Subscribe to our newsletter. Whether it is paintings on cave walls or writings chiseled in stone, mankind has been recording history si nce the beginning of time. The ability to document history photographically is a more recent invention, however, beginning with the daguerreotype in 1838.
Photographs provide a very important visual connection to our ancestors.
Shared family physical characteristics, hairstyles, clothing styles, family traditions, special events and more provide a graphic portrayal of the lives of our ancestors, but if we do not properly care for our photographs, some of our history will fade away right along with those precious images. Environmental factors such as t emperature, humidity and sunlight affect photographs more than any other factor. Dirt, dust and oil are also big culprits of photographic deterioration. You should handle prints and negatives along the edges, preferably while wearing white cotton gloves. The worst places to store your photographs is in an un-insulated attic or basement.