One piece of advice that I always give to my researchers
at the Lambton County Archives is to identify the individuals in their
photographs. In your personal photograph collection, you may know the names of
all the aunts, uncles, and cousins, but unless you document this information,
that knowledge is lost to anyone else accessing your material. You should record
as much information as possible, including the names of the individuals in the
paper, the date the picture was taken, where the picture was taken, and if
applicable, the special occasion.
There are established strategies in the archival
community for safely recording information on photographs. If you follow these
rules, you can minimize the impact of recording important information on your
photographs.
My preferred method is to not write on photographs at
all, but rather place them in an envelope or sleeve that contains the relevant
information. This way, you can label your photographs with the detailed
information that you need without physically inscribing on the photograph
itself. Through vendors such as Carr McLean, Brodart, and Gaylord, you can
purchase transparent photographic sleeves or acid-free envelopes that will
safely hold your photographs. By applying a label to the sleeve or writing on the
envelope, you can record your information and avoid marking the original
photograph. This is the best case scenario and a win-win for your priceless
photographs!
 |
| Example from the Lambton County Archives where labels have been inserted into the sleeve. |
 |
| Example from the Lambton County Archives where information was written on the envelope that houses the image. |
There are reasonable options if you do want to inscribe
information directly on the photograph. For many older photographs, you can use
a soft lead pencil to record your information. Writing on the back of the
photograph, keep your letters small and neat to minimize the impact, and make
your markings lightly. Pencil can be erased, so by using pencil you are not
permanently altering the photograph.
 |
| Stabilo-All pencil, here in white, which is much more legible on this black photo album than a regular pencil. |
For modern, glossy photographs, pencil often will not
stick or mark clearly on the back of the photographs, and it is not a good
option. There are many products on the market advertised as "photo safe
archival pens" that will write clearly on these types of photographs, but
I do not recommend ever permanently marking a photograph. In many cases, the
inks will smear, and sometimes bleed through to the front of the photograph.
Additionally, you cannot change the information after you have marked it down
in permanent ink, unless you want to scribble out what you wrote previously!
The Stabilo-All pencil is a good option that will write on the glossy
photographs but can be dry erased or wiped off of smooth surfaces. The
Stabilo-All pencils are similar to a pencil crayon, and you can find them for
purchase online. I have found that in some instances even the Stabilo-All
pencils will not write on glossy photographs, and in those cases I use the
method of putting the photograph in a sleeve or envelope and applying my
labeling to this protective cover.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of documenting your
photographs, and minimizing the impact of that documentation by following these
guidelines.
