Sistemare le fotografie

ENG - Like all works of art, even photographs, over time, undergo an inevitable deterioration. In fact, a slight obsolescence gives many examples a fascinating aspect particularly appreciated by collectors, but serious studies and effective techniques have identified suitable environments and the most appropriate methods to keep the photographs in an appreciable state of conservation for a long time, just as they usually do with books or paintings. Perhaps not everyone knows that there is a professional figure for which one obtains the qualification only at the end of a theoretical-practical training path and which also includes important company internships. The technique of conservation of the photographic asset consists in securing phototypes to protect them from the threat of various forms of degradation, taking into account the techniques, the state of conservation and the materials used. The conservation workers are prepared to allow the correct use of the works and work in close collaboration with the catalogers, who collect all the data relating to the specimens of a collection, paying attention to every detail that makes it easier to identify and research. Both the photographic material of the period, which may have a certain technical, artistic and collectious interest, and that which simply represents a precious family memory, suffers mechanical, biological and chemical damage. In addition to tears, scratches and fingerprints due to clumsy use and attack by insects that "devour" the images on paper, the most fearful risk factors are mainly three: light, heat and relative humidity. Generally, excessive lighting should be avoided, keeping the environment at a temperature below 18 ° and relative humidity between 30% and 40% to help prolong the good quality of common photographic prints. Obviously these values should not be subjected to sudden changes, but always remain constant. Even photographs that apparently are safe inside the solid frames on the desk often undergo rapid deterioration due to condensation, a deleterious phenomenon that occurs between the glass and the surface of the old portrait. Moreover, in the drawers, in the boxes and even in the albums, the photographs can easily come into contact with deceptive materials that, instead of safeguarding them, accelerate their downfall. Those who pretend to do everything by themselves, content with approximate information and following incautious advice, risk unfortunately damaging the original vintage prints of refined photographic collections.