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(click any picture to see a larger picture)

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DISPLAY

Once the photo has been properly framed, the next step is proper display. Your photos should be thoughtfully placed around the home, both for decorative and preservation purposes. It will be critical to pick spots on the wall or shelves that are not illuminated by direct sunlight through windows at any time of the day or year. Select indoor lighting that is low in wattage, and keep the bulbs close enough to adequately illuminate the photo but not so close as to heat it up. Doubling the distance between the photo and the light reduces the light level four times, not two, so even a small increase in that distance can have big effects. The same principle applies to heat. Your framer or your local lighting store may have tips on selecting bulbs that will enhance the color of your photos as well.

The rooms you select for displaying your photos should be cool and dry. Keep the best photos out of the kitchen and bathroom, and avoid putting them over the mantle. Also beware of cleaning chemicals. Don’t clean your frames with anything but a dry or moist soft rag (or according to the manufacturer or framer’s instructions). If you paint a room where photos are displayed, remove the photos from the room for a few weeks to allow time for the paint to cure and the solvents to be fully released.

Most museums like to rotate their pictures on and off display to keep their galleries fresh. You can do this too, to keep your home collection fresh. This practice also reduces the time each image is on display and extends its life. Rotate two prints, and both will last almost twice as long. Rotate three, and they’ll likely last three times as long, and so on. Rotating the photos also gives you a chance to inspect them occasionally and look for any early signs of trouble. If your photos are mounted on mats of the same size, you need only remove the old matted photo from the frame and replace it with another matted photo. The ones in storage can be kept in their mats in a quality storage box of the right size.

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CONCLUSION

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This document can be found in PDF format at http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org