12. the Handling, Presentation, and Conservation Matting of Photographs

Home , Beaumont Newhall, Coated paper, Cotton paper, Glassine, Museum board, Papermaking

393 12. sponded infulltothisauthor’s survey,“TheCareandPre- quotes aretakenfromamong the65individualswhore- collect andcareforphotographs.Unlessotherwisenoted, the manyproductsusedbyphotographersandthosewho fields; thisincludesthemanufacturersanddistributors of active infineart,historical,andprofessionalphotography photographs. of careandcaution,cancontributemuchtopreserving dations which,whenfollowedwithanever-vigilantattitude mation isavailable,however,toallowcertainrecommen- to whichmaterialsandpracticesarebest.Sufficientinfor- ters, andsoforth,fewabsolutestatementscanbemadeas terials andmountboards,papers,adhesives,tapes,polyes- teractions betweenthevarioustypesofphotographicma- because ofthemanyunansweredquestionsaboutin- selected verycarefully. with photographs,orwillbeusedintheirvicinity,must cals; therefore,thematerialsthatwillcomeintocontact very sensitivetocontaminationbycertainkindsofchemi- on mostotherkindsofpaper.Photographicimagesare prints leavetheirmarkmorereadilyonphotographsthan flexed withoutriskingdamagetotheemulsion,andfinger- characteristics. Forexample,mostphotographscannotbe require specialconsiderationbecauseoftheiruniquephysical historical worksonanytypeofpaper,photographicpapers the handling,mounting,display,andstorageofartistic “Mount Boards,”and“MatConstruction.” “Attitudes andPractices,”“AestheticConsiderations,” tion. Thetextisdividedintofoursectionswhichdealwith tant contributiontoboththeirpreservationandpresenta- illustrates howconservationmattingcanmakeanimpor- individual physicalprotectionforvaluedphotographsand care ofsuchprints:Ittellswhyitisnecessarytoprovide process. Thischapterisconcernedwiththeintimatephysical inevitable damageanddeterioration. throughout aphotograph’sexistencetopreventotherwise display andstorage,carefulhandling,willberequired available andtoprocessthemcorrectly.Thereafter,proper grapher’s responsibilitytoselectthemoststablematerials color andblack-and-whitematerials.Itisthenthephoto- graphic manufacturers,whomustproduceinherentlystable appreciation oftheirvalue.Thisbeginswiththephoto- h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 Introduction The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs This chapterisaddressedtoawiderangeofpeople Photographic conservationisarelativelynewfield,and Although general recommendationscanbemadefor Making top-qualityphotographicprintsisanexacting The survivaloforiginalphotographsrequiresasolid Conservation MattingofPhotographs The Handling,Presentation,and See page441forRecommendations Photographs inthischapterwere taken byCarolBrower, exceptwherenoted. By CarolBrower exceptionally wellmade,inexcellentcondition.” satisfied togetagreatimage;theywantprintbe the photographyartmarket:“Topdealersarenolonger increased concernregardingphotographicpreservationin tion betweenrisingprices,print“connoisseurship,”and photographers. WritingintheJune1986issueof than 5%)wrotethatitisnotveryimportant;those3were it isveryimportant“sometimes.”Only3individuals(less they arepurchasingphotographs;another20%repliedthat said thatprintconditionisusuallyveryimportantwhen than threeoutoffourrespondentstothisauthor’ssurvey condition ofphotographicprintsandtheirpropercare.More tions, revealedahighlevelofconcernaboutthephysical curators, collectors,anddealershave,withsomeexcep- dition cannotbeoverlooked. deterioration changesitsveryessence,anddefectsofcon- scratches, orfingerprints.Withaworkofart,however, them thedesiredinformationdespitecrackedemulsions, perfect condition,butitisusuallypossibletoobtainfrom ously, historicalphotographsaremorevaluablewhenin tic orhistorical,dependsonitsphysicalcondition.Obvi- Artist PeterWilsey commented,“InLeonardo’s case,he or otherartworkisusually not evidentwhenitismade. doing ourjobs.” Important worksmustbepreserved, otherwisewe’renot of theforemostexpertsinpaper conservation,BettyFiske. written evaluationofitscondition, preparedforusbyone and everymajorphotographwesellisaccompaniedby a it. Allofourphotographsreceivethebestpossiblecare, the responsibilityforitspreservationispassedalongwith photography, said,“Eachtimeaphotographchangeshands, dealer withexperienceinmanyareasrelatedtofineart rector ofthePace/MacGillGalleryinNewYorkCityand a alone shouldbearthisresponsibility.PeterMacGill,Di- preservation. About10%saidthatcollectorsandmuseums cal andartisticphotographshavearesponsibilityfortheir majority feltthatallpeoplewhoareinvolvedwithhistori- Regarding theCareofPhotographs Section One:AttitudesandPractices New YorkCity. segment ofthephotographicartcommunitycenteredin 21 yearsinprovidingconservationmattingforacolorful draws chieflyonthisauthor’sexperienceduringthepast Although manyoutsidereferencesarecited,thischapter sentation ofPhotographicPrints”(see Photographer, This author’sexperienceswithfineartphotographers, To agreatextent,thevalueofanobject,whetherartis- Unfortunately, theeventualimportance ofaphotograph In responsetoanothersurveyquestion,asignificant BonnieBarrettStretchnotedtheconnec- 1 3 Appendix 12.1 2 American ).

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs istics ofmostphotographic materials,and many photogra- now availableregardingthe long-term stabilitycharacter- bers ofcolorphotographsin theircollections. assure thelong-termsurvival oftheever-increasingnum- Gallery ofCanada,haveinstalled coldstoragefacilitiesto seum ofModernArtinNew YorkCity,andtheNational of Chicago,theHistoricNewOrleansCollection,Mu- nedy Library,theJimmyCarterArtInstitute and somefarsightedinstitutions,includingtheJohnF.Ken- special proceduresnecessarytopreservecolorphotographs tion ofphotographs.Museumshavebecomeawarethe showing increasedconcernforthestabilityandpreserva- many people,includingphotographicmanufacturers,are portant lateron.” sometimes thingswhichwerecreatedcasuallybecomeim- of Photographs Growing ConcernAbouttheConservation The that know people stillbeamazedby probably didn’t would For thefirsttimeinhistory, significantinformationis Photographers alivetodaybenefitfromthefactthat or Plexiglasacrylicsheet. As wasthecasewiththisexhibit,mostphotographsdisplayedinmuseumsareconservationmattedandframedunderglass Art inNewYorkCity.Theexhibitionabove, People ofallages,walkslife,andnationalitiesvisitTheEdwardSteichenPhotographyCenterattheMuseumModern

Last

Supper 500yearsafterhisdeath..[Also,] William RauandtheRailroad people think,that “allcolorphotographsfade.” UltraStable perature darkstorage,and thatitis Transfer printsareessentially permanentinroom-tem- Cibachrome (renamedIlfochrome in1991)andKodakDye have helpedpublicizethepreviously little-knownfactthat image stabilitywhenexposed tolightondisplay. color 2,andPolacolorERprintshavecomparativelypoor prints (calledImageinEurope),SX-70prints,Pola- improved lightfadingstability—seeChapters3and5.) cantly betterstabilityindarkstorage,butonlymarginally Ektacolor ProfessionalPaper,aproductthathassignifi- tures. (Ektacolor74RCPaperwasreplacedin1985with 10 yearsevenwhenstoredinthedarkatroomtempera- cant cyandyelossandstarttoshifttowardredinlessthan ditions inaslittle3or4years;worse,theysuffersignifi- Paper canfadeperceptiblyifdisplayedundercommoncon- that colorphotographsprintedonKodakEktacolor74RC and darkfadingstability.Forexample,itiswelldocumented ers andthattherearesignificantdifferencesinlightfading materials someproductsaremuchlongerlastingthanoth- phers havebecomeawarethatamongavailablecolorprint In recentyearsmanyarticles inthephotographicpress It hasalsobeennotedthatPolaroidSpectrainstant , wasonviewfromJuly2toSeptember29,1987. not true,assome

July 1987 394

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 395 Professor ofArtThomasBarrow, bility variesconsiderably.Accordingtophotographerand also feelstronglythatartists,dealersandcollectors ucts, andgivetheminformationasto‘archival’qualities.I quences ofmisinformation)thepurchaserstheirprod- had painted qualities ofthepictures,theirchemicalhistory,sotosay.” inform potentialbuyers,orrecipients,aboutthearchival manufacturers Gallery inNewYorkCity,whowrote,“Ifeelstronglythat curator, dealer,andformerDirectoroftheSusanHarder known portraitphotographer,wrote“Absolutely!” as “Ofcourse!”and“Always!”ArnoldNewman,thewell- opinion onthesubject,includingsuchwrittencomments the conservationfieldsaidyes.All65respondentshadan more than90%saidyes.All10individualsrepresenting white RCpapers;potentialfadingofcoloredmatboards)?” intends touse(e.g.,potentialproblemswithblack-and- vance aboutthestabilityaspectsofmaterialsheorshe do youfeelthataphotographershouldbeinformedinad- cal conditionswithoutnoticeablefading. cesses, maybedisplayedforhundredsofyearsundertypi- instead oftheorganicdyesusedinmostothercolorpro- Prints, bothofwhichemployextremelystablepigments Permanent ColorPrintsandPolaroidPermanent-Color quality ofmatsandotheraspectspresentation. they knowphotographerswhoarenotconcernedwiththe informed.” Three-quartersofthepeoplequestionedsaid “Artists andphotographerscanbestubborn,evenwhen International CenterofPhotographyinNewYorkCity,wrote, Miles Barth,CuratorofArchivesandCollectionsatthe phers “doesnotmakemuchdifferencetomanyofthem.” stability characteristicsofthematerialsusedbyphotogra- factors inadvance,butadded: important forphotographerstobeinformedofstability but hedidn’tknowwhatwouldeventuallyhappentoit.” the materialstheyselecttouse. they wantedtobeinformed ofstabilitycharacteristics tographers participatinginthe survey,however,saidthat h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Among photographersthedegreeofconcernaboutsta- Peter Wilseypointedout,“IthinkweallwishthatLeonardo These feelingswereelaboratedbySusanHarder,aprint When individualswereaskedinthesurvey,“Ingeneral, Henry Wilhelmvoicedhisconvictionthatitisvitally Artist DonRodansharedhis thoughtsonthesubject: to use,butitshouldbean make thefinaldecisionastowhichmaterials tographer prefers.Thephotographershould but thevisualresultmaynotbewhatpho- chrome [Ilfochrome]affordmorestableimages, Kodachrome transparenciesprintedonCiba- should beused.Fujichrome,Ektachrome,or wants, thenthesematerialsareprobablywhat long-scale tonereproductionthephotographer color papergivethekindofluminousand too. IfVericolorIIInegativesprintedonFuji- sider themost permanentmaterialsavailable Aesthetic considerationsareveryimportant It isfirsttheartist’sresponsibility tocon- The must

Last informaccurately(orbeartheconse-

Supper oncanvasinsteadofawall, informed 5 informationaboutthe decision. All 4 pho- must similar thoughts: tographs served thatmostpeopleviewinghistoricalandartisticpho- ways inwhichphotographsarehandled. worst ofattitudes,aswellignorance,arereflectedinthe depend ontheattitudesofitscaretakers.Thebestand tion andtheprospectforitslong-termsurvivalultimately handle prints, to studythem,andwriteinformation down nation: “Peopleoftenfeelthat glovesmakeitdifficultto tor attheMuseumofFineArts inBoston,offeredanexpla- handling unprotectedprints. Roy L.Perkinson,Conserva- in theirexperiencemostpeople usuallyweargloveswhile should alsobeavailableatall times. washed hands. Clean,well-fittinggloves freshly only with and verycarefully them always handling by and sleeves, servation matting,orbyenclosingtheprintsinpolyester tographs. Nearlyallofthesecouldbepreventedbycon- the mostcommonlyseenformsofphysicaldamagetopho- they holdphotographicprints,mattedorunmatted. thought mostpeoplewerenotevenconsciousoftheway effective. Nearly80%ofsurveyrespondentssaidthatthey curatorial policyexists,itmustbeactivelyenforcedto before touchingphotographs.Therefore,wheresuch a independently electtowashtheirhandsorputongloves using theircollections.Unfortunately,mostpeopledonot curatorial policiesrequirestaffandvisitorstodosowhen This 6%representedmajorinstitutionsandgallerieswhose Handling Photographs Writer, curator,andcollectorPepeKarmelexpressed Writer, For example,only6%ofthesurvey’srespondentsob- After aprinthasbeenmade,thequalityofitspresenta- Unfortunately, onlyfivesurveyed individualssaidthat Fingerprints, creases,cracks,andscratchesareamong preserved. are worthpreservingandalsocapableofbeing seums andcollectors—tocreateimagesthat responsibility —bothtothemselvesandmu- the questionofunstablemedia.Theyhavea give moreforethoughtthantheyperhapsdoto erable. Ithinkphotographersshould,however, sentation asfarpossibleandarchivallypref- try tofollowtheartist’sdesiresregardingpre- out constraints.Thecollectororcuratorshould dures, heorsheshouldbefreetocreatewith- medium andfollowsarchivalprocessingproce- ity invaryingdegreestoeachconcerned. issues arerelatedtobothbusinessandposter- permanent materialswhenusingcolor.These are encouragingtheirartiststoprintonmore recently more(oratleastafew)artdealers with thepermanenceofimagewhilemore tors aremoreconcernedwitheditionsizethan It hasbeenmyexperiencethatmanycollec- ably hisdealerandpossiblycollectorswill. If theartisttakestheseconcernsseriously,prob- prints inthemostprotectivemannerpossible. and tostore,conserve,presenthisorher As longasaphotographerworksinstable always washtheirhandsbeforehandlingprints.

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: ing infileswhere printsarenotphysically protectedby a normalprocedureininstitutions, particularlywhenwork- while handlingphotographs can belearnedandshould manent housingofasmallpercentage ofthecollection. temporary storageofitsphotographic printsandforper- overmatted. TheMuseumuses polyesterenclosuresfor overmatted, andnoprintmaybehandleddirectlyifitisnot of prints.Morethan95%thephotographycollection is Museum areinstructedinadvanceontheproperhandling at thesametime.” Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs

The habitandskillofwearing properlyfittedgloves Tod Papageorge Lee Friedlander print byTodPapageorgethatwasdamagedinsideastandard printdrawerinagallery. Cracked andTornPrint. the unmatted,unmountedprinttoanothergallery. that wasdamagedintransitwhenonegalleryloaned fiber-base black-and-whiteprintbyLeeFriedlander Cracked Emulsion. too muchforce;single-weight,fiber-baseprintsandRCareparticularlyvulnerabletothisformofdamage. too-familiar semicircularthumb-creaseiscausedbyholdingaprintinthewrongplacewithonlyonehandor owns theprint.Themostcommonformsofdamageincludefingerprints,crackedcorners,andcreases.all- print isdamagedthroughcarelesshandlingorimproperpackaging,thephotographersuffersregardlessofwho Photographers spendpainstakingenergyandenormousamountsoftimemakingfineprints.Whenafinished 6 Perkinsonreportedthatvisitorstothe Detailofadouble-weight, Frontandbackviewsofanunmounteddouble-weight,fiber-base black-and-white Physical Damage polyester sleevesormats.HenryWilhelmsaid: by HarryCallahanthatwashandledimproperly. inch, double-weight,fiber-baseblack-and-whiteprint Semicircular Thumb-crease. use themost. valuable ones,theonespeople wanttoseeand tographs thatgethandledthe mostarethe harm thephotograph.Unfortunately, thepho- up veryslowly,buteventually itwillseverely for thenext500years.Allof thedamageadds tograph maybehandledifit is goingtobekept You havetoconsiderhowmanytimesthepho- Many peoplehatetowearthesegloves.. 7 Detailofan8x10-

Harry Callahan 396

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 397 handle prints,” ing peoplespecificinstructionsbeforeallowingthemto Rick Wester.CuratorMarvinHeifermanadvocates“giv- with the Other photographersshared similarexperiences. indicated that“magazines”had damagedsomeofhisprints. although someofthematswere damaged.HarryCallahan hand theywerereturnedintheiroriginalgoodcondition, emulsions butthatwhentheprintsweremattedbefore- ers forreproduction,theycamebacktoherwithcracked plied thatwhensomeofherprintswereloanedtopublish- photographers, printers,dealers,orcollectors. and new,aremarredinsomeway,whethertheycomefrom time theyarematted.Thevastmajorityofprints,bothold tious, andfewphotographsareinperfectconditionbythe handle it.Unfortunately,mostpeoplearenotasconscien- the workconservationmattedbeforeanyotherpersonmay von HaeftenandMarie-ClaireMontanari,arrangetohave their satisfaction,somephotographers,suchasDorothea prints, andcrackscanoccur.”Aftercompletingprintsto for exposureundertheenlarger,creases,bends,finger- “As soonasthephotographicpaperistakenoutofitsbox handling photographs.PhotographerAniRiveraremarked, for manyphotographers,buttheytoocanbeguiltyofmis- my conditions all Causes andPreventionofPrintDamage The Damage toPrintsSentOutforPublication he makescopy printsandtransparencies.Grundberg said, loaning andborrowingprints; forreproductionpurposes phasized: “Peopleshouldalwaysuse Caldecot Chubb:“SomeonesatonaDyeTransferprint treme exampleofcarelessnesswascitedbypublisher photographers thanwithcurators,dealers,etc.”Anex- causes printdamage.Ihavehadlessproblemswithfellow dling onthepartofmostpeoplewhodealwithphotographs said, “Insensitivityinhan- tographer WilliamChristenberry unenforced inmostsituations.Sculptor,painter,andpho- nately, suchexpectationsand“rules”arestillunstatedor wherein propercareistherule,expectedofeveryone.” ing “environments(galleries,conservationstudios,etc.) a goodapproachtopreventingdamageinvolvesestablish- one hand.”PhotographerandeducatorHaroldJones “People holdprintsimproperly..bythecorners,andwith photographer andaformerdirectorofLightGallery,said, names!) andimpatiencewhenviewing.”VictorSchrager, prints unsaleablebecauseoftheirimproperhandling(No sociate, notedthat“customersatLightrenderedseveral ample, PeterWilsey,artistandaformerLightGalleryas- arising fromimproperhandlingweresignificant.Forex- prints — to photographsafter h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs photographs.” Ignorance When individualswereaskedabouttheirexperiences Andy Grundberg,writerand aphotographycriticfor In responsetoonesurveyquestion,HelenLevittre- The makingofafineprintispainstakingexperience This attitudeissharedbymanypeople,but,unfortu- sight

New inagallery.” causes

York plain . “Peoplegenerallydonotknowhowtohandle wasconsideredthegreatestpotentialthreat

9 and Times, and andphotographerAllenSchillbelievesthat improper simple, prevention 10 recognizesthepotentialhazards of ” wroteartists’representative

processing ofprintdamage,problems two and

hands improper tohandle

storage 8 em- in advance, long-term effectsofhandlingmustbeconsidered physical changesinherentinanyduplicationprocess.The at alltimesbecauseofthelossimagequalityand have beenduplicated,originalprintsmustbesafeguarded decrease itsvaluewhenprintsaredamaged.Evenifthey greater appreciationofit,buthandlingandtravelingwill investment. Useofacollectiongenerallycontributesto involved inprotectingthemisanecessaryandworthwhile frequently andcanalsobeexpectedtotravel,theexpense nerable timeforanyworkofart.” pictures aredamagedinshipment,whichis“themostvul- out, inadditiontotheaboveconcerns,thatagreatmany handling andpotentialdamage. usual mannerinordertoprotecttheprintsfromdirect ing butthatconservationmattingshouldbedoneinthe that thematswouldprobablybedamagedandneedreplac- out tohavehalftonesmadeforpublication.Itwasbelieved author tobeconservationmattedbeforetheyweresent both vintageandmodernPaulStrandphotographstothis behalf ofthePaulStrandEstateandAperture,Inc.,sent and 1978,MichaelHoffmanCaroleKismaric,actingon tones andseparationsdirectlyfromoriginalprints.In1977 For example,bookpublishersoftenprefertomakehalf- prints ithasobtained onloan. qualified peoplewhocanhelp careforitscollectionand matting andframingdepartment orenlisttheservicesof Every collectinginstitution shouldhaveaconservation ever, conservationmatting will sometimesbenecessary. prints anddocumentsfrom within suchanarchive,how- which aremoreeconomicalintermsofcostandspace. to matting,institutionsmaypreferpolyesterenclosures (large amountsofspacerequired,etc.).”Asanalternative out ofthequestionaswellunfeasibleforotherreasons age possibility.Formanyinstitutionsmatsarefinancially Andover, Massachusetts,noted,“Matsareonlyonestor- vator attheNortheastDocumentConservationCenter in however, mattingisnotpractical.GaryAlbright,Conser- collected withtheprimaryintentionofexhibitingthem, a collectioncontainsthousandsofprintsthathavenotbeen relative humidity,suchasprintcurlingandwarping.When dling andalsofromsomeoftheconsequencescycling overall planforprotectingvaluableprintsfromdirecthan- “At To ProtectPrints Conservation MattingasOneWay ducing originals.Qualitymaysufferbuttheprintsdon’t.” recent yearsIhaveavoidedtheseproblemsbynotrepro- erally unawareofthevaluephotographicoriginals.In suffered physicaldamagefromprinters,whoseemedgen- notations oneachprintwithaballpointpen.Otherprints from agallerywasruinedwhenphotostathousemade out forreproduction.Onceabatchoforiginalsborrowed eleven years,wesometimeshadproblemswithprintssent their valuedholdingsagainstthehazardsofuse. Since highlyvaluedphotographswillprobablybehandled Fine art consultantandwriterPeterC.Jonespointed Unfortunately, itisnotalwayspossibletousecopies. Even fortemporaryandinfrequent displayofselected Conservation mattingisoftenagoodinitialstepinthe Modern andeverycollectorinstitutionshouldprotect

Photography whereIwaspictureeditorfor 12 well

in 11

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs ing anunprotectedprint,heremarkedthat“it’s protected byamatorpolyestersleevethanhewashold- Wagstaff admittedbeingmorecomfortableholdingaprint priate. Forexample,althoughwell-knowncollectorSamuel matting noranyotherformofphysicalprotectionisappro- clude unobstructedhandling,andneitherconservation full enjoyment.Forthem,unobstructedviewingmustin- providing physicalprotection. and matspermiteasyvisualaccesstotheprintwhilealso viewing ofprintsisasensualexperienceformanypeople, ing ofglassorPlexiglasthatisnecessaryinframes.The of polyethylenebags,orbythenormallyreflectivecover- caused bypolyesterenclosures,themilkytranslucence may beappreciatedwithouttheinevitablelossofclarity surface textureandfinish,itstones,imagedetails visual studyoftheprintasaphysicalobject:print’s enhance thejoyofownershipbyencouragingintimate ticularly desirablefortheindividualcollector.Mattingcan cal protection,suchasenclosingtheminpolyester,ispar- collector needstoprotecthisorherproperty. placeable materialforpublication.Inallsituations,the prints toanauctionforsale,orsupplyoriginalandirre- or office,lendprintstoacuratorforexhibition,submit selection offramedimagesdisplayedonwallsinthehome photographs toguestsonamoment’snotice,changethe common ininstitutions.Forexample,theownermayshow handled, displayed,loaned,andsoldwithouttherestraints many, ifnotall,printsmattedsincethecollectionwillbe The IndividualCollector safe removaland replacementofprints. construct matsorenclosures inwayswhichfacilitatethe their prints’needforphysical protection,istodesignand lectors, whosefeelingsaresimilar toWagstaff’s,aswell condition oftheprint.Agood approachtosatisfyingcol- lege whichcarrieswithitaresponsibility tosafeguardthe tographs requiretactileaswellvisualappreciation. fun thenakedway.”Manypeoplesharehisviewthatpho- For somepeople,however,evenanopenmathinders Matting prints,comparedwithothermethodsofphysi- The individualor“private”collectormayelecttohave Every mannerofintimatehandling is,ofcourse,aprivi- photographic conservationlab. onstrating archivalmatcuttinginthe the ArtInstituteofChicago,dem- the DepartmentofPhotographyat right isJamesIska,Preparatorfor for exhibitionpurposes.Pictured ings andforprintsobtainedonloan and framingfortheinstitutions’hold- by individualswhoprovidematting conservation departmentsstaffed Most majormuseumstodayhave much more conservation.” the matsorfortheirconformitytoproperstandards of MCP doesnottakeanyresponsibilityfortheappearance of phy: “Photographsaresoldinthematswhichtheyexist. ment distributedbytheMilwaukeeCenterforPhotogra- statement appearedinanexhibitionandauctionannounce- mat andframeeveryprint.Forexample,thefollowing high turnoverofworks,staffsmaynotbeabletocorrectly ity mattingandframing.Furthermore,whenthereis a funding, aswellignorance,willcontributetopoor-qual- special requirements,inadequatefacilities,andinsufficient However, deadlines,difficultyobtainingpropermaterials, tions inwell-intentionedeffortstocareforprintsonloan. their exhibitions. borrowers whosetouttostandardizethepresentationof and replacedwith“new”butpoorlyconstructedmatsby play remarkedthattheirconservationmatswerediscarded collectors wholendtheirprintstomuseumsforpublicdis- expertise ineverysituation.Forexample,severalprivate be equallyuninformed,ormaynotabletoapplytheir leries, thepeopleresponsibleformattingandframingcan potentially dangerous.Infact,eveninmuseumsandgal- will alwaysknowwhenmountingiscorrectandit for thepropermountingofphotographs,orthatframers framer isfamiliarwiththematerialsormethodsrequired the timeofpurchase. graphs saidtheywantedtoreceivetheirprintsinmatsat three-quarters ofthesurvey’srespondentswhobuyphoto- at thetimeitispurchasedorborrowed,andmorethan also damaged prints bytrimmingphotographic paperand ment. Manyframers,gallery personnel,andothershave led totheworks’deterioration, discoloration,ordisfigure- groundwood orotherhigh-lignin-content papersthathave destructive unitsconstructed ofharmfulglues,tapes,and the printsinattractivebutunintentionally (andinvisibly) been entrustedtowell-meaning framerswhohavesealed Matting andFramingaPersonalCollection Significant timeandmoneyareoftenspentbyinstitu- It cannotbeassumed,however,thateveryprofessional Ideally, aprintshouldalreadybeconservationmatted In thegeneralmarketplace,countlessfineprintshave 13

February 1983 398

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 399 h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 overmatted properly,itshouldbeinspected To betterjudgewhetheraprinthasbeenmountedand photographs incorrectlyorwhentheyareinappropriate. frames. Damagecanalsoresultifhingesareappliedto ing temptedforeconomicreasonstofitprintsintoexisting original mountsthatcontainedhistoricalinformation,be- The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs ing thoughtswereexpressedbyThomasBarrow: ods thatmightbeusedtomountphotographs.Thefollow- customers achoicefromvarietyofmaterialsandmeth- to conservationmountingandframing,willoffertheir professional framersarewillingtodiscusstheirapproach of theneedforconservationmaterialsandmethods.Most framed. Fortunately, framersarebecomingincreasinglyaware Home oftheJedermann Collection. any institution. since theysupportlivingartmorestronglythan that artistsreallyneedtohavetheirworksthrive, collector isthebiggestloser—onearea And thesadthingaboutthatisprivate be losttothemaskingtape-chipboardframers. the future—failingthisagreatdealofartwill I amcertainthiswillhavetobethedirectionof take theworkandmakeitreadyforexhibition. someone. .[who]canbetrustedimplicitlyto works onpaper.Thenextbestthingistohave This isparticularlytrueforthoseintheareaof of howhisworkcanbepreparedforexhibition. Every artistshouldhaveagoodknowledge before itis #12–7 73% print in tem evenmore.Ifitwerepossibletomatandframeevery hibits. Intheirwords:“Wewouldliketosimplifyoursys- of theirhouse,numerous“galleries”ever-changingex- promptly displayedwhendesired—creating,intherooms tected, butarealsoeasilystored,quicklyaccessed,and system ensuresthattheirprintsarenotonlywellpro- frequently tomuseumcuratorsforpublicexhibition.Their storage. Italsoencouragestheownerstolendtheirprints cilitates theexchangeofprintsondisplayforin ables themtokeepaminimumnumberofframesandfa- rary photographsinnearlyallstandardsizes.Thisen- matted theirlargecollectionofhistoricalandcontempo- who alsowishtoremainanonymous,haveconservation with elaboratetemperature,humidity,anddustcontrols. daylight illumination.Inaddition,theirhouseisequipped controlled incandescenttungstenandUV-filteredindirect rare books.Thecollectionisdisplayedinacombinationof art, includingpaintings,drawings,sculpture,ceramics,and graphs, whicharecarefullyintegratedwithotherworksof Their househasbecomeaprivatemuseumfortheirphoto- ter studyingeachphotographer’shistoryandintentions. cern foroverallaestheticsaswellconservation,af- by mattingandframingeveryprintindividually,withcon- have demonstratedexceptionalcarefortheirphotographs tographic art.TheownersoftheJedermannCollection Private Collections:TwoApproaches In adifferentapproach,anotherfamilyofcollectors, Various approacheshavebeentakentocaringforpho- one suitablestandardsize,wewoulddoso.”

May 1983

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs shaped bytheparticularprocesswhichphotograph communicated throughthephotographicmediumarealso pictures orsimplyoverwhelmthem. discolored, andtheframesmayfailtocomplement far apart.Theglassmaybegreenish,thematshave too large,orthepicturesmaybespacedclosely the wallformostviewers,matsandframesmayappear may beinadequate,thepictureshungtoolowon fected bytheviewingenvironment.Forexample,lighting similarly, anaudience’sperceptionofaphotographisaf- environment inwhichthephotographerlivesandworks; ters it.Thetakingofaphotographisconditionedbythe ceives oftendependsonhowandwheretheviewerencoun- the kindanddegreeofattentionthataphotographre- not carefullyplannedandskillfullyexecuted.Inaddition, tion maynotbeviewedinitsentiretyifthepresentationis sometimes apicturemaynotevenbenoticedoranexhibi- graph aswellofthephotographer’sintent.Infact, sentation canundermineproperappreciationofaphoto- influences theviewer’sperceptionofapicture.Poorpre- in itspresentation.Toasignificantextent,presentation The FunctionofPresentation and ConservationRequirements Section Two:AestheticConsiderations . Johannain the hallway. Ideas, information,andexpressionsofbeautythatare Respect foraphotographisnowheremoreevidentthan

May 1983 knew agreatdealaboutmaterials —itispartofanartist’s presentation ofhiswork.“Michelangelo andhiscohorts ferred finaljudgeregardingboththepreservationand the printmaterialsthemselves,wouldnaturallybepre- and procedures,aswellthestabilitycharacteristics of about thestabilityaspectsofdifferentmountingmaterials often interdependent,thephotographerwhoisinformed existence. whom aprintwillchangehandsmanytimesduringits when thedecisionsarelefttocuratorsorcollectors,among and otheraspectsofpresentationmayvaryconsiderably lowed wheneverpossible—particularlybecausematting the subjectofmounting,andtheseideasshouldbefol- understood. Photographersoftenhavespecificideason tions aboutthepresentationofhisorherworkshouldbe dividual fineartphotographs,thephotographer’sinten- mote thelong-term preservationoftheir work. Product informed tomakeaesthetic decisionsthatwillalsopro- writer IreneBorgerreminds us. in satisfactorycondition. its audience,and,ultimately,howlongaprintwillremain intentions, howaphotographisperceivedandreceivedby affect howfaithfullypreservedarethephotographer’soriginal raphers, curators,andcaretakers,therefore,profoundly likely toreceiveproperattention.Theattitudesofphotog- Does anyoneknowwhereitis—orthatevenstillexists? What isitsphysicalcondition?Whoseesit?Howoften? at agiventime:Istheworkdisplayed,orisitinstorage? following questionstomeasurethevalueofagivenpicture tograph, orafamilyportrait.Onehasonlytoaskthe held workofart,ahistoricaldocument,journalisticpho- makes nodifferencewhetheritisaprivatelyorpublicly diminished dependingonhowfrequentlyitisviewed.It interest inanyphotographcanbesustained,increased,or some extent,reshapestheoriginalmeaning.Inaddition, how (andwell)theviewerperceivesimageand,to form inwhichacreatedworkispresentedpreconditions enced, itshouldsufficetopointoutthatthemannerand out discussingallthevariouswaysinwhichweareinflu- and affectpeoplebothconsciouslysubconsciously.With- ally andunintentionally—bycreatorscaretakers visually persuasivefactorsthatareintroducedintention- than whenmountedinaphotographalbum. when overmatted,framed,anddisplayedonamuseumwall lected printmaterial,itwillhaveadifferentappearance another renditionofthepear.Finally,whateverse- chrome. APolaroidinstantcolorprintwillproduceyet tographed withatransparencyfilmandprintedonIlfo- color negativefilmandprintedonEktacolorpaperorpho- the pearlookdifferentifithasbeenphotographedwith different fromanoilpaintingofthesamepear,sotoowill is made.Justasawatercolorpaintingofpearwillbe craft and CuratorialDecisions The Photographer’sIntent In addition,becauseaestheticsandconservationare Before anyspecificmeasuresaretakentopreservein- Unfortunately, mostphotographers arenotwellenough In short,ifaworkiscarefullypresented,itmore Perhaps thisshouldnotbethecase,butlifeisfullof . Itdoesnothavetohinder creativityorinvention,” 400

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 401 h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs not bealteredbyanyonewithout furtherconsultation. matting, andframingaworkhas beenagreedupon,itshould and canbeofvaluetoall. Afteraplanformounting, an opportunitytosharehisand/or herparticularexpertise exhibiting photographers. Collaboration giveseveryone cial considerations,andsoon shouldbemadeavailableto frames, restrictionsimposedinanexhibitionarea,finan- stability data, available types and of mountsizes boardsand Information aboutconservationpracticesandprocedures, ful considerationwhatwilllookbestandbeforaprint. even thephotographercanknowinadvancewithoutcare- ing alternativeapproacheswiththephotographer.Not own highlydefinedvaluesonthemountingbynotdiscuss- methods. Theyoften,howeverunintentionally,imposetheir bitions areusuallyawareofanumbersuitablemounting and conservatorswhosafeguardprintsprepareexhi- know aboutpreservationtoothers.Forexample,curators In addition,manypeoplefailtocommunicatewhatthey tion aboutthestabilitycharacteristicsoftheirproducts. the frequentabsenceofaccurateandcompleteinforma- manufacturers arelargelyresponsibleforthisbecauseof Once inagreat while,acuratorwillcreate asituation the artiststhatmakeitarewhatgivemegreatestpleasureinrunninggallery.” fabricated, suchasGaryBrotmeyer’sone-of-a-kindphotographiccollages.Thisdiversityofworkandthepersonalities from thejournalistic—forexample,LarryBurrows’scolorphotographsofVietnamWartomanipulatedand opportunity toexplorethemanywaysinwhichaphotographcanbeusedformeaningfulexpression.worksthatrange designed tobeinvitingandenhancetheartIshow.Exhibitionssuchas and Enveloped View oftheLaurenceMillerGalleryinNewYorkCityasvisitorsbegantoarrivepreviewgroupexhibition , curatedbyMatthewPostal,inJune1987.LaurenceMiller,Directorofthegallery,said,“Thisspacewas outstanding imagestakenonassignmentfor exhibitions ofphotographscarefullyselectedfromthemany able to of theowner.”Anotherdealer said,“Theartisthastobe felt stronglythat“thepresentation istheultimateconcern or director’sjobtoworkitout fromthere.”SusanHarder should bethepersontomake decisions.Itisthecurator’s Harold Jonesremarked,“He orshe[thephotographer] responsibility towardthepresentation ofhisorherwork. Collaboration LIFE also increatinganewaudienceandfreshperspective. the imagestopublicandrevivinginterestinthembut served forfineart,O’Neilsucceedednotonlyinreturning matted, framed,anddisplayedinamannerpreviouslyre- zine sinceitsbeginningin1936.Byhavingthesepictures Chief oftheLifePictureCollection.Startingin1979with is DorisC.O’Neil,DirectorofVintagePrintsandformer for whichtheruleshavetoberewritten.Onesuchperson There aremanyviewpointsregardingthephotographer’s :

The release

First hisworktothe careandresponsibilityof

Decade, Exposed andEnveloped O’Neilbeganorganizingmuseum giveusthe Exposed LIFE maga-

June 1987

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs Newhall wroteonthesubject: made inthesurvey.) here tobetheartist’sservant.”(Thisstatementwasnot want tohangexhibitionswithoutinterference.I’mnot others whoknowtheirbusiness.Thisis Photographer andphotographyhistorianBeaumont grouping shouldhaveimpact,likethewayMuhammadAliusedtobox.Heisabsolutelymyinspirationforhangingshows.” arrange thepicturessothatthere’savisualcontinuitybutnotpassivity.Thereshouldn’tbelullinviewing. month. MacGill(right)laysouteachexhibitatleastthreetimesbeforetheactualhangingbegins,saying:“Wewantto Ektacolor printsbyphotographerJoeMaloney.ExhibitionshereandatmostNewYorkgalleriestypicallyrunforaboutone Pace/MacGill GalleryinJune1987,DirectorPeterMacGillandhisstaffstartedplanningthenextshowofDyeTransfer While theMarkKlettexhibitionofKodakDyeTransfer,Ektacolor,andblack-and-whiteprintswasstillhangingatNewYork’s fers unmounted prints,andhisarchivein the ter. Ontheotherhand,Cartier-Bresson pre- specified byPaulStrand,down tothemillime- mounts. Theverysizeofamount wasalways Arts putallhisphotographsunder uniformsize years ago]whentheBoston MuseumofFine I knowhowupsetAlfredStieglitz was[some45 responsibility torespecttheartist’sjudgment. which tostorethem.Ithinkitisthecurator’s Stieglitz designed.Ibuiltclothlinedboxesin collection wasoriginallyintheveryframesthat Art theywereframedwithoutmats.OurStieglitz we exhibitedthematTheMuseumofModern simply mountedongoodqualityboard,andwhen Edward Westonpreferredtopresenthiswork my galleryandI extension oftheworkcontained within.EmilyAronsonof leaving paper,thetext,andsoforthbecomeanauthentic including thecase,mounts,overmats,inter- tion ofhisorherwork,thevariouselementsaportfolio three individual portfolios of pictures selected from Gib- from selected pictures of portfolios individual three according tothephotographer’s wishes.Itconsistedof late 1982,sheproducedthe sign andformatoftheirown portfolios.Forexample,in photographers makenearlyall decisionsregardingthede- DEP Portfolios demanded.) least 20years,giventheindividualattentionthatStieglitz the Museum’sStieglitzcollectionis,andhasbeenfor at Museum ofFineArtsinBostoninformedthisauthorthat (Curators andconservatorscurrentlyassociatedwiththe If thephotographerisdirectlyinvolvedinproduc- EditionsinNewYorkCityrecognized thisandletthe in thisform. DeMenil FoundationinHoustonpreservesthem 14 Trilogy

Portfolio byRalphGibson The

June 1987 402

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 403 needed tobringaboutaproject oflastingvalue. Singer’s words,“Sometimeswhenimpossible.” be respectedandfollowedwheneverpossible—and, in survival andwiththeattitudethatartists’intentionsshould Fortunately, Singerapproachesartwithconcernforits der, themoredifficultitistoevenlyalignalledges. the trimmingandmounting,becausenarrowerbor- more workforArnonBen-DavidandAniRiverawhodid been trimmedtotheedgesofimage.Italsocreated Fewer printswouldhaveneededreprintingiftheyhad ages ofsomeprintshadslightstains,creases,orscratches. cause, inevitably,thewideborderssurroundingim- the edgesofphotographicpaper. the edgesofmounts;and prevent thephotographicpaperfromextendingbeyond portfolio, Singer, andthisauthorregardingthemountingofFink’s reached betweenphotographerLarryFink,publisherSidney on thespineofcasesasifthey,too,werebooks. ent colorstocovertheportfolios.Thetitleswereprinted decisions, includingtheselectionoffabricinthreediffer- a community’s, oraculture’saestheticpreferences ata (manufacturers’ standardsizesoftenvaryslightly); size ofthephotographicpaperanddrymountingtissue mately of theprint,wouldviolatehisoverallaesthetics. per, whichhasauniquesurfaceandisalsoanintegralpart approximately thor recommendedthatthephotographicpaperbetrimmed ply 100%cottonfiberboardwithoutovermatting.Thisau- the printswouldbedrymountedon16x20-inchpiecesof4- size ofthemountsshouldnotexceed16x20inchesandthat portfolio wasacriticalfactor,everyoneagreedthatthe cause theweight,thickness,andsizeofeachindividual about 14x14incheson16x20-inchphotographicpaper.Be- and son’s threebooks: Presentation Designand Format move morethan image onthephotographicpaperwasimportant.Tore- tographic paper,andalsosaidthathisplacementofthe “frame” createdbytheboardaroundedgesofpho- and makesthemmuchmorevulnerabletodamage. very attractive;however,itexposestheedgesofimage desired positiononapieceofboard.Theresultcanbe image arearemains,andthenmountingtheprintin involves trimmingoffalltheblankborderssothatonly in thesamemanner.Thistraditionalstyleofdrymounting tographers, sohewouldhavelikedFink’sprintsmounted Bill Brandt,EdwardWeston,andagreatmanyotherpho- preferred thedrymountingformatusedbyAnselAdams, protecting theedgesofphotographicpaper. provide arecessfromtheedgesofmountboard,thereby h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Clearly, manypeopleinaddition totheartistareusually This styleofmountingcreatedmoreworkforFinkbe- In anotherexampleofcollaboration,acompromisewas Presentation designandformat reflectanindividual’s, We allcompromised.Theprintsweretrimmedapproxi- Larry Finkdidnotaccepteitherformat.Hedislikedthe Both FinkandSingerobjectedtothe“look.” Days 1 ⁄ 8 inchforthefollowingreasons:

Social at

Sea 1 ⁄ 2

1 inchoneachsidebeforedrymountingto Graces (1975).Gibsonmadealltheaesthetic The ⁄ 4 inchofthe“blank”photographicpa-

Somnambulist . 15 Mostoftheimagesizesare (3) tohelppreventdamage (1970), (1) Deja-Vu tomatchthe (1973), (2) to hardboards, suchasthoseinEdwardSteichen’sexhibit, graphs wereunframedandmountedoncardstockorthick For example,before1970mostdisplayedartisticphoto- given timeand,likeotherfashions,aresubjecttochange. good cluetotheageofanimage, and overmattedwithwhitemuseumboard. director LeeWitkinandallowedhisprintstobemounted boards, butinthe1970’shefollowedadviceofgallery photographs drymountedtoblackordarkgreyillustration For example,W.EugeneSmithtraditionallypreferredhis formats, oranartistmayconcedetothestyleofaperiod. ences mayalsochangeregardingtheirearliermounting reappears periodically.Astimepasses,artists’prefer- tinue. Eventheovalpictureinanmatandframe mats, ornateandsoon—thevariationscon- mats, whitematsversustonedtexturedtiered delicate mats,single-windowmatsversusmultiple-window ture versuscoveringit,bulkymatsno versus coveringtheedgesofimage,showingasigna- around theimageversuswideborders,floating rather thanartisticpreference. fillets, whichisusuallytheresultofalackknowledge tinue tobeplaceddirectlyunderglazingwithoutmatsor not possibleordesired.However,fartoomanyprintscon- between theprintsandglazingwhenovermattingis with overmatsorfillets,whichhelppreventcontact mounted photographsaredisplayedinthesamestyleframes tively simplemetalorwoodframes.Inaddition,mostdry board overmats(usuallywhiteoroff-white)withinrela- galleries havebeenexhibitedinundecoratedcottonfiber played underglass,accordingtoAdams’susualpractice. photographs in1956,theprintswereovermattedanddis- anexhibitionofAnselAdams’s designed the installationfor approach todisplayingprints.Forexample,whenGee the ideasofindividualphotographersaswellGee’sown exhibitions atHelenGee’sLimelightgalleryalsoreflected Duringthatsameperiod,however, Modern Artin1955. vulnerable todamage, whereas28%thought theyareless (5%). Overhalfthoughtthat drymountedprintsaremore liked itsometimes(43%),and thosewhohadnoopinion mounting looks(23%),those whodidnot(28%),those survey weredividedbetween thosewholikedthewaydry thetic effectandlongevity. Respondents tothisauthor’s fashions andideasinfluenced byconcernsbothforaes- the followingcommentonsignificanceofframes: The The PracticeofDryMounting Philip Katcherwrotethatthedesignofamatcangive Arbiters ofmatting“style”havedebatedthinborders Since themid-1970’s,mostphotographsinmuseumsand The practiceofdrymountingisalsosubjecttochanging

Family recreate andappreciatethepast. taste andform,providingafurthermeansto for theirownsakeasabarometerofartistic of theperiod.Insodoing,framesmeritstudy vidual painters,buttheprevailingartistictrends individual carversand,insomeinstances,indi- only theuniqueattributesandpreferencesof Picture framesmaybeseentoreflectnot

Man, whichwasshownattheMuseumof 16 andWilliamAdairmade 17

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: Imogen Cunningham requires amat tohelpprotecttheedges ofthephoto- to edgecontrol:“Whencroppingis into awhole.”PeterWilseymadethisremarkwithregard to aPlexiglaspanel,isanexcellentwaycombineparts Torso,’ whichiscomposedof140separateprintsmounted such asRayMetzker’s1966composite‘Nude[Flashed] Miller GalleryinNewYorkCity,said,“Drymountingworks, mounting. LaurenceG.Miller,Directorofthe “new” drawbacktodrymounting.(SeeChapter11.) into widespreaduseonlyduringthelastdecade,thisisa important collections.Sincelaserscannershavecome printing —aseriousconsiderationinmuseumorother halftones, duotones,andcolorseparationsforpublications cannot bewrappedaroundlaserscannerdrumstomake effects uponphotographs.Inaddition,drymountedprints versible andlittleiscurrentlyknownabouttheirlong-term because mostdrymountingadhesivesarenoteasilyre- generally discouragedbyphotographicconservators,inpart (such aspaperthicknessandflexibility).Drymountingis cal qualitieswhichdistinguishthedifferentprintmaterials care ofandthatdrymountingobscuresmanythephysi- sus wasthatdrymountedprintsaremoredifficulttotake graphs inthepastsaidthattheynolongerdo.Theconsen- and others. issue aswerephotographers,curators,collectors,dealers, field ofphotographicconservationwereasdividedonthis vulnerable and21%hadnoopinion.Thoseactiveinthe Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs back asfar1938–39andon—therehasbeen work firsthand.Newmansaid,“IhaveprintsImounted Newman’s photographsisfamiliartopeoplewhoknowhis inch behindthemat.”ThedrymountingformatofArnold dry mount and float, rather than risklosing rather float, and mount dry thirty years.” “I’ve hadnobadexperiences withdrymountingin. then overmat.”Photographer andwriterDavidVestalwrote, to printwithawideenough whitebordertosignonand the printissubjecttoedgedamage unlessmatted;better When drymountedandtrimmedtotheedgeofimage, In thisauthor’sopinion,a dry mountedprintusually There were,however,manycommentsinfavorofdry Several individualswhohaddrymountedtheirphoto- 18 really crucial,ithelpsto no 1 ⁄ 16 damage. th ofan unmounted prints. mounted printsaresignedonthefrontmoreoftenthan are notdrymounted.Thismaybeonereasonthat are properlydrymountedremainflatterthanprintsthat sions madebythephotographer.Forinstance,printsthat the appearanceofafinishedprintandaffectpracticaldeci- itself fromdamage. adhering totheglassinaframe,andprotectsmount the emulsiononraisedprintfromferrotypingandeven sibility ofsurfaceabrasionandfingerprints,canprevent addition toprotectingtheedges,amatminimizespos- tant iftheprintistrimmedtoedgeofimage.In graphic paperfromchipping.Mattingisespeciallyimpor- some dominant signaturesattractive.For example,pho- ing intendedtodoso.Onthe otherhand,manypeoplefind from theimageoradornsitwithout thephotographerhav- tion ofaphotographandoften shiftstheviewer’sfocus generally thoughttobemore compatiblewithsignatures. pens toalithographordrawing becausethosemediaare ring toseeonlythephotographicimage.Thisseldomhap- tors andcollectorsfrequentlycoveritwithamat,prefer- Larry Fink,BarbaraMorgan,andEdwardWeston,cura- ture isprominent,suchasthoseofphotographersBillBrandt, kinds ofartworksonpaper.Forexample,whenasigna- often treateddifferently,however,thansignaturesonother seen alongwiththeprint.Signaturesonphotographsare his orherprintsonthefrontintendssignaturetobe general, itcanbeassumedthataphotographerwhosigns below theimageonblankborder,orback.In Mark Klett),themajorityofphotographsaresignedjust gun toplacetheirsignaturesdirectlyontheimage(e.g., may editfreelyuptothatpoint,”saidPeterWilsey. ticity. Ionlysignthingsastheyleavemyhandssothat proval ofthefinalproduct,andasanindicationauthen- The Signature the photographer’ssignature. putting pressureonthealreadydamagededgesandtoshow edges. Thisprintisfloatingapproximately the printwithinovermat’swindowratherthancover is trimmedtotheedgesofimage,itusuallybetterfloat tional chippingoftheemulsion.Whenphotographicpaper Imogen Cunninghamhasbeenovermattedtopreventaddi- able todamage.This1934black-and-whitefiber-baseprintby The edgesofdrymountedphotographsareespeciallyvulner- A photographer’sboldsignature canaffectthecomposi- Although inrecentyearsmorephotographershavebe- “A signatureisgenerallyregardedasanartist’sap- Whatever methodofmountingisselected,itwillchange 1 ⁄ 4 inchtoprevent 404

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 405 their signatures shouldbevisiblewhentheir printsare II, ProcessP-3(renamedIlfochrome in1990). gloss, polyester-baseversion ofprofessionalCibachrome color workwasprintedby Michael Wilderonthehigh- order toprotecttheedgesof theprint.MostofNamuth’s graphic paper,however,he allowedittobecoveredin where thestampwasveryclosetoedgeofphoto- preferred toshowtheseidentifyingmarks;inasituation also uponordirectlybelowtheimage.Ingeneral,Namuth and-white printsandisadjacenttohissignature,which is ther uponorjustbelowtheimageofhiscolorandblack- (applied withwhite,black,gold,orsilverink)appearsei- often regardedmuchassignatures.HansNamuth’sseal portraits offamouspeople. is smallandattractivebecauseitfrequentlyidentifies usually shownwhenhisprintsaremattedbothbecause it year thephotographwastakenonleft.Thewriting is signature ontherightsideandnameofsubject trimmed totheedgeofimage.Newmanplaceshis photographic paper,oronthemountboardifpaperis pencil directlybelowtheimageonblank,untrimmed and thencarefullysignsthemininkorwithagraphite white fiber-baseprintson2-or4-ply100%cottonfiberboard his photographicportraits,oftendrymountsblack-and- Newman’s photographs.Newman,whoisbestknownfor covered byanovermat.ThesameistrueforArnold mental landscapesdoesnotstandoutandsoitisrarely pears directlybelowhislarge-formatphotographsofmonu- image (i.e.,BillBrandt).” visible signature,“unlessthesignaturegoeswellwith fers, whengiventhechoice,toseeaphotographwithout tographer andcollectorSusanUnterbergsaidthatshepre- h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Photographers mayhavestrong feelingsaboutwhether The personalstampsandsealsofphotographersare Ansel Adams’ssmall,lightlydrawnsignaturewhichap- ted toastandardsizewiththesignatureandblackbordercovered(left)showing(right). becomes thefirstconsideration.Theexamplesshowablack-and-whitefiber-baseprintbyHenriCartier-Bressonovermat- borders; photographic paper; variety ofways: Some photographersprinttheirpictureswithnarrowblackborderssurroundingtheimage.Suchprintscanbemattedina (3) covertheblackborderswithovermat.Whenprintsaresigned,showingorcoveringsignature (1) floattheentireimageandblackborderstoshowanarrow,moderate,orwideportionofwhite (2) cuttheovermatwindowsothatitsinnerbordersareflushwithouteredgesofblack that willleaveaverylightgreyimpression.” print istobesigned,itshoulddonewithahardpencil prints ismostinteresting.Iagreewith[Faurer]thatif a exhibited. PhotographerLouisFaurercommented: Aperture monograph colour mount,youwillthink better ofthem.” the whitemarginsoff,and the pictureinasympathetic Evans replied,“Whenyoucometoseethemtrimmed,all pointment withashipmentofEvans’sunmountedprints, color. In1903,whenAlfredStieglitzexpressedhisdisap- carefully ruledlinesoflight,sepia-coloredinkorwater- toned orcoloreddrawingpapers,whichwereborderedwith Most ofEvans’sprintsweremountedonmultiplelayers of great concernwithpresentationisdiscussedatlength. pher intended tobeseenshouldomitted. However, pressed monogram. borders, sometimesaccompanied byEvans’sfamiliarim- ture andtitleoftenappearbelow thepicturewithinthese Beaumont Newhallwrote,“Thematterofthesigning Newhall’s interestinthisareaisalsoevidenthis In suchcases,nopartofthe design whichthephotogra- photographs. me) thevastdifferencesbetweenpaintingsand mented with.Thesesuggestionsindicate(to mat often“works.”Greyinkcouldbeexperi- cil onthephotographorbeneathand tracting andspoilstheentireimage.Softpen- white portionbeneaththeimageoftenisdis- tant. Forexample,indiainkIfoundonthe photograph andormatiscrucialimpor- and someareugly.Placingasignatureon artist’s script,somesignaturesflowbeautifully Dependent onestheticfactorsandthe Frederick

Evans, inwhichEvans’s 19 20 Thesigna-

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Magnum

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: of hispresentation.” poem byShelleyandthisofcoursewasanimportantpart presumably thephotographerhimself,hadtranscribeda the photograph,aboutsixinchesorsobelowit,someone, vintage printofH.P.Robinson’s‘FadingAway.’Beneath signature. WeatGeorgeEastmanHousedidthiswiththe have onewindowfortheimageand mented, “Occasionallyforhistoricalpurposes..amatcan and overinonemanexhibitions.” signed becauseitseemstoberedundantappearover they areofferedforsale.Allmyexhibitionprintsun- pher, Isignmyprintsonlyattherequestofclientif tographer duerecognition. 90 disrupt asequenceofprints displayed togetheronawall. affects thecompositionof mountedworkandmayeven all sizeofthemattoallow foradequateborders.This which sometimesrequiresan increaseinthedesiredover- the windowopeningmayneed tobemadelargerthanideal, seen atalltimes.Forexample,ifasignatureisverylarge, framed, especiallyifitisimportantthatthesignaturebe consideration tohowaprintwilllookwhenmattedand how andwheretosign),photographersshouldgivesome tures, theentireobjectshouldbeshown. than thephotographicimage.Whenpresentingthesepic- other; thewritingsometimesevenoccupiesmorespace They areeach,wordsandpicture,anintegralpartofthe before?) manyofhisphotographsarenotsupplementary. the titlesandtextsthatDuaneMichalscreatesfor(or ten materialwhichshouldneverbecovered.Forexample, LIFE which werefamousimagesthatappearedonthepagesof tographers tosignthephotographssheexhibited,mostof Gallery ofPhotographyinNewYorkCity,encouragedpho- tographers. MartheM.Smith,formerDirectorofthe they displayforsale,particularlythoseofwell-knownpho- however, commonlyprefertoshowthesignaturesofprints covering ofsignatureswhenprintsareexhibited.Dealers, in astudycollection,althoughtheydidnotobjecttothe to seethephotographer’ssignaturewhenlookingatprints tors questionedinthisauthor’ssurvey,saidthattheywanted what differentlythandealers.Mosthistoriansandcura- the necessaryinformation. were signedonthefront.Individualwalllabelsprovided preparing anexhibitioninwhichnoneoftheotherprints curator decidedtocoverEdwardWeston’ssignaturewhen will beexhibitedsidebyside.Forexample,onemuseum Chapter12 matting printsmadebydifferentphotographerswhoseworks wise bythephotographer. photographer’s intentions,unlessoriginallystatedother- the monogrammaybecoveredwithoutviolating death), paper after Evans’s weave white single-weight distant fromtheprint(suchasthosethatweremountedon or whenamonogramislocatedinanareathatvisually per awayfromthesignatureandoutsideruledborders, when amonogramappearsisolatedonthesupportingpa- The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs ° Beaumont Newhallwrote,“Personally,asaphotogra- anglesatallfour corners,itisespeciallydifficult tocut In addition,ifaphotograph is notprintedwithperfect Before signing(especiallyifthereisuncertaintyasto accompanied are by pictures writ- photographers’ Some In general,historiansandcuratorsviewsignaturessome- Signatures aresometimescoveredforconsistencywhen magazine indecadespast,therebygivingthepho- 22 21 Newhallalsocom- LIFE which thepubicareawascroppedout.Writingin1982 in over anAndreKerteszphotographofanudewomanin seum ofModernArt,therecontinuedtobecontroversy ample, morethan50yearsafteritsexhibitionattheMu- cropped toconformprevailingmoralattitudes.Forex- sometimes andsuch bordersareactuallytrimmedoff. overmats attheinstructionsofcuratorsandcollectors, Damaged and faded are borders frequently covered by Publishers oftenprefertoprintonlyaportionofpicture. times carelessaboutmeasuringthewindowsinovermats. pher iscommonpractice.Forinstance,framersaresome- fortunately, croppingbypeopleotherthanthephotogra- actually changesapicture’scompositionandcontent.Un- the visualimpressionofapicture.Cropping,however, age withanovermat. when drymounting),andbycoveringaportionoftheim- at thetimeofprinting,bytrimmingfinishedprint(e.g., further refinethecompositionofpicture;itcanbedone cropped inavarietyofwaysifthephotographerwantsto omit intheframe.Afterthat,afull-framenegativemaybe the photographerdecidesjustwhattoincludeand lens. Whileimageformatispredeterminedbythecamera, act oftakingaphotographinvolvescroppingthroughthe tographer only.Thereasonforthisisobvious.very author in1983,Kerteszgavethefollowingdetails: Image Cropping The mutilated mywork,’saysKertesz.” had bowdlerizeditwithsomedepilatorycropping.‘He them atNewYork’sMuseumofModernArtin1937untilhe erotic charge.BeaumontNewhallwouldnotexhibitone of female nudes,surrealmasterpieceswithamysteriously in 1933,[Kertesz]experimentedwithpurposelydistorted wanted longbefore toexhibitinAmerica. But itwasdiffi- eral photographs,amongwhich wasDistortion#172.“I “Very natural.Takeyourchoice.” Newhallselectedsev- to exhibitsomeofKertesz’sphotographs. Kerteszreplied, phy attheMuseumofModern Artatthetime,whowanted at theirhotelbyBeaumontNewhall, CuratorofPhotogra- lished. Afewmonthsaftertheir arrival,theywerevisited Paris, wherehisreputationasanartistwaswellestab- he andhiswife,Elizabeth,movedtoNewYorkCityfrom ture andthefouredgesofphotographicimage. mends “opening”thematwindowtoshowbothsigna- lems inmattingandframing.Thisauthoroftenrecom- by acuratororconservatorbeforehandofpotentialprob- made bythephotographer—whowouldideallybeadvised sion ofprintmarkers.) ferred mountingprocedure.(SeeChapter11foradiscus- However, thismayrequirealteringtheoriginalorpre- better toframetheworkinafilletwithoutmat. ing alargesignatureondrymountedprint,itmaybe erwise beshown.Whenthephotographerinsistsonshow- this maynecessitatecoveringasignaturethatwouldoth- a matwindowwithparallelbordersallaroundtheimage; Prints madeforexhibitionorpublicationhavealsobeen Every detailofmounting,matting,andframingaffects Image croppingshouldbeinitiatedanddonebythepho- Kertesz oftenrecalledthestory.Questionedbythis The decisiontoshoworcoverasignatureshouldbe

Wall

Street

Journal, RaymondSokolovsaid,“InParis 23 24 In1936 406

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 407 twelve, whenBeaumont Newhallallegedly ‘mutilated’one phy attheMuseum,said,“I was11yearsold,goingon John Szarkowski,Directorof theDepartmentofPhotogra- rector oftheMuseum,declined tocommentonthematter. existed inwrittenform.Richard Oldenburg,presentDi- was understoodbythecurators althoughitmaynothave the policywasinitiatedby trusteesoftheMuseumand cording toonesourcewhowishesremainanonymous, exhibition ofphotographsthatdepictedpubichair.Ac- of ModernArt’spolicyinthe1930’swhichprohibited cropping oftheKerteszprintwasresultMuseum my wholepossibilityhereifIsayno.” percent. ButthisisAmerica.Ifeelthatamcuttingdown can Ido?InPariswasacceptednot100percentbut1000 Museum ofModernArtinAmericatalkingthisway?What with Newhall,Kerteszsaid,“Therepresentativeofthebig Distortion #172.Recallinghisfeelingsduringthemeeting agreed toprovidethemuseumwithacroppedversion of the print.Aftermorethananhourofdiscussion,Kertesz artist. Newhallcontinuedtoexpresshiswishexhibit or hands.“Thewoman’sformissculptural,”statedthe picture asmuchitwouldtocropoutthewoman’shead tion andsaidthatcroppingoutthepubicareaviolated Kertesz toldthisauthorhewasconfusedbyNewhall’sques- then asked,“CanIcutdownthepornographicparts?” hope Americalikes,too’.”InKertesz’swords,Newhall Germany, andCentralEuropetheyliketheDistortions.I said, ‘Iamverygladyouarechoosingthem.InParis, cult tofindthepossibility.NewhallmadeI h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Sources familiarwiththesituationindicatedthat Distortion #172byAndreKerteszinitsoriginalcomposition(left)andacroppedversion(right). 25 photograph withoutKertesz’spermission.” that Newhallwouldnothavechangedthecroppingof to speculateaswhatreallyhappened.Iamconfident of AndreKertesz’sphotographs,anditispointlessforme also croppedto createmorethanonevariation, andeach other negatives,suchasDistortions #2,#6,and#76,were available forsaleandexhibition. SomeofKertesz’s (1983), accordingtoprintdealer SusanHarder,bothwere cropped anduncroppedversions; atthetimeofthiswriting certainly haverecollectedit...” you thathadsuchanactionbeentakeninprotestIwould There isnowayIcanprovethis,butcertainlyassure lection whatsoeverofhaving‘mutilated’onehisprints. graph’ issomethingIknownothingabout.havenorecol- to whatyoucall‘thecroppingoftheAndreKerteszphoto- Kertesz’s Distortion#172continues toexistinboth Asked abouttheincident,BeaumontNewhallsaid,“As is allimportant. ping justasIdoaboutmountingandframing.It the originalnegativeimage..Ifeelaboutcrop- on FifthAvenue’of1893showshardlyone-third crop theirprints,andhisfamousphotograph‘Winter Alfred Stieglitzactuallyadvisedphotographersto is adifferentmatter.Youprobablyknowthat Cropping bythephotographerhimself,however, publications, orforthatmatterinexhibitions. not objecttotherandomcroppingofhisprintsin I hardlyknowasinglephotographerwhodoes 28 27 Newhallwentontosay: 26

Estate of Andre Kertesz

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: viewer’s attention tothecontentofwork withoutat- enhances animagewithout embellishingit,anddrawsa does forothermedia.Ingeneral, goodpresentationdesign tributes totheappreciation ofphotographicprints,asit mounts shouldbevisuallyharmonizing. tection fortheprints,design andconstructionofthe aesthetic qualities.Inadditiontoprovidingphysicalpro- rect chemicalandmaterialcompositionbutalsofortheir decisions thatputtheworkintoitsfinalform. tographer shouldalwaysfeelthatheorshehasmadethe mounting aprint—andthatincludescroppingthepho- by othersthroughouttheprocessofmaking,re-making,or life. Whileaphotographermaybeinfluencedorinspired more thanonceforagivenpictureandatanytimeinhis pher whomay,asKerteszshowedus,exercisethatright legally disclaimauthorship. the righttoobjectalterationofhisorherworkand August 1983,NewYorkStatepassedalawgivinganartist than theartist,itcanevenlegallyinvalidateapicture.In alters itaestheticallybut,whendonebysomeoneother Aesthetic Considerations Preparing PrintsforMounting— Chapter12 tions amongthe126photographsinKertesz’sbook of thesethreeimagesappearsintwodifferentcomposi- The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs tions century.” of Kertesz’sjoyinworkingwithhisDistortionsoverhalfa rector oftheGallery,describedshowas“acelebration uncropped versionofDistortion#172.PeterMacGill,Di- be cropped.Alsoincludedwasamodernprintofthe which weremarkedbyKertesztoindicatehowtheyshould recently asSeptember1983),andoffull-framecontactprints cifically fortheexhibit(somenewlycroppedbyKerteszas show consistedofvintageprints,modernprintsmadespe- City mountedanexhibitionofKertesz’sDistortions.The however, initsuncroppedversion. Carefully plannedandwell-designed presentationcon- Mounting materialsshouldbeselectednotonlyforcor- Clearly, therighttocropbelongsonlyphotogra- Josh Barbanelreportedin Cropping apicturenotonlychangesitscontentand In November1983,thePace/MacGillGalleryinNewYork complained thatitdidnotgofarenough. ern Art.Itwassupportedbyartists,someofwhom politan MuseumofArtandtheMod- major NewYorkmuseums,includingtheMetro- in acatalog..Thelawwasopposedbythe exhibition issetupandhowworksarereproduced in litigationoverhowaworkisframed,an or reproducedasbeingtheworkofartist.. modified formiftheworkisdisplayed,published tion thereofinanaltered,defaced,mutilatedor lish aworkoffineartthatartistorreproduc- display inaplaceaccessibletothepublicorpub- acting withtheartist’sconsentshallknowingly . 29 Distortion#172appearsonlyonceinthebook, Some expertssaidthelegislationcouldresult . nopersonotherthantheartistor 30 31 Thebillstatedthat: The

New

York

Times: 33 Distor- 32 in exhibitiondesign: the book within adecorativeborderthatBeardsleyhaddrawnfor he decidedtomountoneofhisportraitsAubreyBeardsley imbued everynuanceofitwithhisattention.Forexample, earlier, presentationwasofgreatconcerntoEvans,who when theyarebarelynoticed— for example,thatamatandframearemostsuccessful any case,itshouldnotcompetewithaprint.Thatistosay, presentation designandformatshouldbeunderstated.In ages inthe1987exhibition negative effectonaviewer.Referringtopioneeringim- however, he tracting attentiontoitself.InthecaseofFrederickEvans, Andy Grundbergwrotein the exhibition or viewingenvironmentwill haveasignifi- noticed atanothertimeorsomewhere else.Furthermore, Also, whatisnoticedatonetime orinoneplacemaynotbe Naturally, personaltasteis alwaysanimportantfactor. finishes, textures,proportions, andoverallcomposition. ible orincompatiblerelationships betweenthevarioustones, als, andtothefinedetailsof each aswelltothecompat- intentions, totheprintmaterialandmountingmateri- sensitivity totheindividualimageandphotographer’s wants themtobenoticed Evans, When itisnotpartofthephotographer’s“creation,” Sometimes overstatedpresentationdesigncanhavea seriously distortstheiroriginalmeanings. interesting asphotographsinthefirstplace,and proportions inthiswaymisseswhatmadethem ver ink.Totrytoinflatetheimagesesthetic black matboardandsignedontheimageinsil- been enlargedto20-by-30inches,surroundedby tures fromLifelookmoreimposing,manyhave art. Perhapstomaketheblack-and-whitepic- massing andcomposition.” Each sectionofthewallisitselfasermonin means thatamaster-brainhasbeenatwork. when receivedonebyonselectionday.This show upbetterontheSalonwallsthantheydid look effective.Notafewofthephotographs grouping, everypicturehasanequalchanceto consequence ofthisextremefastidiousnessin designer adjudgedittobeunsatisfactory.In spot, onlytoberejectedbecausetheeyeof Again andagainaframewastriedincertain mount, itssubject—allthesewerekeptinview. tion totheothers.Itstint,itssize,frame, ible. Eachpicturehadtobeconsideredinrela- has takenoverthehangingaloneishardlycred- greatly impressed:“Theamountoftroublehe on theallottedwallspace.[Ward]Muirwas exhibition beyondfittingasmanypossible given tothearrangementofphotographson was shockingatatimewhenlittlethought BeaumontNewhallpointedtoEvans’sinvolvement The showcommits..crimesinthenameof The verticaldivisionofthewallsintopanels Le

Morte chose toembellishhiswork.Asmentioned

d’Arthur . Goodpresentationrequiresa The Gordon . 34

New Inhisbook 35 unless thephotographer

Parks: York

Times:

Retrospective, Frederick 36

H. 408

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 409 edges ofthewindows—thatis,abouta60 which hasasmooth,mattefinish.Anarrowbevelatthe that aremadewithawarm-whiteorbeige-tonedboard enhanced inmodest-sizedovermats(about3-inchborders) particularly evidentinthedarkareasofimages,are tones andfinedetailsintheseprints,qualitiesthatare printed onAgfaPortriga-RapidPaper.Therich,warm the mattingandmounting. ity tothepresentationofphotographscanbeexpressedin the presentationofart. to rememberthattherearenoabsoluteswhenitcomes cant effectoneveryotherdecision.Finally,itisimportant ers whodothematting. ing manyofhisownmatsandbycarefullyinstructingoth- inches. Gowinexercisescontrolinthisareabothbymak- who shouldtry tolearntheintentionsof photographer. print cases,andsoonwillneed tobemadebyotherpeople, the work—isnotavailable,decisions regardingmats,mounts, person whounderstandsand isintimatelyinvolvedwith housed inanyway,andthe photographer—oranother look evenbetterinnon-standardmatsthatare14x15 his printswhichlookattractiveinstandard14x17-inchmats to deviatefromastandardformat.Forexample,many of proportions formountinghisprintsanddecidesjustwhen board shouldhaveasmooth,mattefinish. again, aswiththemajorityofphotographicprints,mount harsh besidethehushedtonesinhisfineprints.Here ply issometimestooheavyvisually,andbrightwhitelooks tact-printed, tonedblack-and-whitesilver-gelatinprints.Four- suitable choiceformattingEmmetGowin’s8x10-inch,con- moderate-size bordersinwell-craftedwindowmats. and whites,areeffectivelypresentedwhenseenwithin crystalline detailsbetweensolidexpansesofstrikingblacks minimally texturedboard.Manyofhisprints,composed are alsocomplementedwhenmattedwithabrightwhite, a bettervisualbalancethan2-plymats. many oftheseprints,and,inthisauthor’sopinion,provide high-contrast blackandwhiteareasthatpredominatein eled edgesin4-plyorthickermatsdonotconflictwiththe surfaced matswhichreflectGibson’saesthetics.Thebev- by oversized(borders4inchesorwider),brightwhite,smooth- Brovira Paper,ontheotherhand,areoftencomplemented the angleofbevel,andlighting.) narrow orwidedependingonthethicknessofboard, mat. Thehighlightorshadowonthebevelitselfmaybe on thephotographwhereedgesofimagemeet function ofthebevellededgeistoavoidcastingshadows contrast betweenthematandimage.(Theprimary rather thanathickbevelcutinto8-plyboard—lessensthe thin boardsuchas2-ply,oramedium4-ply, terly publication facsimile reproductionscontainedinAlfredStieglitz’squar- onto mountsofcoloredcardandJapanesetissue,werethe sented inadeliberatelydecorativestyle,tippedbyhand h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Many ofHelenLevitt’sblack-and-whitephotographsare The followingparagraphsillustratehowvisualsensitiv- Anexampleofphotographsthatweresuccessfullypre- When finishedprintsarenot mountedorindividually Gowin hasstrongfeelingsaboutwhatarethecorrect Two-ply boardinalight,warmtoneisoftenthemost Eikoh Hosoe’shigh-contrastblack-and-whitephotographs Ralph Gibson’sblack-and-whiteprintsmadeonAgfa Camera

Work (1903–17). ° bevelcutintoa 1 ⁄ 2 textured boardformattingandmountingphotographs. who noticethesurfacetextureofboards,prefersmooth- visually. Infact,mostrespondentstothisauthor’ssurvey, smooth-surfaced mountboardisusuallymoreharmonious noticeable —forbothaestheticandconservationreasons. minimal orsubtlesurfacetexture—thatisnot and boardsformountingmostphotographsshouldhave both printmaterialsandmountboards.Ingeneral,papers (e.g., highgloss,semi-gloss,matte,rough,orsmooth)of important tobeawareofthesurfacetexturesandfinishes Selecting aBoardTexture Corporation. in the1982portfoliopublishedbyHarderandOrminda mounting theAndreKerteszcontact-printedphotographs Paper inNewYorkCitytopreparean“antiquevellum”for Harder calleduponpapermakersatDieuDonnePress& recreate ahistoricalpaper.SuchwasthecasewhenSusan are currentlyavailable. and tocomparethemwithartists’papersboardsthat materials thatthephotographerhadbeenknowntouse rians andconservators.Itisoftenhelpfultostudythe For example,printdealersmightseektheadviceofhisto- become ANW-Crestwood). So-calledconservation boardis the companymergedwithCrestwood PaperCompanyto Nelson/Whitehead Phase7(which wasdiscontinuedwhen tured boardssuchasBainbridge AlphamountandAndrews/ belongs tooneofthelines compositeormarkedlytex- visually frommanufacturer to manufacturer—unlessit Conservation Board,Conservamat) usuallydiffersverylittle and nonbuffered. Board andArchivartPhotographicBoard,bothbuffered very lightlytexturedProcessMaterialsArchivartMuseum whereas theirtextureisusuallyslightlysmootherthanthe buffered RisingMuseumMountingBoardsarethesame, example, thesurfacetexturesofnonbufferedandalkaline- 100% cottonfibermountboards.Generallyspeaking,for fiber mountboardsarecomparabletoalkaline-buffered some boardsvarysignificantlyfrombatchtobatch. turer tochangeslightlyfrombatchbatch.Occasionally, however, foraparticularboardfromthesamemanufac- manufacturer’s boardbyitstexturealone;itiscommon, facturers. Anexperiencedworkercanoftenidentifya erally smoothbutvarysomewhatamongdifferentmanu- mounting ofprints,particularlytotal-surfacemounting. gerated boardtexturecaneveninterferewiththeproper or physicallyalterthesurfacesofprintmaterials.Exag- texture: Smooth-surfacedboardsarelesslikelytoscratch in highlytexturedmats. board. Also,many19th-centuryprintsarecomplemented neously accentuatedbyandconflictwitharough-surfaced materials suchasIlfochromepolyester-basearesimulta- tographer wants.Forexample,high-glosssurfacesofprint However, contrastingtexturesmaybeexactlywhatapho- The surfacesofmostphotographsaresmooth,anda When preparingartisticphotographsfordisplay,itis Sometimes adealerorcuratorwillgosofarastotry Chemically processedacid-freewoodpulpboard(e.g., The visualcharacteristicsofnonbuffered100%cotton The surfacetexturesof100%cottonfiberboardaregen- Another factorshouldbeconsideredwhenselectingboard 37

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: stay intheframeimprisonedwhite.” for manypictures.Picturesshouldgooutoftheframe,not white isnotgoodforeverything.Puretoostrong panies.) antique tonesbyArchivart,Parsons,Rising,andothercom- nonbuffered boardshavebeenintroducedinwhiteand/or was availableonlyinoff-white1982.Sincethen,several potentially harmfulboard. may beenclosedinpolyester sheetstoseparatethemfrom discussed laterinthischapter, ortheprintsthemselves allow, matsmaybelinedwith thinpolyestersheets,as they providethedesiredvisual effect.Whentimeandmoney (and evenlow-qualityboards) areoftenselectedbecause overwhelm concernsforpreservation,andbufferedboards widely tomountphotographs.Aestheticconcernsfrequently ety oftonesandthicknessesiftheyaretobeusedmore suitable.” than 5%ofthetotalcollection)andwhereveroff-whiteis Museum usesnonbufferedboardforitscolorprints(less there wasonlyonecolorofmuseumboardavailable.The back totheproblemfacedbyartistsandcuratorswhen nonbuffered boardisnotsuitableforeverything.Weare seum ofFineArtsinBoston,said,“Theoff-whitetone and certainlynotenoughtosatisfyphotographers. people involvedinthecareandpresentationofphotographs and tonestosatisfythevariousrequirementsofall board isnotyetmanufacturedinenoughsizes,thicknesses, of neutralpHbeusedwithmostphotographs,nonbuffered Although thisauthorrecommendsthatnonbufferedboards photographs maybeharmedbyanalkalineenvironment. Selecting aBoardToneorColor texture andfacilitatescomparisonsbetweendifferentboards. different. Thismethodofexaminationexaggeratesthe inspect thereversesidetoseewhethertexturelooks times inordertoseethetexturefromfourdirections.Then surface formationsontheboard.Turnboardthree (at least4inchesaway)sothatshadowsarecastbythe piece ofboardperpendiculartoadirectionallightsource pany, Winsor&Newton,Inc.,andothers. in theUnitedStatesfromANW-Crestwood,MorillaCom- and drawingpapersimportedfromFrance,available amples. CansonFineArtboardsaresurfacedwithpastel pers; BainbridgeAlphamatandCrescentRagMatareex- range oftextures,mostwhicharesimilartopastelpa- Chapter12 plate-finish bristol. nonbuffered museumboardwhichhasasurfacecloserto per CompanyinEnglanddistributesaspeciallydesigned some highsurfacebristolboards).However,AtlantisPa- pulp boardmanufacturedinthiscountryisshiny(asare Neither 100%cottonfibermountboardnorpurifiedwood has amorepronouncedtexturewith“lustrous”finish. slight sheen.LightImpressionsExeterConservationBoard usually quitesmoothwithamattefinishthatmayhave The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs Andre Kerteszalsostatedthechallengeclearly:“Pure The colorsand tonesofaprintareaffected bythetones Nonbuffered boardsmustbeavailableinagreatervari- For example,RoyL.Perkinson,ConservatorattheMu- As discussedinChapter13,researchindicatesthatsome You willseetexturemostclearlydefinedbyholdinga Several compositeboardsonthemarketofferawide 38 (ProcessMaterialsArchivartPhotographicBoard 39 board suchasthefollowingcottonfiberboards: the highlightsinblack-and-whiteprints. on cream-coloredboards.Suchboardscanalsomuddle ten appeartotakeonablueorgreentonewhenmounted example, untonedblack-and-whitesilver-gelatinprintsof- few generalguidelines,however,shouldbenoted.For ticular printusuallydependsonpersonalpreference.A dish,” andsoon.Theexacttoneselectedtomountapar- ish.” Agraycanlook“greenish,”“bluish,”“purplish,”“red- or, inthecaseofParsons’antiqueboard,itcanbe“green- An antique-tonedboard,suchasRising’s,canbe“pinkish,” example, off-whitecanlookslightlyyelloworpink. and frames. personal photosareoftenenhancedbylivelycoloredmats for theirexhibitions.Ontheotherhand,snapshotsand attractedto highlycoloredmountboards seum curators are there maybeoccasionswhenphotographersandevenmu- white, ivory,beige,andgrayaremuchpreferred,although colored mountboards.Theneutraltonesofwhite,off- ored mountboards.) a discussionofthecolorstabilitywhite,toned,andcol- Board; with awhitegessoofPenn’schoice.” standards forcorrectcolor;soallthematswerecovered board availableonthemarketandfoundthatnonemethis New YorkCity,IrvingPenn“examinedeverytypeofmat tion atHuntingtonHartford’sGalleryofModernArtin ANW-Crestwood Gemini; tral grayboard,oronaslightlyoff-whiteboardsuchas Other black-and-whiteprintslookbettermountedonneu- River White;ArchivartExtraorStrathmoreWhite. Rising tary tonality.” print, buttoselectamountofharmonizingorcomplemen- lem isnotnecessarilyto or colorsthatsurroundit.AnselAdamssaid,“Theprob- brighter asthe lightintensityincreases; in addition,the and intensityoflighting.The colorsofaprintwilllook light areasofmostDyeTransfer prints. processed Ektacolorprints are notaswhitethehigh- grees astheyage.Inaddition, thehighlightareasofnewly Ektacolor andPolaroidprints willyellowtovaryingde- For example,unlikeDyeTransferandIlfochromeprints, or darkerboardwilllookbetterthanabrightwhiteboard. yellow orwillwiththepassageoftime,anoff-white sideration. Ifthehighlightareasofaprintarealready highlight yellowingoftheprint.Thisisanimportantcon- Mary KayPortersaidthatitwoulddependonthedegree of ting andmountingmostphotographicprints,conservator a starkwhitecanbenoticeablyincontrasttothem. off-white boardnormallycomplementstheircolorswhereas muted colorsandlow-resolution,“soft-focus”images.An buffered.) buffered exceptthefourprintedinitalics,whicharenon- more Natural.(Note:Alltheaboveboardsarealkaline- Brite Color perceptionbythehuman eyevarieswiththetype When askedwhattoneofboardwaspreferredformat- Fresson Quadrichromieprintsarecharacterizedbytheir Many modernblack-and-whiteprintsneedabrightwhite Most whiteandneutraltoneshavesomecolor.For In general,photographsarenotenhancedbybrightly

White

MillerShellWhite;RisingWarmorStrath- White

Photographic;

Photomount; 40 In1965,inpreparinghisprintsforexhibi- Archivart match ANW-CrestwoodLenox;James

Archivart thecolorandvalueof

Off-white 41

White (SeeChapter13for

Photographic;

Photographic Parsons 410

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 411 stores and mail-order companies (see (see companies stores and mail-order mounting corners,etc.)canbepurchasedfromartsupply h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 colors willlook The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs High-Quality Of MountBoardsandArtists’Papers Becoming AcquaintedwithaVariety or board. ing strength,furtherdefinethecharacterofagivenpaper such asstructuralbehaviorandresponses,tensilebend- Plexiglas arewater-clearwithoutatint.(SeeChapter15.) a paleyellowtintovertheprintandmat.Normalgradesof tint andPlexiglasUF-3(anultra-violetfilteringgrade)casts the printshouldusuallybemountedonadarkerboard. and showsthroughwhentheprintisplacedonwhiteboard, ever, ifwritingorprintingexistsonthebackofprint dull, diminishhighlights,andobscuresubtledetails.How- toned boardwillmakeaslightlytranslucentprintappear details andvarioustonesarevisible.Anivoryorgray- ness oftheprintsandtoenhancedegreewhich ing ofverywhite,smoothboardtomaximizethebright- and otherlightweightprintsshouldbemountedonaback- rial. Albumenprints,photogravuresonJapanesetissue, priate toneofboardisthetranslucenceprintmate- be displayed.(SeeChapter17.) under thesamelightingconditionsinwhichprintwill the printtobemountedand,wheneverpossible,together lect thepropertoneofmountboard. ern black-and-whiteprintsdo—itismoredifficulttose- themselves containfluorescentbrighteners—asallmod- cent brightenershaveverylittleeffect.Whenphotographs do not.)Undertungstenillumination,however,fluorescent brighteners,whereasmostcottonfibermuseumboards ers. (Mostcurrentphotographicpaperscontainfluores- comparison tomaterialsthatdonothavesuchbrighten- ers willlookdifferentunderlightingconditionsin illumination. an obliquesideangle,directlyfromabove,orbyindirect they areviewedwiththelightsourcedirectlyinfront,from daylight illumination.Colorsandtonesmayalsodifferif be determined atleastinpartbythestability characteris- out itsexistence. through- photograph the accompany may mount mat and/or total workand,ifthematerials chosenarelong-lasting,the cision madebythephotographer becomesapartofthe final decisionismade.Aspreviously discussed,everyde- compared directlywiththeworktobemounted—before a and papersshouldbeseen,studied,touched— individual printorbodyofwork.Wheneverpossible,boards ever, tomakeanaccuratejudgmentbeforemounting sample booklets.Samplesarerarelylargeenough,how- face textures,tones,andcolorsbyobtainingsamples able productsandtheirdifferentweights,thicknesses,sur- ter). Onemaybecomeacquaintedwiththevarietyofavail- Mount boardsandartists’papers(forinterleaving,making In additiontotexturesandtones,thetactilequalities, Unfortunately, commonframingglasscastsaslightgreen Another considerationwhenselectingthemostappro- It isalwaysbesttoviewmountingmaterialsalongside Boards andpaperswhichcontainfluorescentbrighten- The qualityandselectionof mounting materialsshould

Boards different

and undertungsten,fluorescent,or

Papers attheendofthischap- Suppliers List: Suppliers manufacture ofpapersused with photographs In addition,thefewexisting standards thatdoapplytothe not automaticallyqualifyitforsafeguardingphotographs. cording tothehigheststandardsofpaperindustrydoes That amountboardorenclosurepaperiswellmadeac- to bestchoosefromamongthemanyproductsavailable. support materials,anditisdifficultthereforetoknowhow ing materialsaffectphotographicimages,emulsions,and Anticipatedexpansionofthecollection 10. protection forphotographsare: mounting materialsandthemostappropriateformofphysical requirements oftheprint. on) shouldbeevaluatedwithregardtotheindividualphysical materials (suchassize,weight,strength,stiffness,andso the physicalcharacteristicsofenclosureandmounting composition ofeachmaterialisessential.Followingthese, material aremostimportant.Inaddition,knowledgeofthe long-term effectsofamaterialongivenphotographic ations inmind.Fromaconservationpointofview,the age anddisplayshouldbeselectedwithmanyconsider- hesives thatareincontactwithphotographsduringstor- Marketing, andUseofMountBoards Section Three:TheComposition, outlast theusefullifeofprints. color photographs,themountingmaterialsarelikelyto rated significantly.Unfortunately,inthecaseofmany with aduplicatewhenithasfadedorotherwisedeterio- sary unlessplansaremadetoreplacethedisplayedprint material thefinestmattingmaterialsmaynotbeneces- tics oftheprintitself.Forexample,withanunstable materials. (See Chapter13.) many differentcolorandblack-and-white photographic is optimalformountboards andenclosurepapersforthe tists. Forexample,questions remainaboutwhatpHvalue subject todebatebyconservators andphotographicscien- .Availablestoragespace 9. Sizeandlocationofthedisplayarea 8. Estimatedfrequencyofhandling 7. Aestheticpreferences 6. Desiredlifeexpectancyofthephotographs 5. Inherentstabilitycharacteristicsofthephotographic 4. Availablefunds 3. Short-termvs.long-termconditions(e.g.,temporarydis- 2. Intendeduseoftheprints(e.g.,museumandpublic 1. The mountingandenclosurepapers, Not enoughispresentlyknownabouthowmostmount- Other factorstoconsiderwhenselectingenclosureand material(s) play vs.permanentdisplay) exhibition, storage,sale) exhibition, privatedisplay,studycollection,traveling 42 plastics,andad- 43 havebeen

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: damaged area losesallstiffness.Ofcourse, 100%cotton nerable tobeingcrushedon impact.Whentheyare,the corners ofconservationboards aresomewhatmorevul- cotton fiberboards.During handlingandshipping,the however, donotwithstandpressure aswellmost100% and canadequatelysupport mostprints.Theseboards, chemically purifiedwoodcellulose areusuallyquitestiff seum” boardand“conservation”board. mount boards,ofwhichtherearetwoprimarytypes:“mu- rials asareothersolid(i.e.,notcomposite)high-quality bonate). Theseboardsaremadefromthesamerawmate- ering agents(calciumcarbonateand/ormagnesiumcar- quality mountboardsonlybytheabsenceofalkaline-buff- tended forphotographsaredistinguishedfromotherhigh- physical Other Considerations Physical Requirementsand Chapter12 Cotton FiberAndWood Board Composition— The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs place asconservationboards. different paperseach,arealsoreferredtointhemarket- which arealkaline-bufferedandmadewithatleastthree Cardcrafts Astromat,CrescentRagMat,andMillerUltimat, Some compositeboards,suchasBainbridgeAlphamat, currently nostandardsdefiningwhatisaconservationboard. fined toremoveligninandotherimpurities.Thereare has beencooked,bleached,washed,andextensivelyre- combination ofboth(seeChapter13,page468). sists ofcottonlintersfibersbutmaybemaderagsora is madefrom100%cottonfiberpulp,whichusuallycon- factors aschemicalinertness,hardness,andsmoothness.) superior flexiblestrengthisnotascriticalaresuch are usuallylessso.(Inthecaseofmountboards,however, are strongyetflexible,whereasthebestwoodpulpboards comparisons. Thebest100%cottonfiberpapersandboards examination isrequired,therefore,tomakemeaningful ers, andwoodpulpusuallymeettheserequirements.Closer most high-qualitymountboardsmadeofrags,cottonlint- .Befreefromwarpage 6. Bereasonablyresistanttoimpactwithoutbreaking 5. Haveacompactdensitywhichfavorssmoothcutting 4. Haveboththerequiredanddesireddegreeofsurface 3. Haveadequatestrengthtosupporttheselectedprint(s) 2. Berigidenough tosupportitsownweightwithoutbending 1. Most currentlyavailableconservationboardsmadeof Board formountingpicturesshouldmeetthefollowing Most high-qualitymountboardsthatarespecificallyin- Conservation boardismadefromwoodfiberpulpwhich Depending onsize,ply,andtheintendedapplication, and sharp,cleanbevelling smoothness hands atoppositeedges without bowingmorethanslightlywhenheldwithtwo (e.g., standingonanyofitsfouredgesagainstawall) requirements: 44 Museumboard 45 proximately made fromcotton. eral, woodpulpboardlackstheresilientstrengthof fiber boardsarealsovulnerabletocrushing,butingen- from cottonrags). cotton fibermountboardbecameknown(whenitwasmade simply continuedtousethenamebywhichitsfirst100% its Ragmountwasalwaysmadefromrags.Thecompany poration, remarkedthathiscompanydidnotmaintain Manager ofCommercialDevelopmentforJamesRiverCor- not containanyragsismisleading. Employing theterm“rag”todescribeaproductthatdoes board, whichismadefromcottonlinters,“RagMat100.” Crescent CardboardCompanycallsits100%cottonfiber the boardismadefromcottonlinters.Inanotherexample, beling it“MuseumQuality100%RagBoard”when,infact, Impressions incorrectlydescribesitsmountboardbyla- rags duringitslastseveralyearsonthemarket.Light For instance,JamesRiverRagmountwasnotmadefrom because descriptivenamesaresometimesnotaccurate. product bynamingit,forexample,“museummountingboard.” attempts todescribetheintendeduseorasuitableof for artists’papersandboardsinparttothemanufacturers’ Paper Company,ascribedthevarietyoftermsandnames board.” ChiC.Chen,formerTechnicalDirectorofRising board,” “rag“mountand“conservation are describedbymanydifferentterms,suchas“museum cult, particularlyontheconsumerlevel,becauseboards and decidingitsmostappropriateapplicationcanbediffi- percentage of 100% cottonrags?According toBainbridge bridge hasclaimedtobeusingrags: cotton lintersfiberstomakemuseummountboards,Bain- linters fiberswithoutanyragcontent. name, JamesRiverRagmountwasmadefrom100%cotton marketing boardsunderitsown discontinued company Descriptive Terms recommended. black-and-white fiber-baseprints,cottonfiberboardsare play. Forlonger-lastingprints,suchascorrectlyprocessed ethylene-resin-coated (RC)colorprintsintendedfordis- mounting unstabletypesofphotographssuchasmostpoly- protection formanycollectionsandarequitesuitable conservation boardscanprovidethenecessaryphysical Addressing thisconcern,AldenW.Hamilton,former Still, itisoftendifficulttoknowwhatonepurchasing Learning thematerialcompositionofamountboard Is Alpharagboardmadefrom 100%cottonragsorahigh Contrary tothewidespreadindustrypracticeofusing Boards madeofchemicallypurifiedwoodpulpcostap- actual cottonrags,ratherthan cottonlinters. is uniqueinitsuseofahigh percentageof strength andcleanestappearance. Thisboard is carefullycontrolledtoensure thegreatest 100% CottonRagcompositionofAlpharagboard vide maximumconservationprotection.The carefully manufacturedtoanalkalinepHpro- are madewithCottonRagmaterials.They Alpharag boardisforyou.Thesearchivalboards If youpreferworkingwithragboard,then 1 ⁄ 3 lessthancottonfiberboards;generally, 46 Forseveralyears,until1985whenthe 47 412

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 413 said no(seeChapter13,Appendix2: ers iftheircottonsourcesvary,somesaidyesand used inJuly.Whenthisauthoraskedpapermanufactur- made inJanuaryfrompaperpulpsthatdifferthose possible, inotherwords,foragivenpaperproducttobe depend onthesupplyavailableataparticulartime.Itis state thattheirsourcesofcottonfibervaryandthey tions intheindustry.Forexample,manypapercompanies composition, whichmaychangebecauseofnormallimita- for photographicapplications. better thanlintersinthemanufactureofmuseumboards this authordoubtsthatcurrentlyavailablecottonragsare of theadditionalprocessingrequiredwhenragsareused, Cotton andRagContent chemicals inthefinalproduct.” purified tothepointthattherearenodangerousresidual and moredurable.Theragsusedtomakeourboardare in ourminds,aragpaperisbetterproduct.Itstronger used. McCarthysaid,“Wepreferragstolintersbecause, in shortsupplyasmallpercentageofcottonlintersmaybe require 100%cottonrags,butthatwhensuitableragsare Product Manager,KateMcCarthy,Alpharagspecifications helped toclarifythismatter: panies h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Each companyhasitsown“standards”regardingboard While boardmadefromragscanbesuperior,because materials, technicalinformation, equipment,skill, son, everyyear.Theavailability andqualityof are variablesthatchangeevery day,everysea- it’s not.Papermakingisstill agreatart.There for useinthepaperindustry. . cluding EuropeanandUnitedStatesmarkets, sorted andthenshippedtovariousplaces,in- are broughttoawarehousewherethey rags andoldclotheshavebeengathered,they to houseaskingforoldclothes.Whenenough ons inthe19thcenturythattraveledfromhouse peddlers similartothosewithhorsedrawnwag- States. InAfrica,ragsarecollectedtodayby dealers includingsourcesoutsidetheUnited textile mills,clothingmanufacturers,andwaste instance, ragscomefromnumeroussources: of ragsandcottonlinterscandovary.For all, arenowmadefromlintersonly.Thegrades and cottonlintersfibersalthoughmost,ifnot some timefromcombinationsofcottonrags cotton fibermountboardshavebeenmadeat merous factorsinthemarket.Nearlyall100% ton. Availabilityofcottondependsuponnu- cotton, thenexttimetheymaybuyTexascot- rials. OnemonththeymaybuyNorthCarolina suppliers gotothesamemarketfortheirmate- for thepapermanufacturingindustryandthese number ofsuppliers—alsocalled“jobbers” ery timeweordercotton.Therearealimited however, vary.Weusethesamesuppliersev- ). SpeakingforRisingPaperCompany,ChiC.Chen Our suppliersdonotvary. If youthinkpapermakingis purely science, 48 Letter Their

sources, to

Paper

Com- its papers,andusesonlythebestavailable.” tains strictstandardsforthequalityofcottontobeusedin ally ourcottonfibersourcesvary..Strathmoremain- spected inStrathmorePaperCompanyMills..Occasion- ing Boardsandpapersaremanufactured,tested,in- Paper Company,remarked:“AllStrathmoreMuseumMount- ment forStrathmoreProductsGroupofthe and consistentlymadefrom rags. ers toabandontheterm“rag” exceptforpapersactually come forpapermanufacturers, distributors,andconsum- terminology, however,theterm isarchaic.Thetimehas author. Withrespecttoits former placeinpapermaking used throughoutthepublished literaturereviewedbythis scribe papersmadewithnon-ragformsofcottonfibers is “rag content”as: of terminologyregardingcottonfiberpaper.Itdefined cotton’s origin(e.g.,linters,textilewaste,rags). tirely fromcellulosederivedcottonregardlessofthe term “100%cottonfiber”fordescribingpapersmadeen- Pottenger, to MarketingandProductDevelopmentManagerDavid “100% cottonpaper.” of cottonareused),isdescribedinitsproductliteratureas with thesamephysicalcharacteristicswhenotherforms Pottenger explained,itisnotpossibletoproducebristol Bristol, whichisalwaysmadeofcottonrags(because,as products initsadvertisingliterature.EvenStrathmore more doesnotusetheword“rag”todescribeanyofits ton ragsandcottonlintersareusedbythecompany,Strath- made from100%cottonlintersfibers.Althoughbothcot- said thatStrathmoreMuseumMountingBoardiscurrently to otherformsofcottonfibersinpapermanufacturing.He are insuchshortsupplyandgenerallysupplementary that cottonragsarerarelyusedexclusivelybecausethey primary sourcesasotherpapermills.Pottengerexplained now purchasescottonragsandlintersfromthesame describe papersmadefromcottonlintersfibers. logical confusionbyalsosanctioningtheterm“rag”to paper “allrag”;however,APIcontributestothetermino- made fromcottonrags—thantocalla100%linters describing anyallcottonfiberpaper—evenonethatis certainly bettertousetheterm“100%cottonfiber”when Kurt R.Schaefer,formerManagerofProductDevelop- Except inthislastsource,useoftheterm“rag”tode- The WorldPrintCouncildrawsattentiontotheproblem The AmericanPaperInstitute(API)concurswiththe but fromlinters. more highqualitypaperismade,notfromrag, popular, islosingitsmeaningsincemoreand content or80%ragcontent.Theterm,though expressed asapercentage,such100%rag in themakingofcertainkindspaper.Itis ber relativetothetotalamountofmaterialused the finalproduct. time, andinspirationallaffectthequalityof over theseconditionsandfactors,aesthetics, market supplyanddemand,amountofcontrol economic conditions,environmentalfactors, A termdescribingtheamountofcottonfi- 51 Strathmoreonceprocesseditsownrags.It 52 56 49 50 According 54,55 53 Itis

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs River, andProcess graphs, andtheresultsof testsarepublished. to determinetheirsuitability forlong-termusewithphoto- apparent whenpapersandmount boardsareroutinelytested knowing whichcompanymakes whatproductbecomesmore that areusedinconservation work.Theimportanceof laminated tobaseboards creatematboardsandsome but manufactureavarietyofpapers,somewhichare Inc. andMohawkPaperCompany,thatdonotsellboards per tothetwosidesofbaseboard. textured compositematboard,bylaminatingfabricorpa- ers andthen“convert”itintoanotherproduct,suchas a purchase baseboardfromoneormorepapermanufactur- distributors arealsoconvertors,whichmeansthatthey tail stores,andinteriordesignestablishments;theseeight more oftheirproductstohigh-volumeframingshops,re- also selltheirboardsinthemuseummarketplacebut Columbia, Crescent,Hurlock,Miller,Morilla,andRupaco seum andfineartmarkets.Nielsen&Bainbridge,Cardcrafts, versity Products)selltheirboardsprimarilytothemu- Process Materials[Archivart],LightImpressions,andUni- more) andfourofthemajordistributors(ANW-Crestwood, Rupaco PaperCorporation;andUniversityProducts,Inc. board Corporation;Morilla,Inc.;Nielsen&Bainbridge; pany, Inc.;LightImpressionsCorporation;MillerCard- Corporation; CrescentCardboardCompany;HurlockCom- of Heller&Usdan,Inc.;Cardcrafts,TheColumbia Andrews/Nelson/Whitehead-Crestwood; ArchivartDivision mistakenly thoughttobemanufacturers.Theseinclude: major distributorswholabelmountboardandare widely recognizedbynamewithintheconsumermarket. only twocompaniesamongthefivewhoseproductsare these fivemanufacturers.RisingandStrathmorearethe tors, orretailers—sellboardproducedbyonemoreof mount boardbusiness—operatingasconvertors,distribu- cover thatallofthehundredsothercompaniesin to smallerdistributorsandretailers.Itisstartlingdis- products onlythroughmajordistributors,whointurnsell James RiverandMonadnockoperatemillsbutmarkettheir Strathmore distributemountboardundertheirownnames. Paper Mills,andJamesRiverCorporation. Paper Company,StrathmoreMonadnock mount board.Theyare:ParsonsPaperCompany,Rising companies intheUnitedStatesthatmanufacturemuseum for themostpartleft came of Andrews/Nelson/Whitehead The MuseumBoardManufacturingIndustry division cameunderthecontrolof Inc. and, inApril1991,JamesRivermount 1983, andreferencestoA/N/W,Beckett, mount board. pany, BeckettPaperCompany Thereare asHowardPaperMills, othercompanies, such Three ofthemanufacturers(Parsons,Rising,andStrath- In additiontothefivemanufacturers,thereareseveral Of thefivemanufacturers,onlyParsons,Rising,and (Note: This author’sresearchrevealedthatthereareonlyfive

The bulkofthewritingthischapterwasdone known asArchivartDivisionofHeller&Usdan,Inc.

Until November

1990,

Materials inthefollowingdiscussionare

unchanged.)

Process MaterialsCorporationbe-

1989, coincidingwiththemerger

and CrestwoodPaperCom- also wasamanufacturerof

Custom PapersGroup,

board andartpapers

Crestwood,

James

in the cartondoesn’tsay‘Rising’thenit’snot.” vate label’theproductorsellitundertheirownname.If not sellboardtoanyconvertorsordistributorswho‘pri- former MarketingManagerofthecompany,“Risingdoes naming, or“de-naming,”it.AccordingtoDennisO’Connor, to distributorswhowouldobscuretheRisinglabelbyre- for themtoknowwhichboardiswhat. wrapped inplainbrownpaper,itmayevenbeimpossible manufacturer, andwhenitiscuttosmallsizesre- outlets sellagiventypeofboardmadebymorethanone als theboardiscomposed.Manydistributorsandretail with certaintywhatboardisbeingsoldandofmateri- different distributors.Attimesitisimpossibletoknow own; oftenthesameboardisgivendifferentnamesby nies simplypurchaseboardready-madeandsellitastheir specifications (“specs”)toamanufacturer,othercompa- While severaldistributors“produce”boardbyassigning ments thattheymakeboard,althoughinfactdonot. known as“privatelabeling,”iscommon. associated withthetruemanufacturer(s).Thispractice, by oneormoremillsandthenlabelitwithanamenot per companiespurchaseaparticularpaperproductmade reluctant toprovideinformation.Forexample,manypa- nately, themanufacturermaybedifficulttoidentifyor them howandwithwhattheirboardsaremade.Unfortu- seem tobesimplycontactthemanufacturersandask product canbeexpectedtohaveonphotographs—might constitutes aparticularproduct—andwhateffectthat materials, thesolutiontoproblemofknowingwhat necessarily, protectitscustomers. Inotherwords,itsmarket paper products,itisprimarily merchant-orientedandmust, manufacturer thatoperatesmany millsandproducesmany concerned withneedsonthe consumerlevel,asamajor Alden Hamiltonexplainedthat althoughhiscompanyis names. SpeakingforJamesRiver, brand proprietary der un- boards tributing companiesthatmarkettheirmount ing toprovidethisauthorwithinformationaboutthedis- Monadnock, Parsons,Rising,andStrathmore)werewill- under whatnameornames. what producttheyareusing,whereitisavailable,and doing researchinconservation,whoneedtoknowexactly larly amongphotographersandconservators,those however, createsconfusioninthemarketplace,particu- product informationfromthemanydifferentcompanies, are legitimateactivities.Theunavailabilityofaccurate products andtheshareddistributionofonecompany’sproduct tions” areunique.) they marketaretheirownproductsinthatthe“combina- Miller areconvertorsandsosomeofthecompositeboards other boardsmadebymanufacturers.(Hurlockand ing boardsundertheirownnames,inadditiontoselling and MillerCardboardCorporationhavebothofferedRis- examined bythisauthorshowedthatHurlockCompany may bedifficulttoenforce.Forexample,samplesofboard Proprietary Labeling Rising PaperCompanyhasapolicyofnotsellingboard Some convertor-distributorsimplyintheiradvertise- Given theterminologicalconfusionandvariationsinraw None ofthemanufacturers(i.e.,Beckett,JamesRiver, The conversionofpapersandboardsintocomposite 57 Thispolicy 414

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 415 tion thatisconstantlychanging.” We aresimplyunwillingtomake acommitmentinsitua- “We arenottryingtohideinformation fromourcustomers. ager forLightImpressions,explainedthepredicament: tors. RonEmerson,TechnicalAssistantandAccountsMan- bought frommanufacturers,butratherotherdistribu- some ofLightImpressions’mountboardswerenoteven manufactured byParsons.Industrysourcesindicatedthat confirm nordenythis.In1986,theboardappearedtobe Parsons orRising,althoughthecompanywouldneither board inJune1985indicatedthatitwasmadebyeither were offered.ExaminationofasampletheBrightWhite “Non-Buffered 100%RagBoards”(BrightWhiteandCream) longer listedtheoff-whitephotographicboard;instead,two for manyyears. facturer ofProcessMaterialssolid-colormuseumboards boards sometimein1985;Strathmorehadbeenthemanu- Strathmore begantomakeProcessMaterialsnonbuffered two companiesbyJamesRiver.Thisauthorbelievesthat (now Archivart)andLightImpressionsweremadeforthe white photographicboardssoldbybothProcessMaterials chinery, watersupply,andotherfactors. variation inthefinalproductcausedbydifferentma- pany isdifferent,itinevitablethattherewillbesome ture mayremainthesame,whenmanufacturingcom- the basicformulaandappliedstandardsformanufac- will havebeenmadebydifferentmanufacturers.Although and byCrescentCardboardCompany havebeenmade,ac- fiber mountboardsdistributed byNielsen&Bainbridge arises.” stay withonesupplier,wehavenoback-upwhentheneed because risingpricescreatecompetition.Inaddition,ifwe different mills:“Itisnecessarytochangemillsattimes spoke onbehalfofhisandothercompaniesthatengage val productsatLightImpressionsCorporationsince1975, uct specificationsatagiventime. est bid,canmeetdeliveryschedules,andsatisfyprod- customers —dependingonwhichcompanyoffersthelow- facture ofaparticularpaperproduct—withoutnotifying readily changemillsoremployvariousforthemanu- tors notonlyputtheirownlabelsonmountboardsbutalso this isavolatilemarketandoneinwhichmanydistribu- from themanufacturers,industrysourcesrevealedthat the marketingofboardstoretailers. tional andvaluablepositionthatdistributorsmaintainin concerns, suchinformationwouldnotdisplacethetradi- the qualityoftheirproducts.Althoughthesearevalid their business.Anotherworriedthatcustomersmightdoubt contact themanufacturersdirectly,therebycuttinginto tion ofsuchinformation.Onefearedthatcustomerswould for theothermanufacturersinUnitedStates. facturer. Similarstatementsweremadebyspokespersons own withoutidentifyingthemanu- paper productsastheir tributors whomayanddolabel,withindustryapproval,the consists almostentirelyofconvertorsandauthorizeddis- h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs In theLightImpressions1985catalog,companyno Until approximatelyJanuary1985,thenonbufferedoff- Other examples of proprietary the 100% cotton labeling: Dennis Inch,whohasheadedthedevelopmentofarchi- Although proprietaryinformationcouldnotbeobtained All distributorsexpressedconcernaboutthepublica- 58 Atvarioustimes,therefore,the“same”board 59 for informationabouttheproducts Isell.” and inbuildingareputationas someonewhocanbetrusted ested inthecustomerrelationship —notonlythesale quested suchinformation,he wouldprovideit:“I’minter- Crestwood-labeled boards,and saidthatifcustomersre- S. GinsburgrepliedthatParsons wasthemanufacturerof board,VicePresidentMichael their about name. Asked brand sells othermuseum-qualityboardsundertheCrestwood made byRisingandidentifiestheboardsassuch.Italso in 1989)sellsmuseum,photographic,andconservationboards cotton fibermountboardsknownas until thelate1960’s.Forseveralyearsafterthat,100% the ValleyPaperCompany,whichmanufacturedboard In 1928,thecompanygavetheirfirstsetofspecificationsto paper companytodevelopa100%cottonfibermountboard. the A/N/WInterleavingPaper. the exceptions,unfortunately,wereitsmountboardsand mills andmanufacturers,titled“HeraldingOurMills.”Among samples wereaccompaniedbyalistingofover65paper retained theiroriginalnamesandlabels,paper mestic andimported,innearlyeverycasethepapers distributed manyartists’andspecialtypapers,bothdo- cording totheirspecifications.Andrews/Nelson/Whitehead pers andboards,someofwhichweremanufacturedac- operate papermillsandwere,infact,distributorsforpa- companies suchasA/N/Wopenlystatedthattheydidnot in theareaofproprietarylabeling.Forexample,some Alphamat andCrescentRagMataremadebyStrathmore. but believesthehigh-stabilitysurfacepapersonBainbridge factures thesurfaceandbackingpapersfortheseboards, for CrescentRagMat.Thisauthordidnotlearnwhomanu- Ultimat, whileParsonshasmadethecottonfibercoreboard Bainbridge Alphamat,CardcraftsAstromat,andMiller has manufacturedthehigh-qualitywhitecoreboardfor company. InformedsourcesreportedthatJamesRiver ucts together,orassignsthetasktoanoutsidelaminating other mill.Theconvertorthenlaminatesthethreeprod- mills, whilethebackingpapersmaybemadeatyetan- (core) andsurfacepapersarecommonlymadeatdifferent ucts madebytwoormoremanufacturers.Thebaseboards been madebyJamesRiverinFitchburg,Massachusetts. while BainbridgeAlphamounthas Holyoke, Massachusetts, by in Parsons cording toeachcompany’sspecifications, Nelson/Whitehead specifications.” to thecompany,“eachmilladheresstrictlyAndrews/ worked withmorethanonepapermill,because,according ations oftheformulas,regardlessfactthatthey in qualityandcomposition,thattherewerenoalter- Mills. A/N/Wsaidthattheirmuseumboardwasconsistent Corporation, andMonadnockPaper River James pany, have, atvarioustimes,beenmadebyBeckettPaperCom- the namesandformulasfortwoboards—which seum boards.Andrews/Nelson/Whiteheadretainedboth Whitehead andfocusedonproducingitsownlineofmu- Company discontinuedmakingboardforAndrews/Nelson/ mount boardincreasedintheearly1970’s,RisingPaper were madeattheRisingpapermill.Whendemandfor Crestwood PaperCompany(whichmergedwithA/N/W Looking back,Andrews/Nelson/Whiteheadwasthefirst There are,meanwhile,differentdegreesofobfuscation Composite boardsarefrequentlyassembledfromprod- 60 Gemini 61 and W

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: is moreimportanttoknow ingredients andexpectedperformance,buthefeelsthatit believes thattheconsumershouldbeinformedofaboard’s per companiesandidentifiestheboardsassuch. ucts, sellsmountboardsmadebyParsonsandRisingpa- tion work,andthelong-timesupplierofmanyrelatedprod- als andpeopleinvolvedinmuseumlibraryconserva- Talas, animportantresourceforinformationaboutmateri- not assignproprietarynamestoanyboardstheycarry. Talas (DivisionofTechnicalLibraryService,Inc.),thatdo changes afterward. gone topressinlate1992,andthattherewillcontinuebe the abovedistributors’boardsbytimethisbookhas mount boardsandpapers, that everymanufacturerand ing standardsforthematerials usedinhisorherwork. tion isprovided,aphotographer isbetterabletosetexact- changes mills.Finally,when completeproductinforma- a distributor’sboardisalmost uselessifthedistributor be identifiablebecausetheinformationobtainedintesting contain thatadhesive.Inaddition,themanufacturermust photographs, itwouldbeessentialtoknowwhichboards nating adhesiveprovestobeharmfulcertainkinds of a photographicmaterial.Forexample,ifparticularlami- to understandthemechanismsbywhichaproductaffects required bythosedoingconservationresearchiftheyare in thelongrun,mayactuallycauseconsiderableharm. in otherindustries—doesnotbenefittheconsumerand, dustry. Privatelabelinginthepaperindustry—aswell tablishing acrediblemarketforthegoodofwholein- quality ofservices,products,andinformationwithes- ketplace andconcentrateonprovidingaconsistentlyhigh themselves lesswithmaintainingexclusivityinthemar- from afearofcompetition.Companiesshouldconcern worst, however,isaformofdeceptionthatusuallysprings pany underanyothername.Proprietarylabelingatits product isuniqueandnotavailablefromanyothercom- practice ofprivatelabeling,particularlywhenthelabeled and, insomecases,itmaybedifficulttodenouncethe h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs conservation. ucts forspecialtymarketssuchasthefieldofphotographic facturers insettingupspecificationsanddesigningprod- terials (Archivart)usuallyhavemorelatitudethanmanu- pendent producerssuchashiscompanyandProcessMa- museum andarchivecommunity,commentedthatinde- use. Roessler,whoiswell-knownforhisservicetothe ployed tomeetalloftherequirementsforintendedend tion andspecialtechniques,whichmayhavetobeem- — fromsettingthespecificationstodeterminingcomposi- over themanystagesofpapermakingaremostimportant stressed thatexperience,expertise,andmaximumcontrol ing conditionswithoutnotifyingthedistributors.Roessler make significantchangeswithintheirownrangeofvary- without notifyingtheconsumer,butthatmillscanalso that notonlycanadistributorchangemillsandformulas made thanitistoknow Arno Roessler,PresidentofPaperTechnologies,Inc., In contrasttothis,thereareafewcompanies,suchas It ispossiblethatdifferentmillsmaybemanufacturing This authorrecommends,in thecaseofhigh-quality Knowing thespecificcompositionofapaperproductis Operations inthepaperindustryareobviouslycomplex 62 who with madeit.Healsopointedout

what and how aboardis construction, every package.ThisisdiscussedatlengthinChapter13. graphic reactivitytests.Thelistshouldbeincludedwith (including a list oftheproduct’scontents,manufacturingspecifications mill andtheconvertingcompany(ifany)butalsoprovidea pany inEnglandandidentifynotonlytheparticularpaper distributor followtheexamplesetbyAtlantisPaperCom- Conservation Mat Section Four:Constructinga attention, skill,andtasteintheareasof print orprints. windows havebeencuttofacilitateviewingoftheenclosed quality mountboardorartists’paperinwhichonemore nonreactive adhesivesandtwoormorepiecesofhigh- it ismadeofcarefullyselectedmaterialsincludingstable, a bookandcontainsoneormoreproperlymountedprints; “conservation mat.”Thisflatenclosurecanbeopenedlike unit consistingoftheovermatandmountiscalleda usually requiresanovermattofulfillthispurpose.The preserve thephotographitsupports.Aconservationmount types ofmountinginthatitsprimarypurposeistohelp .The 3. .The 2. .The 1. Conservation mounting Conservation The makingofaconservationmatrequiresknowledge, design shouldseparatethephotograph from(or,insome part ofthephotographer’s intention; inaddition,the without alteringitorbeing decorativeunlessthisis handling withoutbeingcumbersome. tation; inaddition,theconstruction shouldfacilitate vided duringhandling,storage,display,andtranspor- adequate physicalsupportandprotectionwillbepro- print material’sspecificstructuralrequirements,sothat the individualprintareknown. cific physical,chemical,andaestheticrequirementsof ing aprintcannotproperlybeselecteduntilthespe- of thephotograph;boardsandadhesivesformount- tion, whichshouldpromotethelong-termpreservation A printheldinaconservationmatwithmountingcorners. design construction materials clearly (3) ofthemountingshouldenhance thepicture design,and shouldbechosenfirstfortheircomposi-

identifiable ofamatshouldbedeterminedbythe 63 isdistinguishedfromother (4) lotnumber),andphoto- craftsmanship. (1) materials, (2) 416

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 417

May 1988 primarily relatedtopresentationaesthetics, tion, andalthoughdesigncraftsmanshipareusually by theneedforimagepreservationandphysicalprotec- tion ofaconservationmatareoftenprimarilydetermined ers. (See graphic area.Distributorscan providelistsoflocalretail- of retailers)thatselltheir products inaparticulargeo- can supplyalistofwholesale distributors(andsometimes products, mayrequireaminimum order.Manufacturers cept ordersforlargequantities ofboardsand,forsome and UniversityProducts,Inc.Thesecompaniesalsoac- ternational, Inc.,LightImpressionsCorporation,Talas, mail-order companiessuchasConservationResourcesIn- may purchaseboardthroughretailartsupplystoresand tity ordered.Customersrequiringfewerthan25sheets to acceptanorder. sheets, oronecarton),awholesaledistributorisunlikely and purchasesalargequantity(averageminimum:25–50 the customerisrepresentinganinstitutionorbusiness much ormoreasthatpurchasedbythecartonbut,unless Board purchasedbytheindividualsheetmaycosttwiceas mail-order companies,andwholesalepaperdistributors. h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Purchasing MountBoard are .Finally,thequalityof 4. Although theselectionofmaterialsandconstruc- Full cartonsof mountboardcontain10,25, 50,or100 Prices arenormallydiscountedaccordingtothequan- Mount boardcanbepurchasedfromartsupplystores,

pher andcaretakerhaveforthework. press thefeelingsandrespectthatphotogra- when itisbarelynoticed. ronment. Ingeneral,amatisvisuallymostsuccessful cases, deliberatelyconnectitto)thesurroundingenvi- interdependent. Suppliers List attheendofthischapter.) craftsmanship all shouldex-

four

areas not uncommon,however,to receive boardthatis cutting isusuallysuperiortothatdonebytheuser.It is sheets orlargequantitiesofboard.Thequalitytheir able touserswhodonothavethecapabilitycutlarge quantity orweightofthetotalorder.Thisserviceisvalu- into piecesofrequestedsizesforafeebasedoneither and mail-ordercompanieshaveequipmenttocutsheets ages ofpre-cutboardinstandardsizes.Mostdistributors versity Products,andsomeotherdistributorssellpack- extracted fromfullsheets. roll orweb).Theterm“piece”referstosectionsofboard into industrystandardorspecifiedsizesdirectlyfromthe manufacturer or“sheeter”(onewhocutsboardandpaper refers tofull,uncutboardorpaperasitarrivesfromthe to becutintosmallerpiecesforuse.Theterm“sheet” an anglewhichdeviatesslightly fromthe90 larger orsmallerinoneboth directionsandthatiscutat thick. Ordering BoardCuttoSize usually about12.5points,orapproximately nies offer1-ply,6-ply,and8-ply.One-plymuseumboardis nesses availableare2-plyand4-ply,althoughsomecompa- sizes specifiedbythecustomer.Themostcommonthick- tor, althoughinspecialsituationsboardcanbemade are generallydeterminedbythemanufacturerordistribu- board are32x40inchesand40x60inches.Full-sheetsizes United States,themostcommonfull-sheetsizesofmount sheets dependingonsize,ply(thickness),andtone.Inthe Appendix 12.2: between differentboardsandmanufacturers(see able-humidity environments, sothecutter may ornot done byamachinethanhand. Even so,precisecuttingof thistypeisstillmorelikely Archivart, Light Impressions,PaperTechnologies,Uni- Mount boardismostoftensoldinfullsheetswhichhave Mount boardcommonlyexpands andshrinksinvari- 64 Theexactthicknessmeasurementof1-plyvaries Mount

Board Company.) become ANW-CrestwoodPaper drews/Nelson/Whitehead to Crestwood mergedwithAn- quired sizes.(InOctober1989, and papertocustomers’re- or thickstacksofmountboard to cutdownlargesheetsand/ have atleastonesuchmachine Most majorpaperdistributors erized papercuttingmachines. company’s twolargecomput- Jersey) operatesoneofthe Paper Company(NewYork/New Mario SantiagoofCrestwood

Thickness ). 1 ° ⁄ 80 standard. – 1 1 ⁄ ⁄ 64 16 inch inch

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: ignated sizebyasmuch overall sizeoftheboard.Boardmaydeviatefromitsdes- before markingmeasurementsonafullsheet,confirmthe it alongtosomeonewhocanuseit. side. mount boardhasbeenconsistently paralleltothe60-inch to the40-inchside,while graindirectionof40x60-inch sheets of32x40-inchmountboard hasusuallybeenparallel side. Inthisauthor’sexperience,thegraindirectionoffull same boardwithitsgrainrunningparalleltotheshorter has beencut“grainlong”willbendandwarplessthanthe that thegrainrunsparalleltolongerside.Aboard were cut“grainlong”bythemanufacturer.Thismeans environments willcauseboardstobendmoreeasily.) thickness, density,andmaterialcomposition.(High-humidity well as ontheboard’s as proportions, board’s sizeand board dependsonthedirectionofgrainrelativeto and/or mat.Thedegreeofflexibilityforagivenpiece of this willhelpdeterminetheoverallstrengthofmount board’s flexibilityisusuallygreaterinonedirection,and however,isthata inmatmaking, direction grain ering to dosoagainst(across)itsgrain.Thereasonforconsid- it iseasiertocut,tear,andfoldpaperalongitsgrainthan takes graindirectionintoaccount.Itiswidelyknownthat and artists. tions thatinturngivethematerialstochildren,students, donations tononprofiteducationalandculturalorganiza- the Artswelcomesallkindsofsuppliesanddistributes as MaterialsfortheArtsinNewYorkCity. can beused,contactalocalschooloranorganizationsuch off-cuts maybelargeenoughtomadeintosmallmats. surfaces uponwhichbindingtapecanbemoistened.Some being cutthrough.)Smalloff-cutsareusefulas“blotter” clean, sharpcuttingistocutintothesamematerialthat and chipboardistoosoft.Oneofthekeystoconsistently materials. (Forexample,Masoniteistoohardanddense, protectors andbettersuitedasacuttingsurfacethanmost off-cuts (e.g.,8x20inches,10x40inches)areexcellenttabletop off-cuts, whicharesometimesreferredtoas“waste.”Large cut-out board pieces shouldbeparallelto the grain.Con- firm this,eachtimeboardis ordered. Board Grain sary workandexpenselater. 16x20-inch pieces.Planningaheadcanpreventunneces- dividing one32x40-inchsheetinhalftwicetomakefour cutting afullsheetintoequal-sizedpieces,suchaswhen length atallfourcorners—notonlyinthemiddlewhen It isparticularlyimportanttochecktheexactwidthand Cutting BoardtoSize Chapter12 should be the cuttingofboardtosize,statethatpieces be responsiblefordimensionalerrors.Whenrequesting The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs Until recentlymostfullsheetsofhigh-qualityboards It issometimespossibletodrawupacuttingmapthat When planninga“cuttingmap”(see If moreoff-cuts(andwindowcut-outs)accumulatethan Also specifyatthetimeoforderingthatyouwant In general,wheneverpossible, thelongersidesof 66 Checkwiththedistributoror manufacturertocon- “square 65 Whetheryoursurplusissmallorlarge,pass

and

exact” 1 ⁄ 4 and inchandoccasionallymore. “well-wrapped.” Figure 12.1 ) and important role inpresentation.Forexample, itisgener- costs andwaste.Inaddition, standardsizescanplayan shipping, anddisplayrequirements, andusuallyreduces reasons. Standardizationsimplifies storing,packaging, economic considerationsinthe marketplace. sizes maychangeasdictated bothbyaestheticsand and aremostcommonlyavailable.Intime,somestandard usually betakenintoaccountwhencuttingboardtosize. most institutionsandframeshops,graindirectioncannot in the print.Unfortunately, of physical characteristics of theborders,placementwindow,aswell the mat,thicknessanddensityofboard,width the overmat“grainshort.”Thisdependsonshape of of graindirections,withthebackingbeing“grainlong”and times, thestrongestconstructionrequiresacombination cutting largematsandwithnarrowborders.Some- sideration ofgraindirectionisespeciallyimportantwhen Standard Sizes Knowledge ofstandardsizes ishelpfulforavarietyof Standard sizesarethosethatusedmostfrequently length linesaspicturedabove. should bemadeintwolocationsforeachcut,andnotfull board.Smallpencilmarks cutting asheetof40x60-inch Figure 12.1: (grain long) (grain long) 4x1 14x18 14 x18 14x17 14 x17 Waste (grain long) 0x2 20x24 20 x24 An exampleofaboardmapmadepriorto (grain long) (grain long) Waste (grain long) (grain short) (grain long) (grain long) 8 x10 11 x14 11 x14

Waste Waste 418

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 419 Schrager madethefollowingremark: standard sizesareasdesirable.PhotographerVictor able sale level,expect1–5%ofthe stocktohavesomenotice- should benearlyperfect.When buyingboardonthewhole- one manufacturedlot. tributor’s lot.Distributors’lotsoftenconsistofmorethan the samemanufacturedlot— at onetime;specifythattheboardshouldallcomefrom amount ofboardneededforaprojectshouldbepurchased tency isnecessary(e.g.,portfoliomounting),theentire however, shouldnotbesignificant.Whenabsoluteconsis- sity, flexibility,thickness,andsoforth.Thedifferences, variations insurfacetextureandfinish,color,tone,den- the papermanufacturingprocess.Therewillbesubtle ent times)becauseofminorinconsistenciesinherent in ent eachtimeitispurchased(ifhasbeenmadeatdiffer- more thanaweekorsoafterdelivery. handling willmostlikelynotbeacceptedbyadistributor but returnsofstockthathasbeendamagedbyimproper covered laterwillalmostalwaysbeacceptedforexchange, ordered. Boardwithseriousmanufacturingdefectsdis- that itisingoodconditionandexactlywhatwas chives NationalesduQuebecinMontreal,wrote: Claude Minotto,ChiefoftheArchivesDivisionAr- combination ofmarkedlydifferentsizesandproportions. same ornearlythesizethanitistostudyprintsofa ally easiertostudyaseriesofrelatedprintsthatarethe Checking BoardShipments defects areusually thefirstandlastonesin thepackages. size, packaging,andshipping. Boardswiththesetypeof and otherimperfectionscaused duringhandling,cuttingto dents, scratches,clampmarks, fingerprints,occasionalstains, h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs On theotherhand,somepeopledonotbelievethat When purchasingboardatfullretailprices,eachsheet The sametypeandbrandofboardwillbeslightlydiffer- Board shouldbeinspectedwhenitarrivestoassure handling vation doesnothavetobeconservative. ception —whichisunimaginative..Preser- sions tomattingexhibitiondesignandcon- tion ofpictures—fromprintingandsizedeci- has beenatendencyfor“standard”presenta- preservation ofphotographs.However,there sensitive andknowledgeablepresentation that careandintelligencecontributetomore phy andtelevision. of formatwellunderstoodnowbycinematogra- of imageandframesizes—astandardization tography exhibition:coherenceandcontinuity partly forthesuccessofthatearlywesternpho- Another feature,however,mayhaveaccounted thus provedanamazinglysuccessfuljourney. selected photographs.“IntotheSilentLand” macy, theintegrity,andexclusivityofwell- an exhibitionorapublicationcanoffertheinti- In general,Ithinkitisanexcellentthing Through carefuldesignandinterpretation, flawssuchasminorsurface impressions, 67 not accordingtothedis- ished work,whether itshowsornot. not beusedbecauseitcompromises thequalityoffin- as possibleforexchangeor credit. Flawedboardshould tire shipmentshouldbereturned tothedistributorassoon damages andmanufacturing defectscombined—theen- out of100)ashipmentis seriouslyflawed—handling to batch.Whenmorethan10–15% (i.e.,15ormoresheets ment distribution,andextremecolorvariationsfrombatch density areas),airpockets,fissures,unevendyeorpig- ing, flaking,feathering,lumpsorflocculation(i.e.,high- separation ofplies,defectivelamination,structuralwarp- defects, whichcanincludesplinters,insects,discoloration, and framingphotographicprintsarethefollowing: standard sizeof19x24inches. 20x24-inch sizeisusuallysubstitutedforthemuseum for matting8x10-inchcontactprintsinparticular.The 1970, wasoftenrequestedandisnowacommonsize 14x17 inches,asizewhichwasnotcommonbefore 35mm negativesandtransparencies.Inthemid-1970’s, photographs, particularlythosemadefromfull-frame 14x18 inches,continuestobeusedmatandmount size of16x20inches.Anothermuseumstandardsize, graphic collections,andphotographydealerswiththe nearly replacedbyphotographers,curatorsofphoto- rily forworksofartotherthanphotographs,hasbeen which continuestobeusedbymanymuseumsprima- photographic prints.Thestandardsizeof16x22inches, was giventotheparticularsizesandproportionsof was notuntilthe1970’sthatwidespreadconsideration of drawings,watercolors,lithographs,andsoforth.It that havelongbeenusedinmuseumsforcollections cases forphotographicprintsevolvedfromthesizes What SizesAreStandardforPhotography? In addition,therewilloccasionallybe The mostfrequentlyusedstandardsizesformounting The standardsizesofmats,frames,andstorage The followingstandardsizesareusedlessfrequently: 20x26 inches 19x24 inches 18x24 inches 18x22 inches 16x22 inches 13x15 inches 12x14 9x12 inches 40x60 inches 30x40 inches 24x30 inches 22x28 inches 22x26 inches 20x24 inches 16x20 inches 14x18 inches 14x17 inches 11x14 inches 8x10 inches 1 ⁄ 2 inches manufacturing 68

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: different location(but given type,tone,andsizeshouldbemarkedataslightly center, ornearonecorner.Eachpackageofboardwithin a tion, whichshouldbeeithertotheleftorrightof every piecefromthetoptobottominsameloca- open packageofboard,markingonlytheoutsideedge of lightly whiledrawingastraightlinealongonesideofthe H or2Hisbest)thatdoesnothaveasharppoint,press per.) Usingadraftingpencilwithmedium-hardlead(i.e., aged wrappingsshouldalwaysbereplacedwithcleanpa- time anotherinspectionshouldbedone.Soiledordam- become evidentwhentheboardisselectedforuse,atwhich its originalpositioninthepackage.(Otherdefectswill lamp containinga100-wattbulb. dicular andveryclosetotheopensideofaLuxororsimilar will alsoshowupimmediatelyifoneholdsaboardperpen- table isexcellentforfindingflawsbeforecutting.Defects projected throughtheboard.Alargelightboxor when theboardiscutthroughatdefectoriflight Foreign mattertrappedbetweenpliesisusuallyfoundonly and clarity(absenceorpresenceofinsects,bubbles,etc.). ent packagesforconsistency. outside sheets.Comparethesurfacesofsheetsindiffer- size, ply,finish,texture,andtone.Theninspectthetwo tion, toidentifythefrontandbacksides,confirm of boardfromthemiddlepackagetocheckitscondi- wash yourhandsandremoveatleasttwosheetsorpieces ping andreturnit.Iftheboardisnotdamaged,thoroughly been significantlydamaged,rewrapitintheoriginalwrap- damaged, removethewrappingentirely.Ifboardhas paper, themorecomfortabletheywillfeelaboutusingit.” sumers’ needs.Themorecustomersunderstandabout us toproducemountboardthatcanbettersatisfythecon- criticism andrecommendationsfromourcustomershelp nical DirectorofRisingPaperCompany,said,“Comments, ter products,andbetterservice.ChiC.Chen,formerTech- problems helpsthemtoprovidebetterqualitycontrol,bet- ments, bothfavorableandcritical,becausediscussingthe and frames.One mustalsomakecertain thateachmat potential problemsoffitting the mountedprintsintocases ance, tospeedtheprocessof alignment,andtoeliminate the frontandbackboardsclosely forthesakeofappear- from onepackage.Inportfolios, itisimportanttomatch size, amatshouldideallybemade oftwoconsecutivepieces applied andthematisclosed. Whenboardispre-cutto one pieceisreversed—orafterthebindingtapehasbeen difference betweentwoboardsisinstantlynoticeablewhen is rarelycutwithperfect90 the samepackage.Thisisoftennecessarybecauseboard board tothebackingwhentwopiecesaretakenfrom When AssemblingMats Marking BoardtoAssureCorrectAlignment Opening PackagesofBoard Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs If theboardhaspasseditsfirstexamination,returnitto Board shouldbeheldtoalightsourceexaminecolor If theoutsideofanewlyreceivedpackageboardis Paper companiesgenerallyappreciatecustomers’com- The lineservesasaguideinmatchingtheovermat not inthecenter). ° anglesatthefourcorners;a 69 supporting wallareturnedaroundtofaceoutward. rotated atleastevery3monthssothatthesidesfacing runs vertically;tominimizewarping,thecartonsshouldbe is recommendedthatthecartonsstandsograin sible forlargecartonsofboard(32x40inchesandlarger), it sorption andwarping.Whenhorizontalstorageisnotpos- accidental spillsorfloodingandtoreducemoistureab- from thefloortokeeppackagescleanandsafe be storedhorizontallyonaflatsurfaceatleast2inches mounting, hinging,interleaving,orotherpurposes)should tion shouldbeclearlyindicated. more thanonemanufacturerisrepresented,thatdistinc- each size,differentthicknessesshouldbeseparated.If different sizesshouldbegroupedtogetherandthen,within rated intotonesandcolors.Withineachtoneorcolor, conservation board,etc.).Eachtypeshouldthenbesepa- 100% cottonfiberboard,nonbufferedphotographic separate boardaccordingtotype(e.g.,alkaline-buffered because surfaceimpressionsorbowingmayresult. stack boardsofdifferentsizesdirectlyontopeachother ing, anditslabelshouldappearonshelfordoor.Donot reactive materialsuchassteelwithabaked-enamelcoat- protected inclosedcabinetsonshelvingmadeofanon- by morethan no twomatsinthesameportfoliocaseshouldvarysize matches everyothermatinsizeascloselypossible,and board (see distributor aswellthetype,size,ply,andcolorof ber, ifknown,andshouldidentifythemanufacturer num- manufacturer’s lot the number, invoice distributor’s (e.g., orderdateordeliverydate),thecorresponding paper oronashelflabel.Thelabelshouldcarrydate able, ordoesnotexceed difference betweenthetwoboardsisnotinstantlynotice- and backsinasinglematisnotessentialprovidedthatthe Labeling Board 1 tain typesofprintsincertainsituations. construction maybecompromised,riskingdamagetocer- in anycase,bothforaestheticreasonsandbecausethe aligned alongthe properly intotheframesandovermatbackingare exist inmatsintendedforframing—unlessthosefit ences betweentheovermatandbackingboardshouldnot exacting standards,however,willnottoleratemorethana ⁄ 32 -inch differencebetweentheovermatandbacking be designated“OW.” nation “4-W”refersto“4-plywhite.” Off-whiteboardcan and symbolsforidentification. Forexample,thedesig- helpful inmanystagesofworking touseabbreviations Figure 12.2: 6/16/92 #312 All packagesofpaperandboard(whetherforprinting, author’s preferredgroupingisasfollows:First This When boardisremovedfromitspackaging,itshouldbe Packages ofboardshouldbeidentifiedonthewrapping For generalpurposes,therefinementofmatchingfronts Figure 12.2: 1 ⁄ 16 Sample diagramofaboardlabel. Itis A inch. bottom -CW /RisingPhotomount20x24 4-W

Diagram edge of the mat.Individualswith edgeof 1 ⁄ 16 inch.Also,largersizediffer-

Board

Label ). 420

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 421 mounted and/or mattedprints. partially assembled,andready toreceivetheproperly be broughttogetheruntiltheframes arecompletelycleaned, in aframingenvironment.Frames andprintsshouldnot very easilyscratched.Mount boardisalsoeasilydamaged harmful tothesurfacesofphotographic prints,whichare chips thatarecreatedwhenframes aremadeextremely The wood,aluminum,plastic,andglassdust,splinters, spacious areaawayfromprintsandmountingmaterials. assembling offrames,andduringdrymountingprocedures. when itclingstoglassorPlexiglasduringthecleaningand mounted, andinstalled.)Thisdustinterferes,however, times exceptwhentheyarebeinginspected,measured, tographs tobemattedorframedshouldcoveredatall not inherentlyabrasiveandisusuallyeasytoremove.(Pho- does notpresentaseriousthreattophotographssinceit is Most paperandboarddustcreatedwhenmatsaremade that shouldbedoneinitsownmeticulouslycleanarea. ible workenvironments.Drymountingisanotheractivity and framingsincetheyinvolvetwodifferentincompat- The WorkingEnvironment Chapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Frames shouldbeconstructedinawell-ventilatedand It isimportanttoseparatethetwoactivitiesofmatting 9 Interleavingpaper 19. To makeaconservationmat,youwillneed: Making aConservationMat 1 Anopenmindsothat“inventionscandevelopnaturally 21. Polyethylenebagsandpackagingmaterials, 20. Apaperweight 18. Aburnisher 17. Cleanwaterinashallowglassbowl 16. Anundyedcellulosesponge 15. Clean,soft,undyed,lint-free,cottonwipingclothsor 14. Cleanerasers(suchasEberhardFaberKneaded 13. Apencilsharpener 12. Draftingpencilswith2HandHleads 11. Sharpscissors 10. .Extrablades 9. Oneormorecuttinginstrumentswithsharpblades 8. Athin,veryfinelyincrementedplasticorstainless-steel 7. Aheavy-gauge,stainless-steelstraightedgeorT-square 6. Tabletopprotection(e.g.,expendablemountboard) 5. Aflat,sturdytableorcounter 4. Theappropriateadhesivesandtapes 3. Theappropriateboardsandpapers 2. Aclean,well-lightedarea 1. with thework” or storagecase white papertowels Rubber andFaberCastellMagicRub1954) ruler (preferablyGaebelModel1057) 74 71 72 73 ture ofabout70 ing day.Ideally,theyshouldhaveacontrolledtempera- where materialsarestoredshouldbevacuumedeverywork- cinities should beprohibitedatalltimes. ing, drinking,andeatingin the mountingandframingvi- print willlookinitsintended displayenvironment.Smok- be availabletomoreaccurately determinehoweachmounted lightingandtungsten incandescentlightingshould fluorescent partments. with environmentalcontrolsinthefinishingandfittingde- foot facilityintheBronx,NewYork,whichwasequipped shop. In1986,A.P.F.,Inc.movedtoanew78,000square erate temperatureandrelativehumiditylevelsinitswork- stalled aclimate-controllingsystemtohelpmaintainmod- different environments. occur whenprintsaremountedandthenframedundertwo which theprintsweremountedandframed.Thesamecan tive humiditythatiseitherhigherorlowerthantheone in they aredisplayedorstoredinanenvironmentwithrela- tained atabout50%.Printsandmountscanwarpwhen The BasicSteps 7 Cleanup 27. Eitherframethemountedprint,orinsertinterleaving 26. Writedownthedateandwhatmaterialswereused 25. Trimthemountingcorners,ifnecessary 24. Installtheprintwithmountingcornersand/orhinges 23. Placeasuitableweightontopoftheprotectivepaper 22. Placeaprotectivepaperontop of theprint 21. Closethemattodouble-checkprint’sposition 20. Positiontheprintinsidemat 19. Copyallinformationappearingonthebackofprint 18. Bindtheovermattobackingwithpropertape 17. Ifnecessary,repeatsteps5through15 16. Comparethewindowwithprintformistakes 15. Burnishalledges,insideandoutside,frontback 14. Eraseallmeasurement markings 13. Cutthewindowinovermat 12. Cuttheouterdimensions, ifnecessary 11. Removetheprintfrom workarea 10. .Applythemeasurementstoboardwithapencil 9. Measuretheprint 8. Inspectthemountboardforflaws 7. Selectthemountboard,paper,andtape 6. Washhandsagain 5. Cleanbladeswithadisposablepapertowel 4. Sharpenpencilsandcleantools 3. Applyafresh,tabletopprotector 2. Washhands 1. The areasinwhichmattingandframingaredone Work areasshouldbewellilluminated. Ifpossible,both In 1984,BarkFrameworks,Inc.inNewYorkCityin- into apolyethylenebag,storagecase,ordrawer paper betweentheprintandovermatplaceit 70 ° F (21 ° C) withtherelativehumiditymain-

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: years asaconsequence ofcyclingrelative humidity. curl whichcanresultwithfiber-base printsoveraperiodof the matgreateritseffectiveness inminimizingprint typing,” orstickingto,theframing glass.Also,thethicker chance oftheprintsurfacecontacting, andpossibly“ferro- a printistobeframed.Thethicker overmatwilllessenthe are adequate.A4-plyovermat isnearlyalwayspreferredif although sometimes2-plyovermatsattachedto4-plybackings exhibition shouldbeovermattedandbackedwith4-plyboards, may beacceptable. be framedtogether,a2-plybackingwith4-plyovermat that isthesamesizeasmatandthreeboardswill however, suchaswhenaprintisdrymountedtoboard causing damagetotheprintinside.Incertainsituations, careful handling—andprecludepropersupport,possibly attached toastifferandheavierovermat—evenduring lecting board included amongthemanyfactorstobeconsideredinse- ness ofthematerialsneededtomountandmatit.Also determine thenecessarysize,thickness,weight,andstiff- inches to16x20isconsidered print materialarenotexposedandsubjecttohandling. should alwaysbelargeenoughsothattheedgesof port theovermat.Inaddition,overmatandmount of theprint;mountshouldalsoberigidenoughtosup- hands —toholdtheprintwithoutbendingunderweight be rigidenough—whenheldatitsouteredgeswithtwo larger thantheprintmaterial.Thatis,mountshould ing orsupportsectionofthematshouldbestifferand considered print onpaperwithmeasurementsoutsidethatrangeis Chapter12 2-Ply versus4-Ply,orMore Board SizeandThickness: The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs overmat attachedtoa4-plybackingonthe should usuallybemattedwith4-plyboard;however,a2-ply be mattedwith2-plyboard.Printsthatare16x20inches 20x24 inchesareconsidered“medium-size.”) backing willbendundertheweightofprint attached toa2-plybackingforanysizeprintbecausethe ply boardforthebacking.A4-plyovermatshouldnotbe way itlooksbuttrytosavemoneyand/orspacebyusing2- should notbemattedwith2-plyboardoneitherside. which couldharmtheprint.Warpedprintsofanysize usually secureandunyieldingtomostsortsofbending .Overall storing,carrying,andshippingweight 7. Availablestoragespace 6. Aestheticpreferences 5. Availablefunds 4. Intended useofthemountedprint 3. The board’sabilitytoproperlysupportaprinteitheras 2. Theprintcondition 1. Most printsthatareloanedorsentoutontraveling The size,thickness,weight,andflexibilityofaprint For identificationpurposes,aprintonpaperthatis8x10 In everycaseofmattinganunmountedprint,theback- Photographic printslargerthan16x20inchesshouldnot Many peoplewanta4-plyovermatbecausetheylikethe a mountorasanovermatcombinedwith large thickness or small are: . ( Mats thatare11x14inchesto medium-size long because sideis anda itis determined, thefollowingdimensionsmustbeknown: designing amat.Beforetheoverallsizeofmatcanbe finishes, textures,andtones. tage ofbeingavailableinaverywiderangesurface heavyweight artists’papers,whichalsohavetheadvan- portfolios andinverylargecollections. a criticalfactor;theyareparticularlydesirableincased space. Lightweightmatsmaybepreferredwhenweightis the sameboardwhichis4-ply,anditrequireslessstorage that is2-plycostsabouthalfasmuchandthick desired foreconomic,practical,oraestheticreasons.Board ing factorsshouldbeconsidered: fore, beforeanyadditionalmeasuringisdone,thefollow- picture canbeaffectedbythedesignofmat.There- judgment andtoexpresspersonaltaste. the image—thereismuchroominwhichtoexercise dow willbeeithersmaller,thesamesize,orlargerthan larger thanthephotographicpaperandthatmatwin- Designing aMat Lightweight Mats 1 Thepotentialwidth oftherightandleftsideborders 11. Thewindowsize relative tothepossiblematsizes 10. .Thesizeofthe 1. .Thesizeofthe 2. .Thepotentialplacementoftheprint(e.g.,horizontal 9. Thepossiblematproportionsanddirections 8. Thepossibleoverallsizesofthemat 7. Iftheprintwillfloat,whetherisperfectly 6. print willfloat,thewidthoffloatconsidered the If 5. Coveringtheedgesofimage,floatingor 4. Showingorcoveringthesignature 3. Theproportionoftheprint(e.g.,square,square-hori- 2. Thecompositionofthepicture 1. Many measurementsmustbetakeninthecourseof Sometimes smallprintscanbemattedwithavarietyof Lightweight matsmadewith1-or2-plyboardareoften It isimportanttokeepinmindthatthecompositionofa Given theseminimalconstraints—thatthematwillbe tom borders only onewindow)relativeto thepotentialtopandbot- (which shouldbeequaltoeach otherformatsthathave (e.g., smallwindowinlargemat) print onhorizontalmat,verticalmat) (i.e., horizontalmat,verticalorsquaremat) square atitsfourcorners the matborders poles, doors,stripes,lines,andsoforth)aswellto vertical andhorizontal“bars”intheimage(suchas in relationtothecompositionofpictureandall floating theentiresheetofphotographicpaper zontal, long-horizontal,vertical) image photographic onthephotographicpaper

paper 422

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 423 size and/orincreasing ordecreasingindividual borders. balance simplybyincreasing ordecreasingoverallmat overall balanceofapicture, unbalanceit,orchangethe composition ofanimage,and itispossibletomaintainthe square matsorverticalmats, andsoon. or ampleborders,tall,slender matsorshort,widemats, the photographerorcaretakermayprefernarrowborders taste. Evenwhenselectingfromamongstandardsizes, frame, thesizeofmatisusuallyamatterpersonal terations. “best” standardsizeboardandthenmakethedesiredal- inches long,aresometimeshelpfulasguides. L-shaped piecesofboard,afewincheswideandseveral graphic paperorimageistobecoveredinthefinaldesign. judge theeffect,particularlyifsomepartofphoto- widths. Fortheinexperiencedeye,itcanbedifficult to side andfromtoptobottomdeterminetheidealborder times largerthantheprint.Moveprintfromsideto or caretaker),placetheprintonaboardthatisaboutfour age andbythepersonalpreferencesofphotographer the uniquecompositionofparticularphotographicim- print oneachofthepiecesandseewhatlooksbesttoyou. 14x17-, and16x20-inchpiecesofboard.Simplycenterthe could beplacedon11x14-, print 8x10-inch an example, viewed onthethreeorfourmostlikelystandardsizes.For Selecting aMatSize Chapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs is a10x10-inchsquareconformingtotheproportionsoforiginalprint.(Photographfrom twice tobetterjudgetheeffectofeachdesign.Theversiononleftisastandard8x10-inchsize,whileth Don Rodan’sPolaroid As indicated,matsizeand proportion canaffectthe When notpredeterminedbyafactorsuchasanexisting Another approachistoplacetheprintonclosest If thematcanbeacustomsize(thatis,determinedby If astandardmatsizeisdesired,theprintshouldbe SX -70 colorphotograph“Cerberus”(ofLeoandToinyCastelli’sbeloveddalmation,Patrick)wasmatted border than thetopborder.Somepeoplealwaysmakebottom therefore, thebottombordershouldbesomewhatwider borders areequalinwidth.Toestablishavisualbalance, be slightlynarrowerthanthetopandsidebordersifall border ofthematbelowpicturewillusuallyappearto location ofthewindowwillneedtobedetermined.The Placement oftheWindow For example,the ownersofaportfolioEdward Steichen been printedonartists’papers thathavedistinctiveedges. carefully. paper atthetimeofprinting shouldbedeterminedvery other reasons,placementofthe imageonthephotographic ming thephotographicpaper istobeavoided.Forthisand the locationofwindow.Thisisalwayscaseiftrim- same ornearlythesizeasmatpredetermines or partiallycontrolsthedesign. may, however,beanexistingconditionthatpredetermines scribe invariablyidealplacementorperfectdesign.There always mountedonverticalboards.)Noformulascanpre- or horizontal.(PaulStrand’shorizontalprintsarealmost cal matsregardlessofwhethertheprintisvertical,square, equally pleasing.Forexample,somepeoplepreferverti- tion, twoentirelyorsomewhatdifferentdesignsmaybe ideas oftheperson(s)involvedwithmounting.Inaddi- ture image,thealready-mentionedconsiderations,and ance cannot,however,besetbysuchrules. After theoverallsizeofmathasbeendecided, This isespeciallyimportantwhen thephotographshave For example,aphotographprintedonpaperthatisthe Precise placementalwaysdependsontheindividualpic- 1 ⁄ 2 inchwiderthanthetopborder.Aperfectbal- The GreekMyths [1976–78]) e right

Don Rodan, courtesy of Castelli Graphics

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: opinion, theimageinhorizontalformatappears“contenttojust viewer’s mat emphasizestheverticaldirectionsofforms.Inone emphasizes theimage’shorizontalcomposition,whilevertical was mattedtothestandardsizeof16x20inches.Thehorizontalmat process. Waltherconsideredtwodifferentformatsfortheprint,which London andprintedbytheFressonQuadrichromiepigmentcolor Thomas Walther’sabstractionwasphotographedinthestreetsof Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs board. prints with16x20-inch4-plyRisingWarmWhitemuseum horizontal indirection.Thisauthordecidedtomatthe varied fromsmalltolarge,andtheywerebothvertical couraged. ming ofthephotographicpaperispermitted. the photographicpaperissmallerthanmatoriftrim- image canberaisedorloweredstraightenedinitsmat if compensate fortheerrorwhenmatting.Forexample, the paperattimeofprinting,itmaybepossible to cause approximately should havebordersthatare atleast2incheswidebe- the print. DyeTransferprints,however, risks damaging ten requirestrimmingoffthe excess,anoperationthat addition, mattingprintswhich haveverylargebordersof- larger thepaper,moredifficult itistohandlesafely.In prints —shouldbeavoided. One reasonforthisisthatthe borders —suchas,widerthan6inchesforlarge printed on11x14-inchpaper.Ontheotherhand,excessive the imagearea.Forexample,8x10-inchimagesshouldbe Print Borders ied from15 matted forphysicalprotection.Thesizeofthepapervar- paper withdecklededges,requestedthattheprintsbe photographs, printedbythegravureprocessonRives printed inapreciseandstraightpositiononthepaper. size closetothepapersizesbecauseallimageswere proximately 1–3inches,andnotlessthan print theirpicturessothatmoderatepaperbordersofap- In general,thetrimmingofprintbordersshouldbedis- When aphotographhasnotbeenpositionedproperlyon 75 Itwaspossibletomattheprintsinastandard 76 5 Thisauthorrecommendsthatphotographers ⁄ 8 x19 3 ⁄ 4 inchesto15 1 ⁄ 2 inchusuallyneeds tobetrimmed 5 ⁄ 8 x19 7 ⁄ 8 inches.Imagesizes 3 ⁄ 4 inch,surround BFK The SaundersGroupandOmega/Arkay(KostinerDiv.). (See suring mostwindowmatsisthe 24-inchGaebelModel1057. facilitate placingandliftingit. Anexcellentrulerformea- space totheleftandrightsides ofthecalibratedscaleto act increments.Inaddition, therulershouldhaveasmall depth), haveroundedcorners, andhavefinelymarked,ex- be madeofstainlesssteelor plastic,beverythin(shallow cropping isdesired. will floatintheovermatwindoworifaminimalamount of perfectly square.Thisisespeciallyimportantiftheprint be takentoassurethatthefourcornersofprintare Positioning andMeasuringthePrint margins on graphic paper;suitableeaselswhichhavefullyadjustable printing imagespreciselycenteredonasheetofphoto- edges ofthematismuchbetter. gin ofspacebetweentheedgesprintpaperand inch issometimessufficient;however,a1-to2-inchmar- require trimmingtosafelymatit.Trimmingoffonly 16x20-inch paper,whichwillhaveamat corners. Forexample,an11x14-inchimageprintedon and toprovidespaceinsidethematfortapingdownmounting than themattopreventitfromextendingoutside printed onpaperwhichis borders inthesectionon“MountingCornerDesign.”) off toremovewarpededges.(Seefurtherdiscussionof A goodrulerisessentialformeasuringprints.Itshould In additiontocenteringphotographs,extracareshould Most enlargingeaselshavelimitedornocapabilityfor Photographs thataretobemattedshouldideally Suppliers List to bemorerestlessand“readymove.” sit,” whiletheimageinverticalformatappears all

four

attheendofthis chapter.) sides at ofthepaperareavailablefrom

least

1 ⁄ 2 inchsmallerallaround 77

1 1976 Thomas Walther ⁄ 8 424

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 425 should be subtracted from the window size — that window is, the subtracted from be should inch horizontalmatwillhave3 the leftmatborders,whichshouldbeequal. by two.Theresultingfigureisthewidthofrightand Dividethesum the window fromthewidthofmat. of window, addthistothemeasurements.Subtractwidth area aroundtheprintshouldbevisiblewithinovermat the topofprintandatbottom.Ifanyadditional the widthofimagefromlefttoright—bothat be alongsideanoutsideedgeoftheimage.Nowmeasure surface oftheimagebutratherplaceitsothatitsedgewill horizontally orvertically.Donotresttheruleron be viewed.Thenpositiontheprintonboard,either or verticaldirectiondependingonwhichwaythematwill h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs to bottom bordersshouldrarely beequal. window, aremoredifficult to determine,asthetopand not square. crop outmoreoftheimage when cornersoftheprintare ners areatperfectrightangles. Itmaybenecessaryto image (andaddedtothematborders)whenallfourcor- least amountofcroppingisdesired,about float aroundtheimage).Ifimagewillnotand edges oftheimage(orminuswhateverisdesiredfor a and leftsides,pluswhateveristobecroppedoutatthe on theboardagain. Movetheprintslightly abovecenter 1 For example,an8x10-inchhorizontalimageina14x17- boardfacedown horizontal Place the the frontof in a The nextmeasurements,based ontheheightof ⁄ around theimage.Atotallyblackborderoraverynarrowwouldcreatetwootherimpressions. “delicate, low-key,andlight,”or“strong,bold,fullofcontrast,”duesimplytocoveringshowingtheblackborders The visualimpressionofapicturecanbechangedbythematting.HarryCallahan’sphotographhiswifeEleanorlook 32 inchwillbetakenoffeachofthefoursides 1 ⁄ 2 -inch bordersattheright 78 Placetheprint 1 ⁄ 32 to 1 ⁄ 16 inch 1 ⁄ 64 for cutting. and mayleave graphitedustontheboard whichcanbe such as is notanaccurateguidefor the cuttingblade.Softleads, rounded the bya lead broadlinemade becauseon board essential when marking measurements is point sharp A maintains asharppointwithout beingtoohardorsoft. drafting suppliesaresold)isgoodbecauseit and ists’ pencils orinindividualleadsforleadholders,whereart- done fromtheback.A back oftheovermat.Cuttingwindowshouldalsobe Marking Measurements and abottomborderofapproximately3 image willhaveatopborderofapproximately2 pear balanced.Theabove-described8x10-inchhorizontal wider bottomborder,theoverallcompositionshouldap- correctly proportionedinrelationtotheprintand three matborders.Whenthetopandsidebordersare be disproportionatetothesizeofpictureorother der ofthematshouldobviouslybewide,butitnot a squareprintinverticalmat,however,thebottombor- alone orinrelationtotheotherthreesides.Whenmatting border shouldappearnarroworwide,eitherconsidered Does thebottomborderappearnarroworwide?Ideallyno borders. Doesthetopborderappearnarroworwide? and comparethetwosideborderswithtopbottom It isusuallynecessarytousepencilmarksasaguide B andsofter,donotmaintaina point,smeareasily, 79 Allmeasurementsshouldbemarkedonthe 2 H lead(available,inbothwooden 1 ⁄ 4 inches. 3 ⁄ 4 inches

1947 Harry Callahan, courtesy of Tennyson Schad, and LIGHT Gallery

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs needed tolearntheskill. principal investmentwillbethetimeandmaterials limited basiswithaminimumamountofequipment,the the individualwhowantstomakematsonaregularbut better thanthosecutwithamoreexpensivemachine.For it ispossibletocutexcellentmatswhichcanbeasgoodor over $1,000.WithaninexpensivecuttersuchastheDexter, little as$15,whereasamatcuttingmachinecancostwell MatCutter. Mat CutterandlimitedexperiencewithaC&H bases thiswritingonextensiveexperiencewiththeDexter that canbeappliedinmostmattingsituations.Thisauthor lowing pagescontainpracticalanddetailedinformation of themanydifferentinstrumentsandmachines.Thefol- yond thescopeofthischaptertodoacomparativeanalysis elaborate andcostlyequipment.Unfortunately,itisbe- up setting assistance provide individual in distributors cutters aresuppliedbytherespectivemanufacturers.Some chines onthemarket.Specificinstructionsfordifferent elaborate. and properlymaintainedequipment,howeversimpleor patient, exacting,andskilledbutalsomusthavewell-made rior tools.Tobeanexpertmatmaker,onenotonlymust even anexpertcannotperfecthisorhercraftusinginfe- well onlyinthehandsofanexpert,itisequallytruethat fore installingtheprint. be brushedoffthematandcounteraftercuttingbe- surements shouldbeerasedandallerasercrumbs Do notpresstoohardwhenmarkingtheboard.Allmea- sharpened withasharpenerdesignedforthesepencils. graph 5611andA.W.FaberCastellLocktite9500,thatare pencil, suchasKoh-I-NoorTechni- mechanical a in lead ence, itiseasiertomaintainaconsistentpointwith2H transferred tofingersandprints.Inthisauthor’sexperi- Cutting theWindow placing andlifting theruler. extension oneachsideofthe calibrated scalefacilitates out touching When measuringaprint,place theruleralongside Never restaninstrumentonthe surfaceofaphotograph. A hand-heldmatcutter,suchastheDexter,cancost There arenumerousmatcuttinginstrumentsandma- However trueitmaybethatafineinstrumentcanwork theouteredgesofimage. Asmall with- hydrated (duetostorageinadampenvironment). dehydrated (morecommoninwintermonths)orsomewhat more difficulttoachieveaperfectcutinboardwhich is thickness alsodeterminetheeaseofcutting.Itisoften ting inthedirectionofgrain.Aboard’sdensityand across) thegrainofaboardrequiresmoreeffortthancut- than woodpulpboard.Inaddition,cuttingagainst(i.e., general, cottonfiberboardismoredifficulttocutthrough to theonewhichwillbeusedinmakinganactualmat.In and tocutting,practicecuttingintoboardthatisidentical have anevensurfaceuponwhichtotravel. out pieceeachtimesothatthecuttinginstrumentwill 5x8 inches,6x97x10etc.).Replacethecut- sive window bycuttingaroundthepreviousinsucces- 1x4 inches)andcutit.Graduallyincreasethesizeof four cornermeasurementsofaverysmallwindow(e.g., least 16x20inches.Inthecenterofboard,mark cutting ofwindows,startwithapieceboardthatisat (whichever plyyouintendtouse).Whenpracticingthe scraps of100%cottonfiberboardthatis2-or4-plythick als canbeminimizedbycuttingsinglestrokesintonarrow including: even cut,frilling,ortearing—acombinationofthese. will produceraggededges,anincompleteincision,un- of whatcuttinginstrumentischosen,adullorbrokenblade duce aperfectlysmoothcutissharpblade.Regardless The Blade .Theamountofpressure exertedintheactof cutting 4. Thethicknessoftheboardbeing cut 3. Thedensityandmaterialcontent oftheboardbeingcut 2. Itspositioninthecuttinginstrument 1. Because everyboardrespondsdifferentlytopressure While gettingacquaintedwiththetools,wastedmateri- The usefullifeofabladeisdeterminedbymanyfactors, Perhaps thesinglemostimportantitemrequiredtopro- features, useamechanicalpencilwithverysharplead. tensions forhandling.Totakefulladvantageofthisruler’s increments, roundedcorners,andtherecommendedex- made ofstainlesssteel,isverythin,andhasfinelymarked the 24-inchGaebelModel1057(formerly#608),whichis An excellentrulerformeasuringmostprintsandmatsis 1 ⁄ 2 - or1-inchincrements(e.g.,3x6inches,4x7 426

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 427 cuts providetheidealcuttingsurface. the mountboard.Asmentionedearlier,boardoff- such aswood,Masonite,orFormica,aftercuttingthrough tabletop into theboard,orbecauseithitsahard-surfaced commonly breaksbecauseithasbeentooquicklyinserted the cuttingofjustonewindow.Thetipablademost just oneblade,abladecanbedamagedbeforecompleting washed immediatelyafterhandlinganewblade. impossible tocutperfectmatswiththem.Handsshouldbe it. Somenewbladesarenotcorrectlysharpenedanditis blade doesnotmakeasmoothcutafterthreeruns,discard and toremoveanyremainingoil.Ifaproperlypositioned by pushingthecutterseveralinchesbothtoseehowitcuts resting underneath.)Thentestthebladeinscrapboard the firstcornerofmatwindowandmaystainprint cleaned beforeitsfirstuse,theoilanddirtwilltransferto board toremoveresidualoilanddirt.(Ifabladeisnot in thecutter,slowlyandcarefullypierceapieceofscrap dry clothorpapertowel.Afterpositioningthewipedblade should becleanedbeforeusebywipingthemwithasoft, h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs The tipofthebladeshouldextend of theequipment,along(outside)oneedgeboard. it istoplacethecuttinginstrument,orsection the bladebeyondthicknessofboardbeforecutting fects itsusefullife.Thebestwaytocalculateprotrusionof pointed. is it which the cuttingsurfaceisnotabsolutelyfirmandflat, the thicknessofboarditisintendedtocutthrough. If insert the blade gently and slowly andinsert thebladegently Therefore, itisimportantto serted atthecorrectangle. may breaktheinstantittouchesboardifisnotin- are usuallyquitedense,however,andthetipofablade it mayjam,causing thecuttinginstrument tojumpahead the mat;inlattercase, tipoftheblademaybreakor table orwilltoodeeplypenetrate thecuttingboardunder will preventthemountboard fromrestingevenlyonthe Holdfast, Logan,Starr-Springfield, andothers.) those madebyAlto,ArtMate, C&H,Esterly,Fletcher, and machinesthathavetheirownattachedbases,suchas concern doesnotapplyinthecaseofcuttinginstruments positioned toprotrudemorethantheidealdistance.(This top isexpectedtoyieldpressure,theblademustbe blade willnotcutentirelythroughtheboard.Iftable- and betweentheboardtabletop;asaresult, tionships betweenthebladeincutterandboard, to pressure—movingupanddownchangingtherela- will notbesufficient.Forexample,thetabletopmayyield .Themanufacturingspecificationsoftheblade 9. Thesizesofthewindowopenings 8. Theboard’smoisturecontent,whichisdeterminedby 7. Thedegreeofthematmaker’sskill 6. Thecomposition, density,andhardnessofthecounter- 5. Although itispossibletomakeover50windowswith Fresh blades,whichareusuallycoatedwithafilmofoil, Care orlackofcareinpositioningabladegreatlyaf- On theotherhand,ifablade extendstoofar,iteither board istransported,stored,andcut the relativehumidityofenvironmentsinwhich top ortablesurface and 1 80 ⁄ 64 Cottonfiberboards to in the direction in the direction in 1 ⁄ 32 inchbeyond 1 ⁄ 32 inch them and thestationarypositionof thestraightedgebypushing maximize controloverboth themovementofcutter first toavoidchangingthedirection ofthecut.Onecan the cuttergentlyalongstraightedge; proceedslowlyat needed topreventitfromsliding duringthecutting.Push the markedmeasurements. Care, steadiness,andskillare the undersidetohelppreventitfromskidding. parallel, full-lengthstripsoftapesuchasFilmoplastP90 to not linedonthebottomwithathinlayerofcork,applytwo control whenmakingmatsinavarietyofsizes.Whenit is art supplystores)whichisrelativelyeasytohandleand a 36-inchheavy-gaugestraightedge(availablethroughmost most ofthematsthatwillbecut.Thisauthorrecommends steel, notaluminumorplastic,anditshouldbelongerthan sential tocutmatsproperly.Itshouldbemadeofstainless readjust thebladedepth—extendingitanadditional the bladedoesnotcompletelycutthroughmountboard, from cuttingasharpandstraightedgeinthemat.)When been madepreviouslybecausetheycanpreventtheblade (Avoid cuttingintogroovesinthesurfacethathave cutting boardunderneathshouldbeonlyslightlyscored. table. Themountboardshouldbecutthroughandthe in placewhentheboardisnotlyingperfectlyflaton extremely difficulttocontrolthecuttingandholdaboard held toofirmlyanddeeplyinthecuttingboard;itisalso impossible todirectthemovementofabladewhenitis or swerveawayfromthemarkedmeasurement.Itisnearly cutter alongthe into themat’sgroove.Then“re-cut”mat,moving inch orfarther—andtrytoreinsertitexactlyasbefore The MetalStraightedge the cornermeet,butratherapproximately ment shouldnotbeinsertedexactlywherethetwolinesof into 4-plyboard,thebladeofahand-heldcuttinginstru- also dependsonthethicknessofaboard.Whencutting ment —evenwithinasinglemanufacturer’smodeland the cutting.Thislocationvarieswitheachcuttinginstru- the pencilmarksbothatbeginningandendof front oftheovermat. this isdonebyturningtheboardoverandworkingon ommend usingasingle-ordouble-edgedrazortoopenit; it inadvance. aided byobservation,whilecuttingthantotrycalculate overestimating thelocation,itisfastertorelyonfeeling, know exactlywheretostopwithoutunderestimatingor will feelthisimmediately.Becauseitcanbedifficultto enters thestartingpointoffirstcut.Asensitivehand ment shouldbestoppedpreciselywhenthetipofblade both ends.)Onthelastoffoursides,cuttinginstru- (Two-ply boardrequiresabouthalftheseallowancesat marked cornerbutgobeyonditapproximately to becutalong.Donotstopcuttingwhenyoumeetthe of (before)thelinewhichisperpendiculartoabout ing atthecornerandusingoriginalcuttinginstrument. sary, thisauthorpreferstorepeattheentireincisionstart- The straightedgemustbeplacedperfectlyparallelto In additiontosharpblades,agoodstraightedgeises- There isaprecisepointatwhichthebladeshouldmeet When anincisionisincomplete,somepractitionersrec- against each full other

length 81 Whensuchworkingoverisneces- whilemoving the cutterforward. ofeachpartiallycutside. 1 ⁄ 32 inchinfront 1 ⁄ 16 inch. 1 ⁄ 64

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs and oneforstraightright-anglecuts. with twodifferentcuttingheads—oneforbeveledcuts and controlthecourseofblade;theyareusuallyequipped usually havemetalbarswhichholdthematboardinplace vertical, orthe topsideshouldbeconnected ifthematis side ontheviewer’sleftshould beconnectedifthematis avoided inmostcases. a printbyadheringtheovermat tothebackingshouldbe can beopenedandclosedlike abook.Methodswhichtrap length ofonesidewithahinge thatfoldssothemat overmat shouldbeattachedtothebackingalongfull the bindingorhinge.Inmostcircumstances, mat) tothebackofmat(thebacking)isusuallycalled ments suchastheDexter. what moredifficultthanthepushingrequiredwithinstru- ing oftheblade,whichthisauthorhasfoundtobesome- ters withattachedbasesand and theOlfahasdouble-edged“V”-typeblades.Manycut- Olfa canbepushedandpulledbecausetheCubeissquare by bothleft-andright-handedpeople;theCube are small,hand-heldbi-directionalcuttersthatcanbeused the DahleCubeCutter,andJapaneseOlfamatcutter wise forright-handedpeople.TheDexterMinimatcutter, pulling (e.g.,C&H),thecuttingdirectioniscounter-clock- should proceedclockwiseforright-handedpeople.When (e.g., DexterMatCutter)ratherthanpullingit,thecutting until thecutiscompleted. at alltimes—anddonotliftthecutteroffboard Maintain contactbetweenthecutterandstraightedge The BindingofaMat from instrumenttoinstrument. and lessacuteisthebevel)mayalsovaryveryslightly ness ofthemountboard(thethickerboard,wider Mat Cutter,the60 are adjustabletoachievetwodifferentbevels.IntheDexter predetermined bythecuttinginstrument.Somemachines edge betweensidesduringthecuttingofamatwindow. A DexterMatCutterrestsalongsideastainlesssteelstraight- The angleofthebevel(commonly45 The bindingshouldbeonthe longsideofthemat.The The tapewhichconnectsthefrontofamat(theover- When aninstrumentisoperatedbypushingitforward ° bevelchangesslightlywiththethick- 82 83 / or straightedgesrequirepull- However,thosemachines ° or60 ° ) isusually cloth sideshould notbeallowedtogetwet. Ifthetapeis sive layerandactivateitwithout greatlydilutingit.The of theadhesive;waterwill thencombinewiththeadhe- placed. Itisimportanttoevenly moistenonlythesurface becomes tacky,thetapeshould “grab”theboardasitis seconds afterapplyingwater. Attheprecisemomentit ened tapeshouldbetackyand shouldadherewithinafew fect amountisbestdeterminedbytouch.Freshlymoist- sponge) andbytheamountofpressureapplied.Theper- quantity andtemperatureofwaterintheapplicator(e.g., a moistening withwater.Moisteningisregulatedbythe museum boardmatsisgummedclothtapewhichrequires tapes usedinthesamesituation. not automaticallybeassumedtoapplyothersimilar acquired knowledgeofitsbehavioralcharacteristicscan- brand oftape;however,experiencewithonetapeandthe master thecraftbyworkingconsistentlywithonespecific a materialaffectsitsworkingbehavior.Itiseasier to more orlesssizing.Everyvariationinthemanufactureof more orlesstightlywoven,andtheclothmayhaveslightly slightly thinnerorthicker,thethreadsofclothmaybe may reactdifferentlytowater.Theadhesivelayerbe various batchesofagivenbrandgummedclothtape different situationswithmaterials.Forexample, and howtofeel.Everyadhesiverespondsdifferentlyin the strengthofbond.Itisalsolearninghowtotouch trol thevariousstagesofaccretion,andhowtodetermine involves learninghowtoactivatetheadhesive,con- bindings of2-plymats. bindings of4-plymats,andFilmoplastP90tapeforthe (sometimes called“linen”tape,orHollandtape)forthe the edgesareshowinginwindowarea. are trimmedtotheedgesofimage,particularlywhen critically importantwhenmattingdrymountedprintsthat may alsobecomedetachedfromthebacking.Alignmentis hinge thatistooshortwillnotmaintainitsalignmentand apart. Amatboundalongtheshortsideorbya sides ofthejointtopreventbindingtapefromcoming inch stripoftapeperpendiculartoandovereachthetwo opened frequently,itmaybenecessarytoapplya2-or3- detached ateitherorbothends.Whenalargematis length ofalargemat,thetapewilllikelybecomelooseor two boardsareconnected.Ifthebindingcoversentire greater stressisplacedontheendsoftapewhere binding hingethatisapproximately26to27incheslong. have abindinghingethatisapproximately 9 the matasclosely.Forexample,an8x10-inchshould the matislarger,tapeshouldnotmatchlengthof more closelythetapeshouldmatchmatlength.When shorter thanthelengthofmat:smallermat, grain directionoftheboard.Thetapeshouldbeslightly top oralongtheleftside,dependingontheirsizeand horizontal. Squarematsmaybeconnectedeitheratthe Moistening andApplyingGummedClothTape mately 19to A 16x20-inchmatshouldbeboundbytapethatisapproxi- The mostcommonhigh-qualitytapeforbinding4-ply In thebeginning,learningtoapplywater-activatedtape This authorprimarilyusesgummedcambricclothtape andrepeated closing opening During of large mats, 1 ⁄ 2 incheslong.A22x28-inchmatrequiresa 3 ⁄ 4 incheslong. 428

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 429 h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs been moistened. its appearanceandfeelbefore, during,andafterithas Learning toapplygummedtape requiresfamiliaritywith Overly moistenedtape. Dry, unmoistenedtape. Properly moistenedtape. midity oftheworkingenvironment. content oftheboardandtemperaturerelativehu- by thetemperatureandmoisture adheres isalsoaffected come adherent.Theeaseordifficultywithwhichtape will notcombineproperlywiththewaterandbe- thetapeismoistenedtoolittle,adhesive deform. If tape whichistoowetcancausemountboardstowarpor adhesive maybeabsorbedbythespongeand/orboard; moistened toomuch,thetapewillbecomelimpand .Thetwoboardsshouldbe positionedsidebyside,touching, 2. Withtheadhesivesidefaceupandcloth 1. Apointedburnisher 6. Aclean,lint-free,cottoncloth,orsturdy,white 5. Aclean,drysurfaceuponwhichtowetthetape 4. Atriangularsectionofsterile,undyedcellulosesponge 3. .A shallow,heavy,glassbowltoholdthewater(about 2. Cleanwater,preferablydistilled;room-temperatureor 1. When everythingisready,proceedasfollows: Before startingtotape,youwillneedthefollowing: place. Withtwofingersofeach hand,quicklyplacethe final stroke.Weightscanbe usedtokeeptheboardsin the tapeatmoment wetspongecompletesits with theirinnersurfacesfacing upandreadytoreceive ing oftheskill. period oftimewillhelptodevelopabetterunderstand- ing withonespecifictypeandbrandoftapeovera cloth sidearedampenedshouldbediscarded.Practic- that hasbeenmoistenedsomuchtheedgesof fore theyhavedilutedtheadhesive.Apieceoftape tape isdryandtoabsorbexcessdropletsofwaterbe- the entiretape,bothtoaddwatersectionswhere mat. Itisusuallynecessarytoimmediatelyremoisten vary, whichwillpreventitfromadheringevenlytothe pulled through,theamountofmoistureontapewill tape. Ifthepressurevarieswhiletapeisbeing the otherhandispushingspongedownagainst upward andawayfromthespongewithonehandwhile tinuous movement.Todothisefficiently,pullthetape erate pressuretomoistentheentirelengthinonecon- ened tip,holdingthespongeagainsttapewithmod- inch oftape.Thenliftandpullthetapebyitsmoist- release excesswater.Pressthespongeupontop the tape.Squeezewetspongeoverbowlto finger ofthelefthandabout1inchfromtopedge ter. Ifright-handed,holdthetapedownbyplacingone mount boardoff-cutsbecausetheyabsorbexcesswa- Formica, orPlexiglas;thisauthorpreferssmall4-ply moisten tapeonawater-resistantsurfacesuchasglass, foot awayfromtheopenmat.Somepeoplepreferto down, placethetapeuponacleansurface,atleast1 paper towel width ofthetape that isapproximately50%wideratthebasethan tom sothatitwillnottipover 1 tepid, notcold,waterisbestforactivatingtheadhesive 1 ⁄ 2 inchesdeep)withsidesperpendiculartoaflatbot-

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: mat wouldrestifitwereframed. along thebottomside—thatis,uponwhich certain thattheovermatandbackingareevenlymatched adjust theirrelativepositionsbeforeapplyingtape.Make the twoboardsis off. Ifthemattedprintistobeframedandsmaller of are not the samepackageofpre-cutboard,orwhentwopieces of theprintandchipdelicatephotographicemulsion. the insideedgesofwindowmaytouch dow, fiber-base printisdrymountedandfloatingwithinthewin- shifting overmatmaydetachtheprintfromitsmount.Ifa middle. Iftheprintisheldinmatwithtabhinges, and maycauseittofoldorcreaseatitsedgesinthe very thinpaper,theovermatwillslideagainstprint print insidethematinanumberofways.Ifison mat’s binding.Aweakbindingcancausedamagetothe be changedafterthetape“sets”withoutweakening larger Alignment oftheOvermatandBackingBoard Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs more than the largerboardshould burnisher — such as a printmaker’s polished agate or polished printmaker’s a as burnisher —such the matishingedbothon frontandonthebackwitha essary trimmingisdone,burnish theoutsideedgeswhere through theglassofframe. trimmed, thematmaynotfill theentireareathatisvisible move insidetheframe.Inaddition,iflargerboard is of thesmallerboardbecausematmightthenbefree to 4. A lintlesswipingcloth,suchascottongauzeorS&W 3. When thelargeroftwoboardsisatleast If theovermatandbackingboardshavenotcomefrom The alignmentoftheovermatandbackingboardcannot After aligningtheconnected boardsandbeforeanynec- While Do notburnishorstrokethetapewithyourhands. length ofthetapetwicebeforeapplyingburnisher. immediately applyafirmandevenpressurealongthe (such asBountyorScotTowel)shouldbeavailableto Catalog No.1900cloth,orasturdy,whitepapertowel a properparallelplacement. quickly, itmaytwist,fold,andwarp,whichwillprevent and smoothadherence.Ifthetapeisnotputdown opposite directionswillhelptoensureaflatplacement placement. Asthetapeisputdown,aslightpullin length ofthetapeasaguidetocorrectandparallel board whichextendatthetopandbottombeyond across fromeachother.Usethevisiblesectionsof tape closetotheleftcornersothattheyarediagonally corner andthefingersoflefthandshouldhold the righthandshouldholdtapecloseto equally dividedbetweenthetwoboards.Thefingersof meet, checkingtomakesurethewidthoftapeis tape lengthwiseovertheedgeswheretwoboards plete thisoperationbeforethetapedries. alignment ofthetwoboards.Itisimportanttocom- the insidetohelpcreasetape.Thencheck tool againstthecenterofbinding,runningitalong thanthecorrectsize,excessshouldbetrimmed exactly

closing 1 ⁄ 16 inch,andthelargerboardiscorrectsize, thesamesize,itisusuallynecessaryto

the less

mat, thanthedesignatedframesizeby not pressthepointofburnishing betrimmedtomatchthesize 1 ⁄ 16 inch and evenlyburnishedwithan dust particles.Pressure-sensitivetapesmustbecompletely a stripofthetapewillbeexposedwhichaccumulate edge ofthe4-plyboard.Otherwise,whenmatisclosed, edge ofthe2-plyboardtorestdirectlyagainsthigher board toassureanevenhorizontalplaneandenablethe ence byrestingthe2-plyboarduponanotherpieceof 2-ply overmattoa4-plybacking,compensateforthediffer- they areplacedsidebyside.Whenconnectingorbinding a Make certainthereisnospacebetweentheboardswhen pressure-sensitive tapesuchasNeschenFilmoplastP90. with lightweightboardsmaybejoinedahigh-quality spond towater-activatedtapesbywarping.Matsmade thicker mountboardsbecausethinnerusuallyre- Bindings asTheyRelatetoBoardThickness outside edgesofthe on thefrontandback,insideoutside. Then burnishthethreeunhingedouteredgesofmat Mat Cutter.Next,ifnecessary,trimtheunevenborder(s). metal burnisher—orwiththeroundedtopedgeofaDexter if ashinyedgeisnotdesired. be shiny.Caremusttakennottoburnishtooforcefully finish, orbystrongburnishing,whichmaycausetherimto either bygentlesanding,whichresultsinaflat,“soft” of thewindowtoberounded;thiscanaccomplished ated thereduringthecutting.Somepeoplelikeedges face ofthemountedprint. ing willbelooseandtheovermat maymoveuponthesur- what tapeisused.Ifcompensation isnotmade,thebind- attaching twopiecesofboard isnecessaryregardlessof burnish tapewithyourfingers. placed ortheywillnotadhereproperlytotheboard.Never parallel placement. board thatextendbeyondthetapeendsasguidesto ensure smoothadherence.Usethevisiblesectionsof versed) andgiveitaslighttuginoppositedirectionsto left hand,lowerrightcornerwiththeorre- of themoisttapebyitscorners(upperleftcornerwith When bindingtheovermattobacking,holdeachend It isbesttoapplygummedclothtapeonly4-plyor It isalsonecessarytoburnishthefourinsideand Compensating fordifferences inboardthicknesswhen window becauseslightridgesarecre- instrument aftertheyare 430

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 431 stress andcreatesa the tape).Thisenablesmattoopenandclosewithout mately and thebackingmustbeseparatedbyaspaceofapproxi- board willfitintoamatthatisthesamesize,overmat to thesizesofmounts. for Adams’sprintsareusuallymatched,asherecommended, inches),andthemats 22x28 16x20, fiber board(e.g.,14x18, dry mountedonstandard-sizepiecesof4-ply100%cotton ample, AnselAdams’sblack-and-whiteprintsareusually between thetwoboardswhenconnectingthem.Forex- necessary toleavespaceequalthethicknessofmount sake ofmaintainingtheoriginalproportions—itwillbe as theprint’smount—adecisionnormallymadefor to protectthebackofprint’smount. spoils thefrontofmount.Abackingboardalsoserves overmat totheprint’smountratherthanabackingboard unless itisthephotographer’swishtodoso.Tapingan overmat shouldnotbeattacheddirectlytotheprint’smount, board) requirespeciallyconstructedmats.Firstofall,an liquid PVA(polyvinylacetate)adhesive. Adhesive No.568(alsopressuresensitive),orwithastable pressure-sensitive polyestertape),3MPositionableMounting terials includingScotchBrandNo.415tape(adouble-sided, tached tothebacking(beforetaping)withavarietyofma- plied tothetopoffiller.Sectionalfillersmaybeat- ing, preferablyoneofthelongersides,andshouldbeap- applied tothesidewherefillerisattachedback- sate fortheemptyspace.Thebindingtapeshouldbe placed betweentheovermatandbackingtocompen- be placedina16x20-inchmat),sectionalfillermust mat sizeinonedirectiononly(e.g.,a13x20-inchmountto pre-mounted on4-plyorthickerboardwhichmatchesthe 1 Spaced BindingsforPre-MountedPrints Sectional Fillers come attachedtotheexposedsection. spaced-bindings becausedustparticlesanddirtwillbe- be anywiderthannecessary. essential thatthespaceprovidedatjoint(binding)not sliding towardtheedgesofdrymountedprint,itis print isinsidetheclosedmat.Topreventmatfrom h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs ⁄ 64 inchmorethanthethicknessofmounttoallowfor To assurethataprintdrymountedtopieceof4-ply When apre-mountedprintistobemattedthesamesize Pre-mounted prints(suchasthosedrymountedto4-ply When amatmustbestandardsizeandtheprintis Pressure-sensitive tapesarenotsuitableformaking print. a pre-mounted accommodating spaced binding ply matwitha Close-up ofa4- 1 ⁄ 16 inchbeforethebindingtapeisapplied(about flat three-leveltierwhenthemounted 84 that providesa the “sink”matratherthantobacking. of theovermat;overmatmaythenbehingeddirectlyto backing (i.e.,toforma“sink”mat),itshouldmatchthesize entire mat.Ifthemiddle-matiscompletelyadheredto the overmat’sbindingtoassureasecureclosureof same sizeastheovermatlessapproximately overmat tothebacking.Themiddle-matshouldbe enough spaceforthemiddle-matfillingbeforetaping rather thanabook-formatclosure.Remembertoallow middle-mat) tohaveacomplementaryclosure(i.e.,\__/) This constructionallowsthetwowindows(overmatand and themiddle-mat’shingetobackingisonright. is vertical,theovermat’shingetobackingonleft is oppositetheovermat’shinge;inotherwords,ifmat hinge ofthemiddle-matshouldbeappliedonsidewhich attached tothebackingwithfull-lengthbindinghinges, difference. Iftheovermatandmiddle-matareboth ply “middle-mat”isrequiredtocompensateforthesize of 4-plyboardthatisallaroundsmallerthanthemat,a4- to beliftedwithout touchingitsedge. run undertheprintandthrough theinlettoallowprint Sometimes athinribboncan beattachedtothebacking edge ofthe“sink”tomoreeasily liftthepre-mountedprint. hinges arelocated.Asmall inlet maybecutatthebottom without resistanceatthetop edgeofthe“sink”where of flush-mountedprints)and toallowtheprintbelifted print emulsionlayerisexposedonthesides(asincase edges ofthemountfromcatching,particularlywhen beveled, burnishedsmooth,androundedtopreventthe The top,right,andleftinneredgesofthe“sink”shouldbe board andthenburnishedsmoothslightlyrounded. the “sink,”whichshouldbecut90 of theprintmountshouldrestevenlyonbottomedge of allowance atboththerightandleftsides.Thebottomedge The Middle-Mat tached. Thisspaceshouldbeatleast tional spaceabovetheprintwherehingeswillbeat- ing theoverallsizeofpre-mountedprint,allowanaddi- lifting oftheprinttoviewreverseside.Whenmeasur- the middle-mat,“sink”mat,orsectionalfiller,topermit pendant hingesthatareconnectedtothebacking exactly thesameoverallsizeasovermatandbacking. attached tothetopsurfaceof“sink,”whichshouldbe pre-mounted print.Theovermat’sbindinghingeshouldbe created shouldbeslightlymorethanthethicknessof around thefoursidesofprint.Thedepthspace one ormorepiecesofboard,byapplyingboardstrips ing. Thisrecessedspaceismadebycuttinganopeningin rest, whichissurroundedbyboardattachedtotheback- The term“sink”referstotherecessinwhichprintwill inch), itisusuallynecessarytoconstructa“sink”mat. The “Sink”Mat ply board,the“sink”shouldbeapproximately8 print is5x7inchesandmountedonavertical8x10-inch 4- the thicknessofprintmount.Forexample,ifavertical When mattingaprintwhichispre-mountedonpiece If theprint’smountis4-plyorthicker(greaterthan Some prints maybeinstalledintoa“sink”matwith Some 1 ⁄ 8 -inch allowanceatthetopanda ° tothesurfaceof 1 ⁄ 16 inchwiderthan 1 ⁄ 8 1 x10 ⁄ 32 inchnear 1 ⁄ 8 1 inches; ⁄ 16 under -inch 1 ⁄ 16

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs damage if one is not very experienced in using them. in damage ifoneisnot very experienced tion havewell-roundedcornersbuttheycanstillcause these clasps.ThosesoldbyLightImpressionsCorpora- Fragile printscanbecreased,marked,andevenfoldedby because theycaneasilyscratchdelicateemulsionsurfaces. by some,thisauthorstronglyadvisesagainsttheiruse in officesupplystores.Althoughclaspsarerecommended hold printsinplace.Claspsofthistypearecommonlysold with thick,soft,undyedcloth. depending onsize).Metalpaperweightsshouldbecovered move, beingneithertoolargenorheavy(1to2pounds, should havenosharpedges.Itbeeasytoliftand tive papertoholditandtheprintinplace.Theweight Now placeacleanandsmoothweightontopoftheprotec- so thattheovermatcanbeliftedupwithoutremovingit. many photographs areprinted,however, cannotbeap- ylene-resin-coated) paperor polyestersupportuponwhich photographic printsonfiber-base paper.TheRC(polyeth- ings, lithographs,pasteland graphitedrawings,andsome tion mat.Thesearefrequently suitableforwatercolorpaint- mend hingestosecureawork tothebackingofaconserva- proper application,dependingonamultitudeoffactors. Strips, polyesterslings,orfolders).Everymethodhasits glue), and“freeattachment”(mountingcorners,Frame ing), partialorlocalattachment(hinges,double-sidedtapes, face adhesion(drymounting,coldwetmount- Traditional methodsofsecuringprintsincludetotal-sur- about on topoftheprint;thisprotectiveboardorpapershouldbe board orheavypaper—withoneofitscornersfoldedup the closedwindow.Thenplaceaprotectivepieceof2-ply to becorner-mounted,positiontheprintbyviewingitthrough correctly positionedbeneaththeovermat.Whenaprintis Installing aPrintintoMat Paperweights Some peopleusestainless-steelpositioningclaspsto In thefineartfield,manypaper conservatorsrecom- A photographicprintmustbeheldsecurelyinitsmat. Before aprintismountedontothebacking,itmustbe create morefrictionduringmovementthaneitherpolishedagateormetal. polished agate(left)andcurved,pointed,metal(right).Boneburnishersarenotrecommendedbecausethey the appearanceoffinishedmat.Picturedabovearetwoexamplesprintmakers’burnishers:curved,rounded,and Burnishers arenecessarybothtobluntsharpedgesincutboardthatcandamagedelicateprintemulsionsandimprove 1 ⁄ 2 inchsmallerallaroundthanthewindowopening materials whenkeptinmostuncontrolledenvironments. dimensional changescharacteristicoftheprintandmounting consideration mustalsobegiventothehumidity-induced bow, stretch,ortearifitishingedinstalledincorrectly; lecting anymountingmethod.Aphotographmaybuckle, graphic printmaterials,shouldbeconsideredbeforese- combined withthephysicalresponsesofdifferentphoto- (See Chapter11.) ten desiredbyphotographersforpurelyaestheticreasons. In spiteofitsshortcomings,however,drymountingisof- prints cannotbelaser-scannedforreproductionpurposes. by photographicconservators.Inaddition,drymounted has harmedphotographs,itisnotgenerallyrecommended has notseenexamplesofcarefullydonedrymountingthat totally, tothemountorbackingboard.Whilethisauthor method thatdoesnotadheretheprint,eitherpartiallyor tographic printsbeinstalledintoconservationmatsbya properly adheretothesetypesofphotographs. paper; manywater-activatedadhesivesandtapesmaynot proached inthesamemannerasotherworksofarton too tightlybutbeplacedtoallow approximately corners withhinges. cold storage.Sometimesitisnecessary tocombinemounting prints canberemovedfrommatsbeforebeingplaced in a printisavoided,printsarelesslikelytoslide,andcolor easily ifsoiledordamaged,theuseofadhesivesdirectlyon nently” attachedtothemat,matcanbereplacedmore tages ofcornermountingarethattheprintisnot“perma- prints intomatsiscornermounting.Amongtheadvan- author’s preferredmethodofinstallingmostphotographic in thischapter:cornermountingandhingemounting.This and prints forslightexpansion and contractionoftheprints inch —ormoreforlargeprints —outsidetheedgesof Corner Mounting Possible expansionandcontractionofmountboards, This authorrecommends,wheneverpossible,thatpho- Most mountingcornersshould notfittheprintcorners Two methodsofinstallingprintsintomatsarediscussed / or mounts.(Polyester-base photographs,such asglossy 1 ⁄ 64 to 1 ⁄ 32 432

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 433 Impressions RenaissancePaper. excellent choicesareArchivartStoragePaperandLight the print.Theyarenarrowinwidth( direction sothattheadhesiveisfacingoutandawayfrom assure bothanexactandstraight45 tion arepre-scoredforfolding,butcaremustbetakento hinges. ThosedistributedbyLightImpressionsCorpora- suitable forfloatingprintsthatwouldotherwiserequire widths ( uct, See-ThruArchivalMountingCorners,availableinthree prints thatarenotlightweight,delicate,orflimsy. restricted inusetoflat,nonbuckling,smallmedium-size is probablythebestpaperforthispurpose. States fromArchivartandPaperTechnologies,Inc., also isstable,strong,inert,andhasaneutralpH. backing ofthematwithanadhesiveortapethat print sizeandtypeshouldbesecurelyattachedtothe ners shouldalsobedesignedspecificallyfortheindividual weight, withoutcolor,andnotalkalinebuffered.Thecor- be pHneutral,strong,somewhatmoistureresistant,light- as photographicenclosures.(SeeChapter13.)Theyshould and tensilestrength,thathavebeenapprovedforuse rials appropriateincomposition,pHvalue,weight,texture, board’s graindirectionshouldalsobetakenintoaccount. play andhandling.Relativehumidityconditionsthe graph topreventtheprintfromslidingdownduringdis- however, shouldbeclosertothebottomedgeofphoto- The bottomedgesofthetwomountingcorners, be madeforexpansionandcontractionofmountboards.) to changesinrelativehumidity,butallowancesshouldstill are dimensionallystableanddonotchangesizeinresponse Ilfochrome, PolaroidArchivalColor,andUltraStableprints, print emulsionsifoneisnot the disadvantagesarethatType423canscratchdelicate visually obtrusive,andprintsareeasilyremoved.Among the stripscanbecutintoverysmallsizes,theyarenot handling. AmongtheadvantagesofFrameStripsarethat prints thatdonottravelandaresubjecttorepeated suitable formountinglightweightandmedium-weightflat shaped), madeof“conservationgrade”clearpolyester, is any adhesivetotheprints.Type423(flat)and107(S– from LightImpressions. adhesive backing,areavailable pressure-sensitive bility high-sta- ClearHold, madeoftransparentpolyesterwitha use tosturdy,flat,medium-weightprints. ucts polyestermountingcornersarealsorestrictedintheir ply orthickermats. print. Type107maybeused whenmountingprintsinto8- sion whenattachingthestrips andbeforeremovingthe of thinpaperbetweentheFrame Stripandtheprintemul- help preventscratcheswhen usingType423,placeapiece ing so,andprintstooeasilyshift positionwhenmoved.To fects ofalkaline-bufferedpapersonphotographs. because ofcontinuingquestionsaboutthelong-termef- alkaline-buffered Permalifepapersarenotrecommended h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Transparent cornersmadeofpolyesterareoccasionally University Products,Inc.sellsanearlyidenticalprod- Atlantis SilversafePhotostore,availableintheUnited Mounting cornersshouldbemadeofhigh-qualitymate- Frame Stripsalsoholdphotographswithoutapplying Pre-fabricated, easytousemountingcornersnamed 1 ⁄ 2 inch, 5 ⁄ 8 inch,and 7 ⁄ extremely 8 inch).TheUniversityProd- 86 HowardPaperMills 7 ⁄ ° 16 carefultoavoiddo- foldingintheright inch),andarethus 85 Twoother 87 a mountingcorneristoolarge(i.e.,morethan will determinethelocationofbendanditsangle.When corner inrelationtothesizeandproportionofprint mounting corners.Thesizeanddesignofthe moving prints,asthisisthemostseriousdrawback to ation forthebendingthatoccurswheninsertingandre- have double-thickbases. not the photographic material,should and corners the corners shouldbemadewithpaperdistinctlythinnerthan graphic paperorintheimageitself.Becauseofthis,mounting paper itmaybecomeembossedintheborderofphoto- or neartheimage.Ifamountingcornerismadeofthick base, aretoolongandextendintotheareadirectlybehind well designedinthatthetwo“wings,”orsidesof and illustratedinvariouspublications—areusuallynot mounting cornersthatdohaveextendedbases—described of thedifficultyreinsertingaprintafterremovingit.Those lapping flaps.Suchcornersarenotrecommendedbecause bases and/orhaveadouble-thickbasecreatedbytwoover- corners examinedbythisauthordonothaveextended insertion becausetheyusuallyrequiremorebending. (2) paper basewhentheprinthitsedgeofcorner,and sion andbarytalayersmaybecomeseparatedfromthe the photographisprintedonfiber-basepaper,emul- absence ofanextendedbasecreatestwootherrisks: tograph mayslideunderthemountingcorner.Inaddition, into themountingcorner;withoutit,cornerofpho- base, or“landingpad,”ensuresproperentryoftheprint extended baseshouldbeshorterthanusual.The age nearlytouchestheedgesofprintmaterial, printed onsomewhattranslucentpaper,orwhentheim- When thecornersareverylargeorwhenaphotographis 12.3 from othermountingcornersisthe servation mountingcorner,whichthisauthorrecommends, tions maycreateanewcombinationofrequirements. print’s intendeddisplay,circulation,and/orstoragecondi- backing shouldbetakenintoaccount.Anychangesina the image.Inaddition,thicknessesofovermatand and thewidthofphotographicpaper’sborderaround photographic material,thesizeofimage, mounting cornersshouldbedeterminedbytheparticular cilitate printremoval. enough toholdtheprintsecurely butsmallenoughtofa- need tobeproperlyholdtheprint.Theyshouldlarge corners shouldnot,however,bemadesmallerthanthey bending angleshouldbeasobtusepossible.Mounting tion, thusstressingthevariouslayersofprint.The may havetobeseverelybentduringremovalandre-inser- percent oftheareaphotographicpaper),print Mounting CornerDesign mended for most 16x20-inch prints which have a border a have which prints 16x20-inch for most mended “square”withinch the extended base included)isrecom- ofapproximatelymeasurement 1 inch widestripsofpaper(resulting inacornerwithside All mountingcornersshouldbedesignedwithconsider- Most handmadeandcommerciallyproducedmounting One importantdesignfeaturethatdistinguishesthecon- One The appropriatematerial,design,andsizeofaset For example,amountingcorner madewith1-to1 the cornersofprintaretooeasilycrackedduring illustratesthecorrectdesignandsomefaultydesigns.) 1 ⁄ 2 inches, creating a creating 1 inches, extended base . ( 1 Figure ⁄ 2 to1 (1) 1 1 ⁄ if ⁄ 2 8 - -

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs Figure 12.3: Examples ofMounting Corners Incorrect Designs Correct Design 434

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 435 h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs divided asshown in base ratherthanthetopof corner, norshouldtheybe tape shouldnotbetoothin, short,attachedtothe secure thepositionofmounting cornersinmats,stripsof Figure 12.4: Tape placementovermounting corners.To Figure 12.5 . are recommendedforprintson16x20-inchpaper. Filmoplast attaching papermountingcornersto4-plymats,and 12.4 to thebackingboardwithsmallstripsoftape(see that hastapeattached connecting thetwosidesofcorner.Amountingcorner section ofthetapeshouldbecontinuousandunbroken, so thatitwillnotbedividedbythecutting;atleastasmall corner beforethecuttingoutisdone,andshouldbeplaced corner toallowafullview.Tapeshouldbeappliedoverthe In otherwords,asmalltriangularsectioniscutoutofthe author callsa“tailored”mountingcorner(see in thedesignofmountingcornertocreatewhatthis the photographicpaper,specialalterationsmustbemade foe attachingpapercornersto2-plymats. paper. Bordersof1 border of3to4inchesforalargeprintmadeon30x40-inch each sideofasmallprintmadeon8x10-inchpaperand dium-size printsandapproximatelyone-fifthforlargeprints. the widthandlengthofphotographicpaperforme- recommends borderareasthatareapproximatelyone-quarter graphs shouldbeprintedwithampleborders.Thisauthor Polyester printsmayrequireslightlylargercorners. paper. “square”) arerecommendedforprintson 8x10-inch 1 at least1-inchwideallaround.Stripsofpaperthatare 1 The“Tailored”MountingCorner prints on 11x14-inch paper. Mounting corners madewith prints on11x14-inchpaper. Mountingcorners proximately 1-inch“square,”asizerecommendedformost -inch widewillmakemountingcornersthatformanap- pencil orpinasclosepossibletotheovermat—about ing cornersthatshownearthewindowwith a and increasestheriskofprintdamageduringbending.) (Caution: Lowrelativehumidityembrittlesprintemulsions Otherwise, threecornersmustbebenttoremovetheprint. remaining printcornerstoslideoutwithoutanybending. from twoadjacentmountingcorners,therebyenablingthe can beminimizedbyremovingthefirsttwoprintcorners need tobecutout,removetheprint.Bendingofprint tape shouldbeappliedinbothplaces. is strongerandlesslikelytofallapart.Insomesituations, beveled corners of2-plywindowcut-outsare idealforthis mounting cornertoprotectthe baseduringtrimming;the face oftheprintatalltimes. your handontheprint.Itis essentialtoprotectthesur- the mountingcorners.Becareful nottorestanypartof corners, apencil—and situations whentheprintshouldnotberemovedfrom each mountingcornerisenough.Naturally,inthoserare make 8x10-inchcontactprints).Bordersof2to prints on11x14-inchpaper(agoodsizewhichto ⁄ ⁄ 2 32 to inch—withoutmarringtheovermat.Onesmalldoton In mostsituations,mountingcornersshouldbeattached When theimagetouchesornearlyedgesof For example,a1-to2-inchborderisrecommendedfor The problemofbendingisanotherreasonwhyphoto- Close the overmat and mark on the sections of the mount- the of sections the Close theovermatandmarkon Before determininghowmuchofthemountingcorners Now openthemat,andplace apieceofboardintothe ). Thisauthormostoftenusesgummedclothtapefor 5 ⁄ 8 -inch wide strips of paper (forming a ofpaper wide strips -inch P 90 orotherhigh-qualitypressuresensitivetape 1 ⁄ 2 to2inchesarerecommendedfor on thetop not apin—mustbeusedtomark , ratherthanonthebase, Figure 12.5 3 ⁄ 4 to 1 88,89 ⁄ 2 7 Figure inches ⁄ 8 -inch 3 ⁄ 4 ). -

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs about possible. Thencuttwostrokesintothemountingcorner with thebevel-sideup,asfarintomountingcorner purpose. Withoutpushingit,insertthepieceof2-plyboard, be attachedtothereversesidewithoutliftingmat. moistened tapearoundtheedgeofboardsothatitcan tabletop; thisextensionfacilitatesimmediatefoldingofthe the backingextendsafewinchesbeyondedgeof about twiceaslongusual.Itiseasiertoapplythetape if attached tothebackofmat.Thesestripsshouldbe tape whichholdthemountingcornersdownwillneedtobe size asthemat,andshouldnotbetrimmed,strips of under theguidingpaperwillslideintoplace. corner first.Withaverylightpush,theofprint flush withthe edges ofthemat. the topandtwosides,whether ornotthemountedprintis backing, thetapeshouldfollow thefoldsofcorneragainst be. Whentapeisappliedto attachtheboxcornerto mount determinesjustwhere thetwoextrafoldsshould corner toforma“boxcorner.” Thethicknessoftheprint extra foldshouldbemadeon eachflapofthemounting Special ProcedureswithMountingCorners corner byabout ing paper”shouldextendbeyondtheedgesofprint may beplacedontopofthecornerprint.The“guid- a smallerpieceofsmooth,thin,andsomewhatstiffpaper ners asnecessaryandre-inserttheprint. will notneedtobetailored.Trimasmanymountingcor- on onetothreesides,atleasttwoofthemountingcorners graphic paperduringprintingbutanampleborderexists through andintothebackofmountingcorner. protective boardeachtimetoreducethechanceofcutting the matbeforetrimmingnextcorner.Useafresh to bottom,orleftright),itisoftenagoodidearotate people havemorecontrolcuttinginonedirection(e.g.,top section willbehiddenundertheovermat.Becausemost remaining the the been mounting cornerhas trimmed When theprintpaperissameornearly When aprintismountedon4-plyorthickerboard,an To moresafelyguideaprintintoitsmountingcorners, When animagehasnotbeencenteredonthephoto- has beenprintedwithnarrowborders. Figure 12.5: 1 ⁄ 16 inch outside the mark.Thiswillassurethatafter inchoutside Examplesoftailoredmountingcorners.Thesecornersaretrimmedtopermitfullviewingaphotographthat 1 ⁄ 8 inch,therebyenteringthemounting copy onfile. attached tothebackofmatorframeandkeepother and backofeveryprint.Putonecopyinapolyesterfolder double-sided photocopiesonhigh-qualitypaperofthefront ing cornersaretapeddown.Whenpossible,maketwo separate pieceofpaperorontothematbeforemount- by copyingallinformationthatappearsonthebackontoa the lengthofprintormount. made ofafoldedstrippolyester,whichisshorterthan bottom edgeofapre-mountedorbrittleprintwith“pocket” also possibletoprovideadditionalsupportatthetopor top mountingcornerstofacilitateremovingtheprint.Itis close (withpressure-sensitivetape)maybecutintothe the print. detach twoadjacentmountingcornersbeforeremoving board —andtheprintmustberemovedfromitscorners, prints, orprintsdrymountedtoanembrittledwoodpulp Image printsinEurope),HighSpeed600prints,andSX-70 varnished orcoatedprints,PolaroidSpectraprints(called the printemulsionlayerorsupport—asincaseof poor condition,andifflexingpresentsaseriousthreatto selection ofhinging materialsforphotographs dependson not givenhere,someconsiderations arediscussed.First, ing Ilfochromeglossypolyester prints.) Cibachrome] printer,recommends thismethodwhenmount- (Michael Wilder,awell-known Ilfochrome[formerlycalled ners, topreventthemfromrippling atthebottomcorners. edge oftheprintinadditiontotwoorfourmountingcor- large printsoftenrequireoneormorehingesatthetop polyester corners.Also,printsonmaterialsand are hiddenbehindtheprintoftenpreferabletoclear edges ofthepaperarevisibleinmat,foldedhingesthat tographs, hingesaresometimesnecessaryordesired. mats. Whilethisauthorpreferstocorner-mountmostpho- Hinges Removing afragileprintfromitscornerscanbeavoided In someinstances,oneortwo“doors”whichopenand If themountisthick,orifprintandarein Although thoroughinstructions forapplyinghingesare For example,whenonewantstofloataprintsothatthe Hinging isacommonmethodofinstallingpicturesinto 90 436

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 437 had anopportunitytoevaluatethismethod). the problemscausedbywetadhesives(thisauthorhasnot adhesive toattachpaperhingesprints,therebyavoiding physical deformationintheprints. the useofwater,avoidpotentialproblemswithlocalized sensitive tapeswhich,becausetheyareappliedwithout photographs, thisauthorhascontinuedtousepressure- search ontheirlong-termchemicalandphysicaleffects to photographsandmountboards.Pendingfurtherre- acetate [PVA],andmethylcellulose)forattachinghinges sives (e.g.,wheat-starchpaste,rice-starchpolyvinyl of foldedhingesinclude: the printcannotreadilyberemoved.) Thedisadvantages the print.(Hingesalsoaffix aprinttoitsbackingsothat ible andinmostcasestheyallow easyaccesstothebackof and contract,causingthehinges andtheprinttobestressed. applying hingesbecausetheboardandprintmayexpand the hinges,shouldbetakenintoaccountwhenmakingand the photographicpaper,relativebothtoeachotherand to the print.Thegraindirection(s)ofmountboardand hinges shouldgenerallybeappliedverticallyatthetop of than two-thirdsattachedtothebackingboard.Folded of thehingeattachedtobackprintandnoless shape shouldberectangularwithnomorethanone-third those thatarelargeandwide,shouldbeavoided.Their print properly.Hingesthatarelongandnarrow,aswell Naturally, hingesshouldbeassmallpossibletoholdthe the size,weight,shape,andgraindirectionofprint. are suitableinlong-termphotographicapplications. Only timeandfurtherresearchwilltellwhetherthesetapes P90, andScotchBrandNo.415Double-SidedPolyesterTape. tapes areArchivalAidsDocumentRepairTape,Filmoplast among themostpopularbetterqualitypressure-sensitive tified tomeetANSIstandardsforusewithphotographs, pressure-sensitive tapesoradhesivesthathavebeencer- to hingingtheseprints.Althoughtherearecurrentlyno stability, pressure-sensitivetapesareoftenbettersuited Chapter 12 properly adheretopolyesterandRCprints;specialhigh- wet adhesives. in thisauthor’sexperience,theycanbeeasilydeformedby photographs arephysicallyverysensitivetomoistureand, lose, whichmustbeappliedwithextracarebecausemost adhesives suchaswheat-starchpasteandmethylcellu- hinging papersaregenerallyattachedwithwater-activated cause theyarelightweightandstrong.However,these as Goyu,Mulberry,andSekishuarecommonlyusedbe- weight photographicpapers.Japanesetissuepapersuch tographs, mostparticularlysingle-weightorotherlight- or othercompoundsthatmightreactwiththeprint. tral pH,andcontainnoalkaline-bufferingchemicals,dyes, the photograph,besulfur-freeandlignin-free,haveaneu- endurance andstrength,bethinnerthanthethicknessof tended useoftheprint.Hingesshouldhavegoodfolding the individualprintmaterial,size,andin- The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs T. J.Collingshassuggestedtheuseofaheat-setacrylic Many conservatorsrecommendtheuseofliquidadhe- The advantageoffoldedhinges isthattheyarenotvis- The size,weight,andshapeofhingesdependlargelyon In addition,water-activatedtapesandpastesmaynot Gummed clothtapeisnotsuitableforhingingmostpho- 92 91 piece shouldnotbemorethan print towhereitisfastenedbyacross-piece.Thecross- hinge materialbehindtheprint;thiscontinuesabove paper. WithaT-hingethereisusuallyonlyonelayerof when theovermatcoversedgesofphotographic more securethanfoldedhingesbutcanbeappliedonly the followingpublications(seealso works ofartonfiber-basepaperstomountboard,consult stances. applied tothefrontofaprintexceptinveryspecialcircum- hinged tothewindowsectionofamatnorshouldhingesbe cally harmingtheprint. adhesive shouldberemovablewithoutphysicallyorchemi- should be“reversible,”whichmeansthatthehingeand for abriefperiodundersmoothweight.Theadhesive be appliedfirsttothebackofprintandallowedset its physicalcharacteristics,andcondition.Theyshould print; placementdependsontheindividualprintmaterial, neither tooclosetonorfarfromthecornersof Horizontal printswouldbehingedontopasusual. ages, verticalprintswillrequirehingingontheirleftsides. and theprintscomprisebothhorizontalverticalim- standing horizontally(matsrestingonthe20-inchsides) collection ismountedin16x20-inchmatswhicharestored mats thatarestoredinonedirection.Forexample,ifthe the printsarepartofastudycollectionstandard-size to dothiswhenaprinthascurlededges. at thesidesclosesttoprint.Itisespeciallyimportant the cross-pieceateachsideofverticalparthinge (unless theprintmaterialisatleast hinges, 2small(about surface oftheprintaswellweakenattachment. from sidetoside;thiscouldcausedamagetheedgesor the cross-pieceisfartheraway,printfreetomove 2. 1. .Theymaynotallowforcompleteliftingoftheprintif 3. Theymaypartiallyorwhollydetachfromtheprintand/ 2. Theyintroduceadouble(ortriple,ifreinforced)layer 1. Pendant T-hinges thatareadheredcorrectlyfar Pendant For detailedinstructionsabouthingingdocumentsand Hinges shouldbestrategicallyplaced—they All hingesshouldbeattachedtothetopofprintsunless TorelievestressontheedgeofaphotographatT- ington, D.C.20560,June1976. nian Institution,2235Artsand IndustriesBuilding,Wash- published bytheOfficeofMuseumPrograms,Smithso- Street, N.W.,Suite428,Washington, D.C.20007,1977. American AssociationofMuseums, 1055ThomasJefferson lifting.) inch orlessbeyondtheedgeofprinttofacilitate Conserving The edges. (Thefoldofthehingeshouldextendabout they arenotproperlyappliedoriftheprinthaswarped or ifthematfalls,riskingdamagetolooseprint. or thebackingifprintisliftedincorrectlyhastily, formation oftheprint. behind theprintwhichmaycausevisiblephysicalde-

Hinging

Works

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Mounting

1 of ⁄ 8 -inch) incisionsshouldbecutinto Art Important:

on 1

⁄ 32

of Paper, inchawayfromtheprint

Additional References Paper Aprintshouldnotbe 1 ⁄ 32 RoyL.Perkinson, inchthick).When

Objects (HMS-6), 1 ⁄ 64 ):

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: sive, suchasGudyOor3 mounted tothebackingwithapressure-sensitiveadhe- print floatsinthematwindow)thanandfully corners. to thebackingofmatwithhingesand/ormounting inside apolyesterfolderorsleevethathasbeenattached men printintoaconservationmatistosuspendthe ways. Onemethodofsafelyinstallinganunmountedalbu- may besubjecttocurlinghavebeenmountedinvarious because they may becreasedeveninthemostcarefulhands. thin anddirecthandlingoftheseprintsshouldbeavoided example, thepapersupportofmostalbumenprintsisvery when theyareunprotectedandmatted.For four cornersbyinsertingthemintosmall,approximately backing boardbehindtheprint,andthen“attach”print’s and facilitatesitsremoval,ifdesired. support, theedges,corners,andimageofprint, print without“encapsulating”itprotectsthesurface, 1 Chapter12 Mounting andMattingDelicatePrints The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs will notbestressed. from thecorners;moreimportant isthatthephotograph flexed, itisunlikelythatthemounted printwillbereleased onto thelightweightbacking ofthemat.Ifmatis print —whichwillthenbesecured withmountingcorners — suchas1-plyboard,1inch largerallaroundthanthe intermediate supportthatissomewhatlargerthantheprint weight mounts,theyshouldbehingedormountedontoan poorly constructedmount. age toaprintthatisadheredanunstable,flimsy,or ther case,however,nohingingmaterialcanpreventdam- than aweakerone,particularlywithphotographs.Inei- as possible,butthatastrongerhingeisgenerallysafer and believesthatahingeshouldbeasthinlightweight being hingedintothemat.Thisauthoragreeswiththat material notexceedtheweightandstrengthofpaper crushed whenitmoves. hinges; ortheprintmaydetachandriskbeingfolded the printmaytearinmiddleand/orateitherorboth is notrigidandallowedtobendagainstthephotograph, and photogravuresonthinpaper).Ifthebackingofamat problem forverydelicateprints(suchasalbumen For example,theflexibilityof2-plymountscanpresenta cised whenmountingdelicateprintsontolightweightboards. small foldedorpendanthinges.Extracaremustbeexer- surface adhesion,theyareoftenattachedtoamatwith polyester. Whensuchprintsarenotmountedbytotal- delicate printsintomats,unlesstheareenclosedin this way. not travel;frequentlyhandledprintsshouldbemounted sive. Thismethodisbestsuitedforframedprintsthatwill be larger,thesamesize,or Frame Strips,thepolyestersheetbehindprintshould which self-adheretothepolyesterbacking.Whenusing ⁄ 8 -inch sectionsofFrameStrips,Type423or107, Albumen printsandothersimilarlydelicatethat Many printsmustbehandledwith“extracare,”both It isalsopossibletomountapieceofpolyesterthe When verydelicateprintsmustbeattachedtolight- Paper conservatorsusuallyrecommendthatahinging Mounting cornersareusuallyunsuitableforsecuring 93 Properlydone,thismethodofenclosingthe M PositionableMountingAdhe- very

slightly smaller(ifthe print canbecoveredbyoverlappingtheentirearea sheet ofpolyesterthatfitsintothemountingcorners, gether photographic printshouldbeinserted(andremoved) are thesamesizeasprint.Thepolyestersheetsand print betweentwothinsheetsofuncoatedpolyesterthat used, isthe“sandwich”method.Thisinvolvesplacing from theirmatenvironment,whenmountingcornersare duced riskofdamagetotheprint. can beremovedandreplacedwithrelativeeasere- installed intoamatwithfourmountingcorners;theunit folder thatisthesamesizeasprint,whichmaythenbe example, aprintcanbeplacedin2or3milpolyester late printsintheirmatsandguardagainstdamage.For sheet (e.g.,DuPontMylarD,orICIMelinex516)caniso- or constructiondesign,andso forth—maybeinterpreted a differenceinmaterials,an alterationofmatproportions overall plan—suchasachange ofimagesizeormatsize, tion fortheartist’sproofprints. Anyvariancefromthe be uniformthroughouttheedition, withapossibleexcep- isolate theovermat.BeforeNovember1981,when create aninner“Mylarmat.” than theprint)maybecutintoMylarcoversheetto window slightlylargerthanthemat(andsmaller removal andreplacementwithouthandlingtheprint.A outside theprint,therebyfacilitatingsheet’scomplete may beinstalledwithitsownsetofmountingcornersplaced down bytheclosedovermat.Or,overlappingsheet sheet fallsovertheprint,caneasilybelifted,andisheld backing withacontinuoushingeacrossitstopedge.The inch ormorewithapolyestersheetthatisattachedtothe Portfolio Matting Polyester EnclosuresandBarriersInsideMats purely aestheticreasons. age enclosures;thiscanoccurwhenaboardisselectedfor that donotmeettherequirementsforphotographicstor- boards using when recommended prints mats are and the collectionofdustparticles. from theinsideandoutsideedgesofmattominimize fered print. Thetapewasrecessedapproximately surface oftheovermatwhereitrestedagainstedges of Brand Double-SidedPolyesterNo.415Tapetotheinside strips of5or3milMylarDwereadheredwithScotch prints andhisalkaline-bufferedmuseumboardmats.Four thor todeviseamethodofpreventingcontactbetweenhis Dye Transferprintspromptedhimtoencouragethisau- Epstein’s concernforthepropercareofhislow-p mount boardswerebeingmanufactured,photographerMitch 1980, morethanayearbeforehigh-qualityphotographic p able, thisseemedtobethemostsuitablewayofseparating H -sensitive colorprintsfromalkaline-bufferedboards.In As analternativetocoveringtheprintwithasecond Another wayofprotectingprintsthatshouldbeisolated Folders andsleevesmadeofthinuncoatedpolyester In general,thedesignandformat ofaportfolioshould An alternativetoisolatingtheprintfromitsmat,is The abovemethodspreventingdirectcontactbetween 100%cottonfibermountboardsfirstbecameavail- into thefourmountingcorners. 1 ⁄ 32 - H 1 nonbuf- ⁄ Kodak 16 inch to- 1 ⁄ 2 438

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 439

June 1987 semble (see of themountscangreatlyincrease theweightofen- mounting materialsarerecommended becausetheweight seen togetherasagroup.Whenever possible,lightweight turning oftheprintswhich are, afterall,intendedtobe viewing andshouldbemounted tofacilitatehandlingand value thisobject.’” presented, weareexpressinganattitudewhichsays‘we servation, JoanPedzichsaid,“Whenaprintiscarefully graphic MaterialsGroupoftheAmericanInstituteforCon- simply asnecessarypackaging.AddressingthePhoto- is consideredimportantormaydevalueitwhenviewed Presentation canenhanceaworkofartwhenitsfunction presentation issometimesasnoteworthythecontents. to limited-editionbookpublishing,wherethequalityof insofar asthemattingandprintcasesareconcerned. portfolios, however,areusuallyexpectedtobeconsistent the colorsandtoneswhileprinting.Thepublishersof consistency whentheyallowforsomesubtlevariationsof photographers todeviatefromarigidstandardofprint as amistakeor,worse,lackofcare.Itiscommonfor Chapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs prints foratravelingexhibition.(SeeNote96.) the New YorkCity,andhisassociateMatthewPostalprepare Laurence Miller,owneroftheMillerGalleryin The overallweight oftheassemblageisan important Portfolios, likepicturebooks,shouldpermitintimate In somerespects,portfoliopublicationcanbecompared Larry Burrows:Vietnam Appendix 12.2 94 ). portfolioofKodakDyeTransfer 95 Paper. papers forphotographicprints is#40Manning600Tissue about 1-inchsmallerthanthe matallaround. sides oftheprint.Ideally,an interleavingpapershouldbe ping towardthematbinding andexposingoneormore borders. Thispreventsthe interleaving paperfromslip- least but largerthanthematwindow.Theinterleafshouldbe at essential thatitbecuttoasizeissmallerthanthemat are highlysuitable. characteristics, whichiswhycertaintypesoffinetissue ing papermustbesoftandsmoothwithoutanyabrasive edges arenotcoveredbythebordersofamat.Interleav- vide interleavingforamountedprintthatfloatsandwhose slide againsteachother.Itisespeciallyimportanttopro- that canoccurwhenaprintandmountorother tling onthesurfaceofaprintandalsohelpsprevent scratches duces thepossibilityofgritandotherforeignmatterset- 1.Theboardshouldbeexactlythesameforeveryset sistency inthefollowingareasshouldbemaintained: are matted. ing paperwhentheyareunprotectedaswell which weighsover35pounds. Burrows: more attention,asdoesthe18-photograph portfolio by Larry other hand,itmayincreaseappreciationbydemanding tion ofthephotographsbybeingdifficulttohandle.On heavy, oversizedpresentationcaninterferewithapprecia- that aphotographershowstogallerydirectors.Abulky, a-kind, suchasthecarefullyarrangedselectionofprints consideration whethertheeditionislarge,small,orone-of- Interleaving Paper the sizeofwindowopeningpluswidth1 5. The interior dimensions of cases should be be about should cases of 5. dimensions The interior 4.Theovermatsandmountsshouldmatcheachotherin 3.Themethodbywhichtheprintsareinstalled(e.g.,folded 2.Thematproportionsshouldbethesameformultiple In thisauthor’sexperience, one ofthebestinterleaving When cuttinginterleavingpaperformattedprints,itis When mattingandmountingprintsforportfolios,con- It isnecessarytocoverprintsinstoragewithinterleav- size sothattheywillfitcorrectlyintotheportfoliocases. not occurwithinoneset(case)ofprintsintheedition. sets; whenachangeisnecessary,theshould hinges, mountingcorners)shouldbethesameforall prints ofthesameimage. all textureandtonewillnotvaryevenslightly. board fromthesamemanufacturedlotsothatitsover- one timeandthatthedistributorshouldtakeallof erwise; thismeansthatallboardshouldbeorderedat unless thephotographerandpublisherhavestatedoth- case’s design. space withinaprintcasedependstosomeextentonthe move aroundinsidethecases.Therequiredsizeof neither difficulttoremovenorwilltheybeinclined When thecasesarerightsize,printswillbe 1 ⁄ 4 inchlargerthantheoverallsizeofmountedprints. 1 ⁄ 98 4 inchsmalleronallfoursides,butnotthan Foryears,until 1982,itwasavailableas Troya Vietnam, 97 Aproperandcleaninterleavingpaperre-

The

American 96

Intervention

1962–1968, 1 ⁄ 2 mat 1 ⁄ 8 to

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs which appears to beasuitablereplacementfor Troya#40. “medium-weight” versionof “L” Tissuecalled“M”Tissue, “L” standsfor“lightweight;” hiscompanyalsomakesa than forlooseprints.According toSimonBarchamGreen, slip whennotheldinplace, itisbetterformattedprints considerably lighterinweight; becauseofitstendencyto sue.” “L”Tissueissimilar to Troya#40exceptthatitis sions, andalsobyTalasunderthenameof“Green’sTis- the retaillevelbearingsamenamebyLightImpres- Andrews/Nelson/Whitehead, “L”Tissuehasbeensoldon through theinterleaf.DistributedinUnitedStatesby collections whereitisimportanttobeableseedetails “L” Tissue,thatisparticularlydesirableforinterleaving fine, semi-transparent,lightweight,nonbufferedpaper,called England byBarchamGreen&Company,Ltd.Oneisavery costs involvedincuttingit. on thesourcefromwhichpaperwaspurchasedand products, however,pricesvariedconsiderably,depending 16x20-inch piececostlessthan25cents.Aswithmany sonable inprice.Whenpurchasedalargequantity,each manufactured inaneutralpHrange.” degree ofpurity.Ourpaperisnotalkalinebuffered,but “This isahighhempcontaininggrade,whichhas per Company(aDivisionofHammermillPaperCompany), Hart, formerMarketingRepresentativeforManningPa- derived fromManilahempfiber.AccordingtoFrankR. tified withoutliftingthetissue).Itismadeofcellulose shapes althoughnotthedetailsinphotographstobeiden- buffered, undyed,andsemi-transparent(permittingthe because itissoft,thin,nonabrasive,flexible,strong,non- Manning tissueissuitableforinterleavingphotographs #40 TissuePaperfromAndrews/Nelson/Whitehead. There areotherManilahemppapersmanufacturedin In additiontoitsphysicalqualities,Troya#40wasrea- lished bySidneySingerin1983. Dye Transferphotographspub- Flack’s portfoliooftwelveKodak sue overeachprintinAudrey placing Troya#40interleavingtis- Ani RiveraandArnonBen-David 100 99 The 101 “acid-free” ers. monly usedtomakenegativeandprintenvelopesfold- leaf insomesituations,althoughthepaperismorecom- age Paperisalsoanexcellentproductsuitableasinter- Photographic ActivityTest.ArchivartStor- the companyreportsthatthispaperhaspassedANSI ton fibers,isnonbuffered,andavailableina40lb.weight; Archivart Photo-TexTissue,whichismadewith100%cot- the 54-lb.or81-lb.weightsaregenerallypreferable. of theabovecompanies. Suppliers List sell high-qualitynonbuffered interleavingpapers.Seethe fered andsulfur-free.” the storageofphotography[and]isneutralinpH,unbuf- was developed“tomeetthehighestqualitystandardsfor matted printsbecauseitisslightlytranslucent.Thepaper weight. The27-lb.weightispreferredbythisauthorfor ton Fiberpaper,availablein27-lb.,54-lb.,and81-lb.basis Technologies, isAtlantisSilversafePhotostore100%Cot- gland anddistributedintheU.S.byArchivartPaper Renaissance “Passes[the]PhotographicActivitiesTest.” alkaline buffers.Thecompany’scatalogadvertisesthat graphs andtextilesthatrequireaneutralpHwithoutany pers alsomanufacturedspecificallyforusewithphoto- graphs naissance Tissue(2.5mil;60g/m can moreeasilyscratchdelicateprintsurfaces. papers mustbehandledmorecarefullybecausetheiredges Archivart suppliesanotherfineinterleavingtissuecalled Note: Conservation Resourcesand UniversityProductsalso Another outstandinginterleavingpapermadeinEn- Light ImpressionsRenaissancePaper(80lb.)andRe- 103 Mostmedium-weightorheavyweightinterleaving advise againsttheuseofglassine, includingso-called

ANSI glassine.

attheendofthischapterfor theaddresses standards relatedtothestorage ofphoto- (See Chapter13.) 102 Wheninterleavingunmattedprints, 2 ) aretwoexcellentpa- 104

1983 440

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 441 h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Dye Transferprintsin1981beforenonbuffered,neutralp Photographer MitchEpsteinandCarolBrowerworkingtogetherdiscussingthedetailsofmountingEpstein’sKodak 3 Holdunmountedlargeandeasilybendingprints 13. Interleaveall storedprints,whethermountedor 12. Handleallphotographs,mattedandunmatted,with 11. Wheneverpossible, usemountingcornersrather 10. .Mountandovermatvalued photographsassoon 9. Tophotographers:Deviate fromtheaboverecom- 8. UseagraphitepencilorIndiainktosignprints. 7. Beforesigningaprint,considerhowtheprintwill 6. Dryallprintscarefullytoavoidwarping. 5. .Useanenlargerthatgivesprecise90 4. Printphotographsinthecenterofpaper. 3. Printallphotographswithwidebordersanddo 2. Usethemoststablephotographicmaterialsavail- 1. not alongtheedgesatcenter. at twocornersdiagonallyopposite fromeachother, unmounted, toprotecttheirsurfaces. clean hands;wearcottongloves,ifpossible. than hingestosecurephotographsinsidemats. as possible. your work. mendations whenitisrequiredbythenatureof or covered. look ifmattedandframedwiththesignatureshowing centers theimageproperlyonpaper. ners withexactlyparallelimagebordersandthat not trimthem,unlessabsolutelynecessary. able andprocessthemcorrectly. Recommendations toPhotographers and CaretakersofPhotographs ° printcor- H , museumboardsbecameavailable. 7 Openandclosemats 17. Neveropenamatbyliftingtheinsideedgeof 16. Donottouchthefrontofaphotographormat. 15. Holdmatswithtwohandsattheouteredges. 14. 8 Shareanddiscusssuchinformationwiththose in 28. Request(and regularly update)informationfrom 27. Donotstoreunmountedcolorandblack-and-white 26. Donotstore unmountedandmountedprintsto- 25. Donotstore largeprintsormatsontopofsmall 24. Storeprintsand matsaccordingtosize. 23. Storeprintsandmatsflatonahorizontalsurface. 22. Donotstoreprintsinunsafeenvelopesorboxes. 21. Donotremoveaprintfromitsmountand/orcor- 20. Donotremoveaprintfromitsmountingcorners 19. Donotslideprintsormatsagainsteachother. 18. window. the fieldandotherinterested people. come incontactwiththem. graphic materialsandofthe materialsthatwill the stabilitycharacteristicsofavailablephoto- retailers, distributors,andmanufacturersabout prints inthesamecaseorenvelope. gether inthesamecaseorenvelope. prints ormats. ners andleaveitlooseinthemat. if notexperiencedindoingso. slowly .

Henry Wilhelm – May 1981

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: p tent, and,untilresearchshowsotherwise,haveaneutral be sulfur-free,lignin-free,haveahighalpha-cellulosecon- emulsion, oritssupport.Mountboardsforprintsshould have anyadverseeffectonthephotographicimage,its stable asthephotographtobemountedandshouldnot Mounting andenclosurematerialsshouldbeatleastas on contemporarycolorandblack-and-whitephotographs. term effectsofhigh-qualitymountboardsandadhesives photographer. cation andcooperationofallpeopleinvolved,includingthe photographer’s wishes.Thistaskalwaysrequiresthededi- ers, topreserveandpresentphotographsaccordingthe responsibility ofcurators,caretakers,collectors,anddeal- intentions ofthephotographershouldbelearned.Itis serving theoriginalqualityofaprint. conservation matting can contribute significantly topre- from physicalandchemicalharm.Carefulhandling h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 Summary The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs for mountingphotographs: tributors marketinghigh-qualityboardsmadespecifically in 1992,thereweretwelvemajormanufacturersanddis- materials andthewidevarietyofphotographicmaterials. names identified—ontheinteractionsbetweenmounting needs tobedone—andtheresultspublishedwithbrand ing materialsandthephotographs.Muchmoreresearch tral barriershouldpreventcontactbetweenunsuitablemount- boards cannotbeused,aneu- the recommended cals. If photographic prints. valued and valuable for care and protection to provide ways important two are matting conservation and handling chance tosurvive.Inthis author’sexperience,careful a have will which ones are the nowerly of taken care for whichthereisusuallyno cure.Thephotographsprop- care isnecessarytopreventdamage thoughtful served, the materialstheyuseandtoproduceworkthatwilllast. photographers willbebetterabletosetlastingstandardsfor openness andcooperationissharedbyeveryoneinvolved, tion, whencompleteinformationisprovided,andaspirit of nisms bywhichtheproductaffectsphotographs.Inaddi- tion researchiftheyaretoproperlyunderstandthemecha- tial knowledgeforconservatorsandthosedoingconserva- position ofaproductandwhohasmanufactureditisessen- the manufacturingspecifications. ing material,acompletelistofeachproduct’scontentsand ery packageorcontainerofpaper,board,othermount- propriate usesoftheirproducts. ture, composition,testing,stabilitycharacteristics,andap- be madetotheseandothercompaniesaboutthemanufac- Inc.; andUniversityProducts,Inc.Regularinquiriesshould Parsons PaperCompany;RisingTalas, tion; PaperTechnologies,Inc.;MillerCardboardCompany; pany; HurlockCompany,Inc.;LightImpressionsCorpora- tion ResourcesInternational,Inc.;CrescentCardboardCom- pany; ArchivartDivisionofHeller&Usdan,Inc.;Conserva- H valuewithoutthepresenceofalkaline-bufferingchemi- Few definitivestatementscanbemadeaboutthelong- Before anymountingproceduresaredecidedupon,the Every effortmustbemadetoprotectvaluedphotographs In theUnitedStates,attimethisbookwenttopress Where qualityinobjects—aslifeistobepre- Manufacturers anddistributorsshouldprovidewithev- ANW -Crestwood PaperCom- Knowing thespecificcom- 3 Exhibitionandauctionguide,June6–10,1983,MilwaukeeCenterfor 13. Whenasked,“Doyourecallasituationinwhichthemattingor 12. AndyGrundberg,lettertothisauthor,August30,1983,andtele- 11. CaldecotChubbisamotionpictureproducerandpublisheroflim- 10. long-standing supportinthiswork. Sharp LannomIV,JohnWolf,andHenryWilhelmfortheir Introduction andSectionOne Notes andReferences 4 BeaumontNewhall,lettertothisauthor,August 29,1982.Ina 14. Notes andReferences—SectionTwo .Background:PrattInstitute,SchoolofArtandDesign,Department 1. .HaroldJonesisaphotographer,dealer,formerAssociateCuratorat 8. HenryWilhelm,“PreservationofBlackandWhitePhotographs,” 7. RoyL.Perkinson,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,Decem- 6. ThomasBarrowisaphotographer,curator,historian,andProfessor 5. HenryWilhelmoriginallyoutlinedhisviewsonthesubjectinthis 4. PeterMacGill,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,July14, 3. BonnieBarrettStretch,“StateoftheArt:BigDealson57thStreet,” 2. .MarvinHeifermanisacurator,dealer,author,andtheformerDirec- 9. This authorexpressesherappreciationandgratitudeto Fine Arts,Brooklyn,NewYork,1969–1974( Photography, 207EastBuffaloStreet,Milwaukee,Wisconsin53202. School forSocialResearchinNewYorkCity). tant ProfessorofPhotographyatPrattInstituteandtheNew Museum ofFineArtsinBoston,Massachusetts,andformerlyAssis- Art InstituteofChicago,Illinois(formerlychiefphotographeratthe Newman, whoisExecutiveDirectorofPhotographicServicesatthe the matsassumingmostofphysicaldamage,”wroteAlanB. photographs, framed,andunframedbutmatted,falloffwallswith shock offalls,leavingtheprintsinsideunharmed.“I’vewitnessed independently commentedthattheyhadseenovermatsabsorbthe Knight, andgallerydirectorsPeterMacGillLaurenceMillerall print dealerMonahGettner,writerAndyGrundberg,framerKeith respondents saidyes,11%no.PhotographerThomasBarrow, mounting preventeddamagetoaphotographicprint?”84%ofthe phone conversationwiththisauthor,September3,1985. ited-edition photographicbooksandportfolios. tor ofPhotographyatCastelliGraphics(1976–1982). Tucson. Director ofthePhotographyProgramatUniversityArizonain of theCenterforCreativePhotography,andAssociateProfessor New YorkCity(JunetoSeptember1971),andby ployed toprepareconservationmatsbytheH.ShickmanGalleryin George EastmanHouse,firstDirectorof Iowa, October20–21,1978. posium presentation givenat ber 13,1982. George EastmanHouseinRochester,NewYork. Assistant DirectoroftheInternationalMuseumPhotographyat of ArtattheUniversityNewMexicoinAlbuquerque,andaformer sequent discussionsbetween1983and1986. author’s surveyin1982;furthercommentswereaddedduringsub- 1986. American Photographer member oftheProfessionalPictureFramersAssociation(since1985). Conservation ofHistoricandArtisticWorks(since1982),guild the PhotographicMaterialsGroupofAmericanInstitutionfor New YorkCity(October1971toJune1982);associatememberof phy attheMuseum ofModernArtIacquiredadozen orsoprints photographs shouldbepreserved. WhenIwasCuratorofPhotogra- know definitelythatheinsisted hispersonalpresentationof a conversationwithStieglitzheldprobably some45yearsago!Ido Unfortunately Ihavenodocumentation tosupportmyrecollectionof ting ofhisphotographsbytheMuseum ofFineArtsinBoston.. follow-up lettertothisauthor(January 31,1985),Newhallalsowrote: “. ..regardingStieglitz’sdisappointment withtheframing/mat- , TheOlmsteadCenterofDrakeUniversity,DesMoines, Acknowledgments Preserving YourHistoricalRecords:ASym- , Vol.16,No.6,June1986,p.22. LIGHT BFA Gallery,firstDirector 1974);firstem- LIGHT Galleryin 442

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 443 5 BeaumontNewhall,seeNoteNo.20,p.17.WardMuir’squotefirst 35. BeaumontNewhall,seeNoteNo.20,p.10. 34. JoshBarbanel,“NewYorkLawGivesArtistsRighttoSueProtect 33. NewYorkStateAssemblyBillNo.5052-C,“Artists’AuthorshipRights 32. Atthetimeofthiswritingin1983,France,Germany,Italy,California, 31. PeterMacGill,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,September 30. 9 AndreKertesz, 29. BeaumontNewhall,seeNoteNo.19. 28. BeaumontNewhall,seeNoteNo.19. 27. JohnSzarkowski,lettertothisauthor,July26,1983. 26. Thisquote,inKertesz’swordsforwhatNewhallsaid,wasalso 25. AndreKertesz,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,August24, 24. PhilipKatcher,“HowtoDateanImagefromItsMat,” 16. 3 RaymondSokolov, 23. BeaumontNewhall,seeNoteNo.19. 22. BeaumontNewhall,seeNoteNo.19. 21. BeaumontNewhall, 20. BeaumontNewhall,lettertothisauthor,July21,1983. 19. DavidVestal, 18. WilliamAdair, 17. 5 The editionconsistsof30portfolios(plussevenartist’sproofs)with 15. h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs proper tintandcutexactlytotherightsize;itmighttakefromfive it wasexactingwork,foreachmounthadtobeofpreciselythe some ofthespacesbetweenthemwithfaintwashescolour.’Still method ofsurroundingadrawingbyrulinginklinesandfillingup said thetechniquewas‘reallyaneasierwayofarrivingatFrench The resultwasaseriesofbordersaroundthephotograph.Evans tint. Theprocesswasrepeated,sometimesasmanyeighttimes. mounted onasomewhatlargercardofcontrastingorharmonizing eighth ofaninchlargerinsizethanthepicture.Thisturnwas colored card,usuallyasubduedgrayortan,hardlymorethanan was firstfastenedwithdabsofpasteatitsuppercornerstoa with themembersofNewAmericanSchool.Thetrimmedprint called, inaccurately,theAmericanstylebecauseofitspopularity sentation: “Evansperfectedthetypeofmultiplemountingwhichwas ber 2,1902,p.273. appeared in Work,” 1983. Act,” wassignedintolawbyGovernorMarioCuomoonAugust13, protect theintegrityoftheirworks. and Massachusettsalsorecognizedthelegalrightsofartiststo 1, 1983. York, 1976. Darkroom, Kertesz,” whichappearedintheSeptember/October1983issueof printed inJanisBultman’sarticle,“TheUpandDownLifeofAndre 1983. Journal, Society ofAmerica New York,1973,p.18. Row, NewYork,1984,p.186. Architects Foundation,Washington,D.C.,1983. Fabrication TechniquesandStyles, section wasfootnoted: minutes tohalfanhourgetasatisfactorycombination.[This publishers increatingportfoliosare: Graces prints coincidedwiththepublicationofAperturebook inch AgfaPortriga-RapidPaper.Issueofthisportfoliooriginal 82 differentimagesineach.Thenegativeswereprintedon16x20- boxes madeforthem...hewasverypleased!” from Stieglitzwhichwehadhimframe,andvelvet-lined and thereaderwas toldtosavetheunusedpieces forfutureles- one sideforthispurpose.Notall of thecoverpaperwasneeded, explicit directions,onthecoverpaper –whichwasleftunprintedon reader wasinvitedtocutout,and tomount,accordingEvans’s graph, printedononesideonlyof a supplementarypage.Thisthe zine for1904.Ineachissuethere wasareproductionofphoto- ing inaseriesoftwelvemonthlylessons in pp. 99–114.]Evansgaveapractical courseofinstructioninmount- Newhall continuedthediscussionofEvans’sconcernwithpre- – – – – – Other examplesofcollaborationbetweenphotographersand – SurroundedIslands Portraits TwelvePhotographs Desnudo InChina The SevenDeadlySins Volz, withHughLauterLevin(1984). Museum ofArt(1976). Don Rodan,withCastelliGraphics(1981). The NewYorkTimes, (1983). Vol.5,No.6,pp.32–50. The AmateurAmericanPhotographer, byEveArnold,withCastelliGraphics(1980). The ArtofBlack-and-WhiteEnlarging, byAndyWarhol,withBrunoBischofberger(1981). byManuelAlvarezBravo,withAcornEditions(1980). The FrameinAmerica,1700–1900:ASurveyof Distortions, The WallStreetJournal, Frederick H.Evans, The PhotographicJournal, byChristoandphotographerWolfgang byStephenShore,withtheMetropolitan AlfredA.Knopf,Inc.,NewYork, Vol. 44, No. 8, August 1978, p.26. and August14,1983,p.1. The SevenCardinalVirtues TheAmericanInstituteof Aperture,Inc.,Millerton, December3,1982,p.31. The Photogram February1908, London,Octo- Photographic Harper& maga- Social by 4 “CottonFiberContentPaper.Paperthat contains 25%ormore 54. ThisinformationwasconfirmedbyEmilyVinickoftheAmerican 53. StrathmorePaperCompany,“StrathmoreArtists’Paper,500Series,” 52. DavidPottenger,telephoneconversationswiththisauthor,May11, 51. KurtR.Schaefer,follow-uplettertothisauthor,July14,1982,after 50. ChiC.Chen,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor(regarding 49. KateMcCarthy,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,July18,1986. 48. ThisstatementbyCharlesT.Bainbridge’sSons,Inc.(currentlyNiel- 47. AldenW.Hamilton,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,May12, 46. AldenW.Hamilton,ManagerofCommercialDevelopmentforJames 45. 4 Thereisathirdtypeofhigh-qualityboard,whichcomposite 44. 3 AmericanNationalStandardsInstitute, Inc., 43. Thetermspaperandboardaresometimesusedinterchangeablyin 42. Notes andReferences—SectionThree 1 Ralph Baum,“LightintheDarkroom:ArrangingExhibits,” 41. AnselAdams,“Finishing,Mounting,Storage,Display,” 40. Andre Kertesz,discussionwiththisauthor,May29,1983. 39. RoyL.Perkinson,seeNoteNo.6. 38. Among the63respondentswhonoticedsurfacetextureofmount 37. Andy Grundberg,“APioneerWhoseImagesRangefromtheGrimto 36. fiber pulp.Thecotton fibercontentnormallyusedmay varyfrom25 content whichindicatesthatapaper containsapercentageofcotton and cottoncontentpapers.” linen cuttings.Thetermisusedinterchangeably withragcontent cellulose fibersderivedfromlintcotton, cottonlintersandor New York10016;telephone:212-340-0600. 1983. AmericanPaperInstitute,260 MadisonAvenue,NewYork, Paper Instituteinatelephoneconversationwiththisauthor,May12, Westfield, Massachusetts,nodate,p.3. 1983. 1983 andJuly17,1986.Mr.PottengerwasMarketingManagerin July 2,1982,telephoneconversation. letters ofJune21andAugust4,1982),March11,1983. and onfolderscontainingsamplesofitsmountboard.Code:1-82-65m. sen &Bainbridge)appearsinliteraturepublishedbythecompany from cottonragsuntilabout1974. 1983. AccordingtoHamilton,JamesRiverRagmountwasmade lesser degree. and hingesalsorequirethiskindofphysicalstrength,althoughtoa In thisauthor’sexperience,papersusedtomakemountingcorners papers mustbethin,yethavegreatfoldingandtearingendurance. products asbanknotes,documents,andpapercurrency.These rags areessentialinthemanufactureofdurablepapersforsuch River Corporation,pointedoutthatlongercottonfibersand are examples. Crescent RagMat( mately 4-plythickandhasabrightwhitecore.BainbridgeAlphamat, suited tomattingthanmounting.This“decorative”boardisapproxi- colored papersthathavetexturedorsmoothfinishes,itisbetter board madeofde-acidifiedwoodpulporcottonfiber.Facedwith telephone: 212-642-4900. Institute, Inc.,11West42ndStreet,NewYork,York10036; Technology inRochester,NewYork.)AmericanNationalStandards at theImagePermanenceInstituteRochesterof based onworkdonebyJamesM.ReillyandDouglasW.Nishimura includes anewversionofthePhotographicActivityTestwhichis for Storage Films, Plates,andPapers–FilingEnclosuresContainers National StandardforImagingMedia–PhotographicProcessed ness, boardissometimesreferredtoas“paper.” have beenlaminatedtogethertocreategreaterstrengthandthick- this text.Becauseboardisusuallymadewithsheetsofpaperthat Frederick H.Evans, Photographic Societyandgaveademonstration.”(BeaumontNewhall, tion ofgoodandbadexamplesmultiplemountingattheRoyal make anelaboratepresentation.In1908Evansorganizedexhibi- the reader-studenthadastockofmountingmaterial,andwasableto sons. Eachmonth’scoverwasadifferenttint,sothatbyDecember Photography, Massachusetts, 1983,pp.145–147. New YorkGraphicSociety,Little,BrownandCompany,Boston, mately 17%saiditdependedonthephotographorphotographer. photographs. Only5%preferredrough-texturedboards.Approxi- boards, 76%preferredsmooth-texturedboardformattingandmounting Center forResearchinBlackCulture,bothNewYorkCity. tion wasshownatTheNewYorkPublicLibraryandtheSchomburg sure, Sec.2,pp.35and37.TheGordonParksretrospectiveexhibi- the Glittery,” “Rag Content.Atermusedinterchangeably withcottonfiber . (ThisStandard,whichreplaced The NewYorkTimes, Vol.14,No.8,August1965,p.6. not Aperture,Inc.,Millerton,NewYork,1973,p.17.) Crescent“RagMat100”),andMillerUltimat March1,1987,ArtsandLei- ANSI IT ANSI PH 9.2-1991, American 1.53-1986 The Print, Industrial ,

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 5 Roberts andEtheringtongavethefollowingdefinitionfor“cotton 55. 8 Thisauthor’ssurveyquestion,“Inyourexperience,whatarethe 68. ClaudeMinotto,“PhotographBibliography,” 67. Piecesof16x20-inchboardaremorerigidwhenthe20-inchsides 66. Contact:DepartmentofCulturalAffairs,MaterialsfortheArts,410 65. A“point”isaunitusedtomeasurethethicknessofpaperand 64. Thetermsmountandmatareoftenusedinterchangeablyinthistext. 63. Notes andReferences—SectionFour Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs 2 Arno Roessler,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,August20, 62. Michael S.Ginsburg,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,Janu- 61. Vera G.Freeman,ManageroftheArtPaperDepartment,andKaren 60. Ron Emerson,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,September 59. Dennis Inch,telephoneconversationwiththisauthor,September9, 58. DennisO’Connor,undatedlettertothisauthor,receivedSeptember 57. Glossary, 56. which is55pointsthick Books, erts andDonEtherington, called ‘ragcontentpaper’and‘cottonpaper.’”MattT.Rob- cotton. Flaxisalsosometimesincludedinthisdefinition.Also derived fromCOTTONLINTERS,cottonorlinencuttings,andlint fiber contentpapers”:“Paperswhicharemadefromcellulosefibers Institute, Inc.,NewYork,1980,pp.116and334. to 100%.” who listedthatsize asstandardintheirexperience. sizes formountingphotographicprintsare: received 49responsesandshowedthatthemostcommonboard ing photographicprints?”(nosizesweregivenwiththequestion), most commonsizesyouhavefoundavailableformattingandfram- 78, p.138. tracted fromasheetof32x40-inchboardwhichisgrainlong. is grainlong.Four16x20-inchpieces,alllong,canbeex- are takenfromthe40-inchsidesoffullsheet,providedboard 4100, and212-555-5924. West 16thStreet,NewYork,York10001;telephone:212-841- paperboard andisequivalentto able formounting. specifically intendedformakinganovermatandisgenerallyunsuit- same board.Theterm“matboard”isusedonlywhenaboard author’s overmatsandmountsarenearlyalwaysmadefromthe without overmats. “matted,” itistodistinguishthemfromprintsthataremounted “mounted andunmattedprints.”Whenprintsarereferredtoas “mounted prints”referstobothandmatted “mounted” thaneither“mountedandmatted”or“matted”because with eithercorners,hinges,etc.) mounted intothemat.Ifprintisloose,itattachedtomat mounted, suchasdryinwhichcasethemountisthen which isattachedtotheovermat.(Theprintmayhavebeenpre- “matted print,”theprintisalwaysmountedontobackingboard, print,” theprintmayornotbematted.Whenreferringto mounted printisnotalwaysmatted.Whenreferringtothe“mounted In thisauthor’scontext,amattedprintisalwaysmountedwhereas author’s letterdatedAugust21,1985. 1985, andlettertothisauthor,August28,1985inresponse ary 2,1985. telephone conversationswiththisauthor,MayandAugust,1983. L. Crisalli,AssistantManageroftheArtPaperDepartment(A/N/W), 23, 1985. 1983. 8, 1983. Francisco, California,1979,p.117. Numbers inparenthesesrepresent thenumberofrespondents Most boardinthechapteriscalledmountboard,becausethis For thesakeofbrevity,printsaremoreoftenreferredtoasbeing LibraryofCongress,Washington,D.C.,1982,p.67. Paper –Art&Technology, 11. 40x60inches(3) 11. 20x26inches(3) 10. 12x14 Dictionary ofPaper, 9. 30x40inches(7) 8. 24x30inches(8) 8. 18x22inches(8) 7. 8x10inches(10) 6. 22x28inches(18) 5. 14x17inches(23) 4. 14x18inches(25) 3. 11x14inches(27) 2. 20x24inches(30) 1. 16x20inches(43) 1 ⁄ 2 inches(6) 55 Bookbinding andtheConservationof ⁄ 1000 inchthick. 1 fourthedition,AmericanPaper ⁄ 1000 TheWorldPrintCouncil,San inch;forexample,aboard Archivaria, No.5,1977– 6 Thisauthorwasintroducedtoconservationmattingin1971byCharles 76. 5 Thewindowwasmadelargeenoughtoshowthe 75. ArnonBen-David,telephoneconversationwiththeauthor,July30,1982. 74. Archivartsellsalkaline-bufferedwrappingpaper:ProductNumber 73. See:E.J.Pearlstein,D.Cabelli,A.King,andN.Indictor,“Effectsof 72. GaebelEnterprises,Inc.,P.O.Box6849,EastSyracuse,NewYork 71. See:JaredBark,“NotesonFraming”(1982)and“MoreNotes 70. ChiC.Chen,seeNoteNo.49. 69. had occurredduring pastdecadesandcenturiesto somerareand due, andotherevidenceofimproper handlingand/ormountingwhich vation matting.Thetornedges,fingerprints, stains,adhesiveresi- trimming artwork.Italsoclearlyshowed theimportanceofconser- helped demonstrateboththereasoning behindandthedangerof shortly beforetheyreachedthegallery, andsomenevertrimmed– son ofnumerousprints–sometrimmed longago,sometrimmed been trimmedandwhethertheywere previouslymatted.Compari- works onpaperdependedagreat dealonwhethertheyhadever ings, andpaintings.Thefragilitydifficultyofhandlingtheart- York City,aprivateestablishmentdealinginoldmasterprints,draw- S. MoffettandNormanLeitmanattheH.ShickmanGalleryinNew also createsa“frame”aroundthepicture. photographic imagemayalsobecoveredbecausethematwindow However, impressionsorlinesintheborderareathatsurroundsa impression thatsurroundstheimagestocreatea“double-border.” CP-101-CP, ArchivartAcid-FreeWrappingPaper. create fewerparticles,or“crumbs.” prefers kneadableerasersforcleaningmountboardbecausethey Conservation, Eraser TreatmentonPaper,” 13217; telephone:315-463-9261;toll-free:800-722-0342. New York10053;telephone:914-665-5400. Street, NewYork,York10013;telephone:212-431-9080. Framing” (1985)publishedbyBarkFrameworks,Inc.,85Grand rapher andhistoryareamystery.Fromprivatecollection. dramatic withitstornedgesandlostemulsion.Itsphotog- This striking1920’sportraitisunfortunatelyallthemore A.P.F., Inc.hasrelocatedto320WashingtonStreet,Mt.Vernon, Fall1982,Vol.22,No.1,pp.1–12.Thisauthor Journal oftheAmericanInstitutefor 1 ⁄ 4 inch border 444

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 445 6 ProcessMaterialsCorporation,TechnicalBulletinNo.CP-195-PH: 86. ProcessMaterialsCorporation,TechnicalBulletinNo.CP-197-PH: 85. AnselAdams,seeNoteNo.40,p.147. 84. Twophotographers,RiveraDaCuevaandGutadeCarvalho,discov- 83. Iftherighthandispushingcuttinginstrument,left 82. Thisapproachisusuallysuccessfulonlywhenopeninganyofthe 81. “Cuttingmats”madeofrubber-like“self-healing”materialsarenot 80. Thiswriterisnotexperiencedinusingmatcuttingmachines,such 79. An exceptiontothisillustratestheimportanceofconsideringcom- 78. Four-bladed easelsaresoldbyTheSaundersGroup,Inc.,21Jet 77. 8 Oneofthefirstrecommendations abouttheneedforwide borders 88. HowardPaperMills,themanufacturerofPermalife papers,also 87. h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Archivart PhotographicStoragePaper,75lbs.(111g/m 54-lb. or81-lb.papersaresuitableformostmedium-weightprints. This paperwasavailablein27-lb.,54-lb.,and81-lb.weights.The Atlantis SilversafePhotostorePaper100%CottonFiber,May1983. knobs becausethealuminumonesweredifficulttoadjust. knob, inthelate1970’s.In1984,Dexterreturnedtousingplastic plastic knobonthebladeholderwasreplacedwithanaluminum turer, themetalwasreplacedwithaslightlylightermetal,and difficult tocontrolthantheearliermodel.Accordingmanufac- sion, DaCuevasaidthatthe“new”DexterMatCutterwasmore available models.Experiencedincuttingmatswithanearlierver- November 1982thattheinstrumentweighedlessthanpreviously ered whenpurchasingaDexterMatCutterinNewYorkCity reversed inthecaseofleft-handedindividuals.) which isholdingthestraightedgeinplace.(Rightandleftwouldbe forward, shouldrestonthestraightedgetoassistlefthand, and forearmoftherightarm,whichismovinghand-heldcutter holding thestraightedge.Forright-handedindividuals,elbow directing itsmovementtothecorner. guide forinsertingtherazorbladeandsettinganglebefore in themiddleofappropriatesideservesasastartingpointand eight “sides”wheretheymeetatthefourcorners.Theopenincision “cutting mats”themselveswillmoveonasmoothtabletop. shift positiononthemduringcutting.Ifnotfasteneddown,the of thinpaper(e.g.,mountingcorners),butmountboardstendto Arttec, Dahle,andUchidaareexcellentforcuttingindividualsheets green, orbluesemi-hard“cuttingmats,”suchasthosemadeby recommended forcuttingmountboardupon.Thesetranslucent, dimensions whenusingsuchmachinesandinstruments. to takeintoaccountanypossibleinconsistencyofoutsideboard accurate initsmeasurementswhenadjustedproperly.Itisessential York CityinApril1982and1985byH.F.Esterly,itwas Mat CutterdemonstratedattheFrame-o-ramaConventioninNew surements onboard.WhenthisauthorobservedtheEsterlySpeed- as theEsterlySpeed-MatCutter,thatdonotrequiremarkingmea- are pairedandequalinordertomaintainthefree-floatingfeeling. fore, thepictureismosteffectivelypresentedwithmatbordersthat direction, alwaysappearingupsidedown ment and“withoutgravity.”Thisphotographmaybehunginany and twosleepingmen,allindifferentpositions–arefullofmove- (1951) whichpicturesfivefree-floatingfigures–threedancingwomen Telberg’s photographssuchas“CityHangingintheSky–LeAcrobate” position oftheimagebeforedecidingmat’sdesign.SomeVal 800-777-6634 (KostinerAdjustableUniversalEasels). Westminister, Maryland21158;telephone:410-857-6353;toll-free: Division ofOmega/Arkay,191ShaefferAvenue,P.O.Box2078, (Master andHeavyDutyProfessionalEasels),bytheKostiner View Drive,Rochester,NewYork14624;telephone:716-328-7800 matting forsuchprintswasdoneimmediately. ted, itwasimpossiblenottotouchtheactualart.Conservation some rareandvaluableprintsdrawingsthathadarrivedunmat- therefore makesthemmoresusceptibletodamage.Inthecaseof areas increasinglyclosertothatarehandleddirectlyand age furthertrimming.Repeatedtrimmingofartworkbringsimage and subsequenthandling,newstains,freshtearsmayencour- edge mayappearbeautiful,butsuchbeautyisusuallyshortlived, a finishedprintisitselffurthermutilationofthework.Afreshlycut not allowedintheShickmanGallerybecause,asIwastold,trimming responded bytrimmingoffdamagedareas.Trimmingofartworkis gallery oftendetractedfromtheartwork.Someindividualshad valuable oldmasterprintsanddrawingsbeforetheyarrivedinthe on photographic prints wasmadein1968,whenthe CreativePho- 45401; telephone:513-224-1211;toll-free: 800-543-5010. 354 SouthEdwinC.MosesBoulevard, P.O.Box982,Dayton,Ohio uted byLightImpressionsCorporation. HowardPaperMills,Inc., makes nonbufferedpapers,including RenaissancePaperdistrib- finish. Renaissance Paperisan80-lb.text-weight paperwithasmooth this paperisalsoavailablein80-lb.weight.LightImpressions and right-sideup.There- 2 ), May1983; 7 Thisauthor’ssurveyincludedseveralquestionsregardingtheuseof 97. 1 See: MerrilyA.Smith,NorvellM.Jones,II,SusanL.Page,and 91. Michael Wilder,atop-qualitycommercialcolorprinter,specializesin 90. 6 Theportfolio 96. 9 Eastman KodakCompanyhasalsorecommendedampleprintbor- 89. 5 Forexample,fifteen11x14-inchdouble-weightblack-and-whiteprints 95. CarolJoanPedzich,ChiefArchivistofthePhotographicArchives 94. JamesM.Reilly,DirectoroftheImagePermanenceInstituteat 93. 2 T.J.Collings, 92. of theentireportfolioinitscaseis15 ted with2-plyovermatsandmountedon4-plybackings.Theweight published byHyperionPressLimitedinNewYorkCity(1979),mat- mensions istheportfolio pendix 12.2:MountBoardThickness protect printsurfaces. Inpractice,however,only 53%ofthose Gallery areprotectedwithinterleaving papers. framed printsintheLaurenceMiller GalleryandthePace/MacGill print becauseitrequirespeopleto pausebeforetheylook.”Un- “On thecontrary–itcanincrease theviewer’sappreciationfora viewing [because]peoplelearnproper care.”LaurenceMillersaid, MacGill’s responsetothequestion was,“No,notatall;it when theyarenotprotectedbysleeves orinotherways.Peter necessary toprotectthesurfacesofprintswhentheyaremattedand said no.Individualsonbothsidescommentedthatinterleavingis pictures ingalleriesorprivatecollections?”44%saidyesand51% general, doyoufeelthatinterleavinginterfereswiththeviewingof interleaving papers.Ofthoserespondingtothesurveyquestion:“In collaboration withthephotographer’sson,RussellBurrows. lished in1985bytheLaurenceMillerGalleryNewYorkCity, rately designedtocontainthetwosizes.Theportfoliowaspub- 16x20-inches –andpresentedinasturdy,hand-madecase,elabo- (4-ply, white)–thirteentothesizeof20x24inches,five paper, conservationmattedwithRisingPhotomountMuseumBoard backings, willbeapproximately1 and approximately1 servation, Removal fromPaper,” Marian PeckDirda,“Pressure-SensitiveTapeandTechniquesforIts Surfwood Road,Malibu,California90265;telephone:213-459-0305. had extensiveexperiencemountingthem.MichaelWilder,3716 making Ilfochrome(calledCibachromeuntil1990)prints,andhas Kodak PamphletNo.E-30,May1982,p.6. Storage andCareofKodakColorMaterials Collection,” overmats.” JacobDeschin,“M.I.T.StartsArchivalPhotographic cropped ontheeasel,thenstoredanddisplayeduntrimmedbeneath sides “Archival printsmustbemadewitha1or2inchborderonallfour announced thatitwouldcollectonly“archivallyprocessed”prints: tography LaboratoryattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology tion 1962–1968 cm (3 borders about8cm(3inches)wideatthetopandsides9 narrow borders.Forthisreason,itisdesirabletomountprintswith due tochemicalpenetrationsattheprintedgesthanthosewith with widebordersoftensufferlessfromatmosphericdeterioration ders: “Examinationofoldphotographsindicatesthatthosemounted following: matted tothesizeof16x20incheswillweighapproximately 1982. rials GroupoftheAmericanInstituteforConservation,February1, in Rochester,NewYork,addressingthevisitingPhotographicMate- the InternationalMuseumofPhotographyatGeorgeEastmanHouse pp. 92–97. No. G-2S,EastmanKodakCompany,Rochester,NewYork,1986, cation of19th-CenturyPhotographicPrints, 309557), March1984.Seealso:JamesM.Reilly, Photographic ActivityTest, of StorageEnclosureMaterialsforPhotographsUsingtheANSI is preferabletopaperenclosures.See:JamesM.Reilly, albumen prints.Hisfindingssuggestthatuncoatedpolyestersheet been conductingresearchintotheeffectsofenclosurematerialson ety ofPhotographicScientistsandEngineersinJanuary1986),has Rochester InstituteofTechnology(establishedbyRITandtheSoci- Street, SheffieldS14PL,England,1986. Archivists InformationLeafletNo.2,SocietyofArchivists,56Ellin Most peopleinterestedinphotography areawareoftheneedto The same15prints,whenmattedwith2-plyovermatsand4-ply 1 ⁄ 2 inches)wideatthebottom.”EastmanKodakCompany, Vol.23,No.2,Spring1984,pp.101–113. 2-ply overmatand4-plybacking:10pounds 2-ply overmatandbacking:6 4-ply overmatandbacking:12 The NewYorkTimes, Larry Burrows:Vietnam,TheAmericanInterven- Archival CareofStillPhotographs, consistsof18DyeTransferprintson16x20-inch 7 ⁄ 16 Journal oftheAmericanInstituteforCon- inchesthickontheoppositeside(see Robert Doisneau–15Photographs, (NationalMuseumActGrantNo.FC- 3 ⁄ 4 inchesthickonthebindingside April7,1968,section2,p.31. 3 ⁄ 4 pounds. ). Themodelforthesedi- 3 3 ⁄ 4 ⁄ 4 pounds pounds KodakPublication Care andIdentifi- (majorrevision), Societyof Evaluation helps Ap-

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 0.LightImpressionsArchivalSuppliesCatalogs,Fall1992andearlier. 104. ProcessMaterialsCorporation,seeNoteNo.86 103. ProcessMaterialsCorporation,seeNoteNo.85. 102. “L”Tissueand“M”aremanufacturedbyBarchamGreen& 101. FrankR.Hart,lettertothisauthor,August12,1983. 100. In1984, Andrews/Nelson/Whiteheadbegantosellaninterleaving 99. 8 #40 Manning600TissuePapermaybeorderedfrom 98. Eastman KodakCompany, Eastman KodakCompany,“FinishingandMounting,”in Francis W.DolloffandRoyL.Perkinson, Anne F.Clapp, Anne F.Clapp, Doris Bry,“AnApproachtotheCareofPhotographs,”SothebyParke Paul N.Banks,“MattingandFramingDocumentsArtObjectson Miles Barth,“NotesonConservationandRestorationofPhotographs,” Additional References Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs Craig W.Jensen(compiledby), Klaus B.Hendriks,togetherwithBrian Thurgood,JoeIraci,BrianLesser, Klaus B.Hendriks, Robert Heller,“PhotographyinAmericanArtMuseums:AHistory,” Eastman KodakCompany, Judith Harlan,“HockneyRedefinesRoleofFramer,” Per E.Guldbeck, Grace Glueck,“What’sinaFrame?LessandattheModern,” Ann Ferguson, Margaret HolbenEllis, Margaret HolbenEllis,“MattingDrawingsforStorageandExhibition,” Troya #40.#0122isaheavierweightandstifferpaper. paper calledTroya#0122,whichbearsbutaslightresemblanceto Filing EnclosuresandContainersforStorage Media –PhotographicProcessedFilms,Plates,andPapers in #40) hasnotundergonetestingwiththePhotographicActivityTest enclosure papersmentionedinthisbook,#40Manning600(Troya that adistributorcanbefoundforthisproduct.Aswithmostofthe 6320. Unfortunately,theminimumorderis5000pounds.Ithoped Company, P.O.Box328,Troy,NewYork12181;telephone:518-273- sometimes, and18%didnot. use ofinterleavingpaperoverprintsinsidemats,54%did,28%did it sometimes,and11%didnotinterleavelooseprints.Regardingthe responding usedinterleavingpaperbetweenlooseprints,35% turescope, New York,May1982. Kodak PublicationNo.G-1,EastmanCompany,Rochester, ing withKodakB/WPapers–Art,TechniqueandScience, setts, 1979,p.29. on Paper, revised edition,NickLyonsBooks,NewYork,1988. Laboratory, Oberlin,Ohio,March1978. edition, IntermuseumConservationAssociation,The Bernet, NewYork,1976. revised May1973andNovember1978. Paper,” TheNewberryLibrary,Chicago,Illinois,firstpublished1968, Print Collector’sNewsletter, Volume 2 Canada M4S2P5;telephone:416-322-5113; Fax:416-484-9512. from LugusProductionsLtd.,48 Falcon Street,Toronto,Ontario, Canada andtheCommunication Group,1991.Available Lugus Publicationsincooperation withtheNationalArchivesof tals ofPhotographicConservation: AStudyGuide and GregHilloftheNationalArchives ofCanadastaff, tion (UNESCO),Paris,1984. lines, Materials inArchivesandLibraries:ARAMPStudywithGuide- May 1986,pp.1and70. 1979. cation No.F-30,EastmanKodakCompany,Rochester,NewYork, see, 1979. ciation forStateandLocalHistory,thirdprinting,Nashville,Tennes- New YorkTimes, Framer, Association forStateandLocalHistory,Nashville,Tennessee,1987. Drawing, pany, Rochester,NewYork,1985. Eaton, editor),KodakPublicationNo.F-40,EastmanCom- in NewYorkisthedistributorUnitedStates. Company, Ltd.attheHayleMillinKent,England.ANW-Crestwood ANSI IT UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganiza- WindsorGraphics,Galveston,Texas,1985. Vol.2,No.1,May/June1980,pp.7–10. , TheAmericanInstitute forConservationofHistoric and thirdedition,MuseumofFineArts,Boston,Massachu- Curatorial CareofWorksArtonPaper, 9.2-1991, AmericanNationalStandardforImaging Vol.29,No.3,Fall1981,pp.84–90. Conservation FramingfortheProfessionalPicture Curatorial CareofWorksArtonPaper, The CareofHistoricalCollections, The PreservationandRestorationofPhotographic July15,1984,Section2,pp.1and6. The CareofPrintsandDrawings, Preservation ofPhotographs, Conservation ofPhotographs The Book&PaperGroupAnnual – May/June1983,pp.48–50. How toCareforWorksofArt Art BusinessNews, . AmericanAsso- Quality Enlarg- , publishedby KodakPubli- thirdrevised Fundamen- (GeorgeT. American fourth Pic- The (See Chapter12 Appendices andSuppliersListon followingpages...) Susan GarretsonSwartzburg,ed., Time-Life Books, Marla StrasburgandVivianKistler, Nathan Stolow, Otha C.Spencer, Merrily A.SmithandMargaretR.Brown, Bob Schwalberg,withHenryWilhelmandCarolBrower,“Going!Going!! Jeanne Schonberg,“Questionstoaskyourframerandanswersyou Professional PictureFramersAssociation, David Vestal, David Vestal,“HowVestalMountsandMatsPrints,” Professional PictureFramersAssociation, Sandra Powers,“WhyExhibit?TheRisksVersustheBenefits,” Polaroid Corporation, Carl ZigrosserandChristaM.Gaehde, Lee D.WitkinandBarbaraLondon, Roy L.Perkinson, Joan Pedzich,“BalancingPreservationandResearch:SomePrinciplesthat Professional PictureFramersAssociation, Laraine WrightO’Malley,ed., National GalleryofCanada,RestorationandConservationLaboratory, Klaus B.KasperandRudolfWanka,“ChemicalFormulationsRe- Stuart A.Kohler,“HowtoMakeandUseWheatStarchPaste,” Stuart A.Kohler,“ArchivalPhotoCornersofJapaneseTissue,” Laurence E.Keefe,Jr.andDennisInch, Library ofCongress,PreservationOffice–ResearchServices, Sue BeaumanMurphyandSiegfriedRempel,“AStudyoftheQuality Materials, Handbook ofUseandCareTraditionalNontraditional Shops Photographs Crown Publishers,NewYork, York, 1965. Care ofOriginalPrints, tural Organization,Paris,France,1979. and onExhibition, Photographic ArtsCenter,NewYork,1986. ington, D.C.,1981;and,TheConsultantPress,ADivisionofthe National PreservationProgramOffice,LibraryofCongress,Wash- of ArtonPaper, Photography Gone!!! –WhichColorFilmsandPapersLastLongest?”, querque. RevisedbyJudithBooth,July1973. should get,”TamarindInstitute,TheUniversityofNewMexico,Albu- Richmond, Virginia,March1986. Picture FramersAssociation,Richmond,Virginia,1987. Framing WorksofArtonPaper Photography, ration Massachusetts, 1979. New YorkGraphicSociety,Little,BrownandCompany,Boston, Row Publishers,Inc.,NewYork,1975. Association, Richmond,Virginia,1985. Framing WorksofArtonPaper, American Archivist, setts, 1983. tographs: AGuide, ciation ofMuseums,Washington,D.C.,1977,p.4. Help,” Series, CommercePublishingCompany,St.Louis,Missouri,1979. tawa, Ontario,April1981. ing andStorage, The CareofPrintsandDrawingswithNotesonMatting,Fram- Washington, D.C.,1981,p.30. and HingingofWorksArtonPaper, graphic Engineering, quirements ofPhotographicPaper,” Artistic Works,Washington,D.C.,1983. News, Abbey Newsletter, 1984. was publishedin edition London,The book’sfirst 1990. England, Focal Press(ButterworthPublishers),Boston,Massachusettsand Historic andArtisticWorks,Washington,D.C.,1985,pp.63–72. Group Annual Japanese PapersUsedinConservation,” (revisededition),Time-LifeBooks,Alexandria,Virginia,1982. PhotographiConservation, Vol.36,No.7,July1981,pp.38–39. , ColumbiaPublishing,Akron,Ohio,1989. The CraftofPhotography GreenwoodPress,Westport,Connecticut,1983. Conservation StandardsforWorksofArtinTransit Caring forPhotographs–Display,Storage,Resto- , Prentice-Hall,Inc.EnglewoodCliffs,NewJersey,1983. , June1990,Vol.97,No.6,pp.37–49,60. Conserving WorksofArtonPaper, Vol.90,No.9,September1983,pp.87–94. A GuidetotheEnhancement&Presentationof , Vol4,TheAmericanInstituteforConservationof Storing, HandlingandPreservingPolaroidPho- revisededition,NationalGalleryofCanada,Ot- ANationalPreservationProgramPublication, UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCul- Vol.6,No.5,October1982,pp.63–64. PolaroidCorporation,Cambridge,Massachu- Vol.41,No.3,July1978,p.297. Vol.7,No.3,June1981,p.67. sponsoredbythePrintCouncilofAmerica, MountingArtWork Floorplans forGalleriesandFrame The PhotographCollector’sGuide, Conservation intheLibrary–A Vol.4,No.2,June1982,pp.6–7. A GuidetotheCollectingand Matting andHingingofWorks (revisededition),Professional Survey onMat/MountBoards, ProfessionalPictureFramers (updatededition),Harper& Journal ofAppliedPhoto- The LifeofaPhotograph, PPFA GuildGuidelinesfor PPFA GuildGuidelinesfor The BookandPaper LibraryofCongress, , Basics&Beyond AmericanAsso- Popular Popular Matting History The The 446

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 447 h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs author wouldliketothankthefollowingpeoplewhoparticipatedinthissurvey: participated intelephoneinterviewshavebeenquotedthetextandarereferencedatendofchapter. individuals whocompletedthesurveyformswereincludedinstatisticaltabulations.Thosewrotelettersand statistics toillustratevariousconcernsandsomeofthewrittencommentshavebeenwovenintochapter.Onlythose in theusableformsweretabulatedandyieldedanenormousamountofinformation.Somedatawasusedbyciting returned unusableforms),and10peopledidnotrespond.Answerstothequestionsalladditionalcommentswritten an informativelettertosubstitutefortheincompleteform,6peopleparticipatedintelephoneinterviews(2ofthesehad the UniversityofArizona,isalsowellknownasaphotographer,educator,curator,printdealer,andgallerydirector. one area,only10wereclassifiedashavingactivemultipleroles.Forexample,HaroldJones,whocurrentlyteachesat 11 miscellaneousprofessionals,and10“multiplerole”people.Althoughmanyindividualswereinvolvedinmorethan queried were18photographers,14curatorsandhistorians,13conservators,10printdealers,6collectors,4writers, changing attitudesandpracticesrelatedtothepreservationpresentationofphotographicprints.Amongthose titled “TheCareandPresentationofPhotographicPrints,”consisted131questionswasconductedtoreview It ishopedthatthisonlythefirstofaseriessurveyswillbeconductedperiodicallyincomingyears.This Of the72returnedforms,65wereusableand7unusable(apologies,incomplete).Inaddition,onepersonwrote In August1982,thisauthorsentoutsurveyformsto86individualsactivelyinvolvedwithphotography.Thesurvey, Robert Lyons DirectorofMuseoRufino Tamayo) Robert Littman,GreyArtGallery (presently Helen Levitt David Kolody Patti andFrankKolodny Keith Knight,Knightworks Susan Kismaric,MuseumofModernArt Andre Kertesz Pepe Karmel Peter C.Jones Harold Jones,UniversityofArizona Marvin Hoshino Marvin Heiferman Susan Harder Andy Grundberg Emmet Gowin Ralph Gibson Monah andAlanGettner,HyperionPressLtd. Helen Gee Frances Fralin,CorcoranGalleryofArt UniversityofTexas Roy Flukinger,HumanitiesResourceCenter, David Fahey,G.RayHawkinsGallery Louis Faurer Mitch Epstein Caldecot Chubb William Christenberry Pat MarieCaporaso,CastelliGraphics Eleanor Caponigro Harry Callahan Irene Borger Jane andLarryBooth,SanDiegoHistoricalSociety Arnon Ben-David Miles Barth,InternationalCenterforPhotography Thomas Barrow,UniversityofNewMexico Jared Bark,BarkFrameworks,Inc. ConservationCenter Gary E.Albright,NortheastDocument Ansel Adams Appendix 12.1:Survey Peter Wilsey Henry Wilhelm Rick Wester Thomas Walther Samuel Wagstaff,Jr. Susan Unterberg Alice Swan Joel Sternfeld Eve Sonneman Frederick Sommer Douglas G.Severson,TheArtInstituteofChicago Victor A.Schrager Allen Schill Gerd Sander,SanderGallery,Inc. Leo Rubinfien atGeorgeEastmanHouse Grant Romer,InternationalMuseumofPhotography John Rohrback,Aperture,Inc. Don Rodan Ani Rivera Mary KayPorter Roy L.Perkinson,MuseumofFineArts,Boston Merrily Page,PageImageworks,Inc. Eugene Ostroff,SmithsonianInstitution Debbie HessNorris Arnold Newman ServicesatTheArtInstituteofChicago) (presentlyExecutiveDirectorofPhotographic Alan B.Newman,MuseumofFineArts,Boston Beaumont Newhall Hans Namuth (presentlyCuratorofPhotographyatthe Weston J.Naef,MetropolitanMuseumofArt National FilmBoardofCanada Laurence G.Miller,MillerGallery Ronay andRichardMenschel Joyce andRobertMenschel Jerald Maddox,LibraryofCongress Peter MacGill,Pace/MacGillGallery J.PaulGettyMuseum)

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: h adig rsnain n osrainMtigo htgah Chapter12 The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs Association inRichmond,Virginia, publisheditsfirst bristol board,maybelessthan thick, whileadifferent4-plypaperproduct,suchas of paperandpaperboardisequivalentto thick. A“point”isaunitformeasuringthethickness most common.One-plyisusuallyabout12.5points and 8-plythicknessesofwhich2-4-plyarethe sheets orpiecesofmuseummountboard: heavier) thanothersofthesamethickness. manufacturers’ boardsaredenser(andconsequently ness isnotanaccurateguidetoweightsincesome supplied bythecompaniesin1985): thicknesses ofmountboard(measurementswere different companiesandshowsomeotheravailable nesses of1-,2-,and4-plymountboardsvaryamong (see above: and includesamoreextensive listofboardthickness report providesinformation about numerousboards, Survey piece of4-plymuseumboardisusuallyabout “layer” andnotactualthickness.Forexample,a ply measurementbecausetheterm“ply”merelymeans inch. Apointmeasurementismoreaccuratethana Appendix 12.2:MountBoardThickness In March1986,theProfessionalPictureFramers Rising Process James Andrews/Nelson/Whitehead: Museum mountboardisavailablein1-,2-,4-,6-, Following aretheapproximatethicknessesofsingle The followingexamplesindicatehowthethick- 2-ply = 4-ply = 4-ply: 60points Conservamat: 55points 2-ply: 30points 1-ply: 15points 6-ply: 85points 60x104-inch museumboard:60points 4-ply: 50–55points 2-ply: 25–27points 4-ply: 56points 2-ply: 26points 1-ply: 13points 6-ply: 81points 4-ply: 54points 2-ply: 27points 1-ply: 13–14points

Paper River Mat/Mount Boards

Materials Additional References 1 1 ⁄ ⁄ 16 32

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Company: inch=50–60points inch=25–30points

Corporation: . Thiscomprehensive 1 ⁄ 32 -inch thick.Thick- ). 1 ⁄ 16 -inch 1 ⁄ 1000 Troy, NewYork12181 P.O. Box328 Division ofHammermillPaperCompany Lydall-Manning PaperCompany (see CustomPapersGroup) James RiverCorporation Fitchburg, Massachusetts01420 Old PrincetonRoad (formerly JamesRiver-Fitchburg,Inc.) Custom PapersGroup Hamilton, Ohio45011 400 DaytonStreet Beckett PaperCompany England Maidstone, KentME156XQ Hayle Mill Barcham Green&Company,Ltd. A. Manufacturers(museumboard) High-Quality BoardsandPapers England London, E33PA No. 2St.AndrewsWay Atlantis PaperCompanyLimited New York,York10013 315 HudsonStreet Division ofWillmannPaperCo. ANW-Crestwood PaperCo. B. ConvertorsandDistributors Westfield, Massachusetts01085 South BroadStreet Strathmore PaperCompany England Wells, SomersetBA51A6 St. Cuthbert’sPaperMill Housatonic, Massachusetts01236 295 ParkStreet Division ofFoxRiverPaperCompany Rising PaperCompany Holyoke, Massachusetts01040 Division ofNVFCompany Parsons PaperCompany Cedex, France F-07104 Annonay P.O. Box139 Papeteries Canson&Montgolfier Bennington, NewHampshire03442 Antrim Road Monadnock PaperMills,Inc. Telephone: 518-273-6320 Telephone: 617-345-2161 Telephone: 513-863-5641 Telephone: 01-481-3784 Toll-free: 800-525-3196 Telephone: 212-989-2700 Telephone: 413-568-9111 Telephone: 0749-72015 Telephone: 413-274-3345 Telephone: 413-532-3222 Telephone: 603-588-3311 Suppliers 448

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: 449 Wheeling, Illinois60090 100 WestWillowRoad Crescent CardboardCompany Chatham, NewYork12037 Route 295 Artists SuppliesDivision The ColumbiaCorporation Moonachie, NewJersey07074 7 CaesarPlace Division ofHeller&Usdan,Inc. Archivart B. ConvertorsandDistributors High-Quality BoardsandPapers Holyoke, Massachusetts01041 517 MainStreet University Products,Inc. New York,York10001-1996 213 West35thStreet Talas, Inc. Edison NewJersey08818 110 NewfieldAvenue Rupaco PaperCorporation (see Archivart) Process MaterialsCorporation San Clemente,CA92673 929 CalleNegocio Paper Technologies,Inc. Paramus, NewJersey07652 40 EisenhowerDrive Esselte BusinessSystems,Inc. Nielsen &Bainbridge Holyoke, Massachusetts01040 211 BowersStreet Morilla Inc. New York,York10012 75 WoosterStreet Miller CardboardCorporation Rochester, NewYork14603 439 MonroeAvenue Light ImpressionsCorporation Philadelphia, Pennsylvania19140 1446–48 W.HuntingParkAvenue Hurlock Company,Inc. h emnneadCr fClrPoorpsChapter 12 The PermanenceandCareofColorPhotographs Toll-free: 800-323-1055 Telephone: 312-537-3400 Toll-free: 800-833-1804 Telephone: 518-392-4000 Toll-free: 800-333-4466 Telephone: 201-933-8100 Toll-free: 800-628-1912 Telephone: 413-532-9431 Telephone: 212-736-7744 Toll-free: 800-336-4736 Telephone: 908-417-9266 Telephone: 714-366-8799 Toll-free: 800-631-5414 Telephone: 201-368-9191 Toll-free: 800-628-9283 Telephone: 413-538-9250 Toll-free: 800-888-1662 Telephone: 212-226-0833 Toll-free: 800-828-6216 Telephone: 716-271-8960 Toll-free: 800-341-0142 Telephone: 215-324-8094 products andArchivalAidstapes.) (Contact SealforinformationonAdemco Naugatuck, Connecticut06770 550 SpringStreet Seal Products,Inc. San Clemente,CA92673 929 CalleNegocio Paper Technologies,Inc. Niagra Falls,NewYork14305 4600 WitmerIndustrialEstate (tapes, adhesives) Filmolux (U.S.A.),Inc. Moonachie, NewJersey07074 7 CaesarPlace Division ofHeller&Usdan,Inc. Archivart A. Distributors Conservation Materials Holyoke, Massachusetts01041 517 MainStreet University Products,Inc. New York,York10001-1996 213 West35thStreet Talas, Inc. New York,York10011 39 West19thStreet Sam Flax,Inc. New York,York10003 62 ThirdAvenue New YorkCentralArtSupply Rochester, NewYork14603 439 MonroeAvenue Light ImpressionsCorporation Springfield, Virginia22151 8000-H ForbesPlace International, Inc. Conservation Resources Sparks, Nevada89431 1165 MarriettaWay Conservation Materials,Ltd. Woburn, Massachusetts01888 31 OlympicAvenue Charrette Corporation C. Retailers Telephone: 203-729-5201 Telephone: 714-366-8799 Toll-free: 800-873-4839 Telephone: 716-298-1189 Toll-free: 800-333-4466 Telephone: 201-933-8100 Toll-free: 800-628-1912 Telephone: 413-532-9431 Telephone: 212-736-7744 Toll-free: 800-628-9512 Telephone: 212-620-3000 Toll-free: 800-242-2408 Telephone: 212-473-7705 Toll-free: 800-828-6216 Telephone: 716-271-8960 Toll-free: 800-634-6923 Telephone: 703-321-7730 Telephone: 702-331-0582 Toll-free: 800-367-3729 Telephone: 617-935-6000 New York,York10001-1996 213 West35thStreet Talas, Inc. Holyoke, MA01041 P.O. Box2604 Lineco Inc. Rochester, NewYork14603 439 MonroeAvenue Light ImpressionsCorporation Springfield, Virginia22151 8000-H ForbesPlace International, Inc. Conservation Resources Sparks, Nevada89431 1165 MarriettaWay Conservation Materials,Ltd. B. Retailers Cathedral City,California92234 P. O.Box1788 (polyester stripsformountingprints) Frame Strips,Inc. Eugene, Oregon97403 5120-5 FranklinBoulevard Frame Tek Telephone: 201-483-4646 Newark, NewJersey07107 41 DickersonStreet (drafting supplies) Faber-Castell Corporation Oxford, Connecticut06483 6 BensonRoad Dahle U.S.A.,Inc. Bloomfield, Connecticut06002 6 BrittonDrive The C–ThruRulerCompany Mt. Vernon,NewYork10553 320 WashingtonStreet A.P.F., Inc. A. Manufacturers (See alsoChapter15.) Matting /FramingSupplies Holyoke, Massachusetts01041 517 MainStreet University Products,Inc. Telephone: 212-736-7744 Toll-free: 800-322-7775 Telephone: 413-534-7815 Toll-free: 800-828-6216 Telephone: 716-271-8960 Toll-free: 800-634-6923 Telephone: 703-321-7730 Telephone: 702-331-0582 Toll-free: 800-448-1163 Telephone: 619-328-2358 Toll-free: 800-227-9933 Telephone: 503-726-5779 Toll-free: 800-835-8382 Toll-free: 800-243-8145 Telephone: 203-264-0505 Toll-free: 800-243-8419 Telephone: 203-243-0303 Toll-free: 800-221-9515 Telephone: 914-665-5400 Toll-free: 800-628-1912 Telephone: 413-532-9431 (frame fillets) (frames)

This document originated at on June 6, 2003 under file name: New York,York10001-1996 213 West35thStreet Talas, Inc. Rochester, NewYork14607 439 MonroeAvenue Light ImpressionsCorporation New York,York10011 39 West19thStreet Sam Flax,Inc. New York,York10003 62 ThirdAvenue New YorkCentralArtSupply Woburn, Massachusetts01888 31 OlympicAvenue Charrette Corporation C. Retailers Syosset, NewYork11791 80 GordonDrive Supplies, Inc. United Manufacturers Garden CityPark,NewYork11040 P.O. Box340 120 Broadway S&W FramingSupplies,Inc. Holyoke, Massachusetts01040 211 BowersStreet Morilla Inc. Norcross, GA30093 3900 SteveReynoldsBlvd. Larsen-Juhl B. Distributors Bloomsbury, NewJersey08804 100 NorthStreet (pens, draftingsupplies) Koh-I-Noor, Inc. Chapter12 Paoli, Pennsylvania19301 43 E.LancasterAvenue Innerspace East Syracuse,NewYork13217 100 BallStreet P.O. Box6849 Gaebel Enterprises,Inc. The Handling,Presentation,andConservationMattingofPhotographs Telephone: 212-736-7744 Toll-free: 800-828-6216 Telephone: 716-271-8960 Toll-free: 800-628-9512 Telephone: 212-620-3000 Toll-free: 800-242-2408 Telephone: 212-473-7705 Toll-free: 800-367-3729 Telephone: 617-935-6000 Toll-free: 800-645-7260 Telephone: 516-496-4430 Toll-free: 800-645-3399 Telephone: 516-746-1000 Toll-free: 800-628-9283 Telephone: 413-538-9250 Toll-free: 800-221-4123 Telephone: 404-279-5319 Toll-free: 800-631-7646 Telephone: 908-479-4124 Toll-free: 800-327-9348 Telephone: 215-644-9293 Toll-free: 800-722-0342 Telephone: 315-463-9261 (frame fillets) (rulers) Rochester, NewYork14624 21 JetViewDrive The SaundersGroup KeenCut NorthAmerica Cape Elizabeth,Maine04107 Box 84,RR5 Systems ConceptDesign Holdfast MatCutting Corporation andSamFlax,Inc.) Grifhold New York,York10013 80 WhiteStreet General Tools,Inc. Farmington, Connecticut06032 65 SpringLane The Fletcher-TerryCompany Wiscasset, Maine04578 Box 890,R.R.3,U.S.Rt.1 H. F.EsterlyCompany Southbridge, Massachusetts01550 44 GreenRiverStreet Russell HarringtonCutlery,Inc. Dexter MatCutters Oxford, Connecticut06483 6 BensonRoad Dahle U.S.A.,Inc. Edison, NewJersey08818 50 NorthfieldAvenue Nielsen &Bainbridge C &H/Bainbridge Jackson, Mississippi39236 P.O. Box16997 Carithers InternationalAssociates,Inc. Ellensburg, Washington98926 607 WestThirdAvenue Alto’s EZ/Mat,Inc. names ofdistributorsandretailers.) (Contact thefollowingcompaniesfor Instruments andMachines Paper andMatCutting Tallahassee, Florida32317 P.O. Box13524 Westfall Framing,Inc. Holyoke, Massachusetts01041 517 MainStreet University Products,Inc. Toll-free: 800-828-6124 Telephone: 716-328-7800 (Distributed byMorillaInc.) Telephone: 212-431-6100 Toll-free: 800-843-3826 Telephone: 203-677-7331 Toll-free: 800-882-7017 Telephone: 207-882-7017 Telephone: 617-765-0201 Toll-free: 800-243-8145 Telephone: 203-264-0505 Toll-free: 800-631-5414 Telephone: 201-225-9100 Telephone: 601-956-8378 Telephone: 509-962-9212 Toll-free: 800-874-3164 Telephone: 904-878-3546 Toll-free: 800-628-1912 Telephone: 413-532-9431 (available fromCharrette Japan Higashinari-ku, Osaka537 Higashi-Nakamoto 2-11-8 Olfa Corporation Holyoke, Massachusetts01040 211 BowersStreet Morilla Inc. (Mapedmatcuttersaredistributed 74005 Nancy,France 4, avenuedesVieuxMoulins B.P. 190 Maped S.A. Wauconda, Illinois60084 1100 BrownStreet Logan GraphicProducts,Inc. (see TriumphPaperCutters) Kutrimmer Cutters Statesville, NorthCarolina28677 2020 WestFrontStreet Manufacturing Corporation Subsidiary ofHunt X-Acto North Charleston,SouthCarolina29418 3290 AshleyPhosphateRoad Michael BusinessMachinesCorporation Triumph PaperCutters Canada St. Lambert,QuebecJ4P1R8 Department AT3 2 WatermanStreet Talens C.A.C.,Inc. New Orleans,Louisiana70114 2610 PrancerStreet Starr-Springfield, Inc. New Britain,Connecticut06050 600 MyrtleStreet Tool Division Stanley Works Jackson, Mississippi39206 5836 NorthCommercePlaza Equipment Company Picture Framing Corporation andSamFlax,Inc.) United StatesbyCharrette (Olfa cuttersaresoldinthe Telephone: 06-972-8101/5 Toll-free: 800-628-9283 Telephone: 413-538-9250 Canada) and soldthroughfineartmaterialstoresin in NorthAmericabyTalensC.A.C.,Inc. Toll-free: 800-331-6232 Telephone: 708-526-5515 Toll-free: 800-438-0977 Telephone: 704-872-9511 Toll-free: 800-552-2974 Telephone: 803-552-2700 Telephone: 514-672-9931 Telephone: 504-392-7905 Telephone: 203-225-5111 Toll-free: 800-221-8592 Telephone: 601-956-9894 450

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