogy Supplies). The other option is to scan/photocopy it and put the original in a box. Am I taking the wrong option?

Brush the dirt off the documents with a soft brush (gently does it) and if there is any old sticky tape etc. on them, have a conservator remove it, because it will continue to deteriorate and eventually destroy the paper in contact with it.  Scan for reference purposes, then put the originals into an album as you intend. 

I have jewelry, medals, two 1920s dresses, a set of bowling balls, an army uniform, a wedding dress, loads of other bits and bobs. What am I supposed to do with it all? Should I keep it all?

These are things that you will have to decide for yourself whether to keep.  I have kept my grandmother's wedding dress - i had it cleaned and repaired by a textile conservator (it is made from 1930s rayon and had a bit of damage), then photographed it on a padded hanger, then stored it in a textile storage box, wrapped in archival tissue.  I have a beautiful parasol that belonged to great-granny, which got the same treatment.  I feel they are not mine, but belong to my family, and I don't have the right to determine their fate - I will keep them safe for future generations to enjoy, and in the meantime I have photos that I can use on the website etc.

Same goes for the medals etc. and anything else you can identify and contextualise.  There are simple, affordable storage solutions for all these items so if you decide to keep them I can give you some guidance there.

I hope this helps 

Cheers
Prue