Your Family Memories May Be at Risk: Which Solution is Right for You?

A few months ago, my family was digging through the family video tapes. My cousin was getting married and we thought it would be fun to find some footage of her as a little girl.

We put a tape in. The pictures shook a little bit, which was normal with home tapes but the picture became very staticy and eventually engulfed in lines.  Same with the next tape. As it turns out, the lifespan of a home recorded VHS tape is only 10-25 years.

Luckily, not all of the family tapes had been affected but it was enough of a warning sign to try to get them converted to another medium. (You'd think that someone who spends a great deal of time stabilizing and conserving things from the past that I would have foreseen this. I knew it would happen eventually I just thought we had more time, somehow.)   



Electronic media storage devices have been an awesome advancement as they have allowed us to store massive amounts of data in small spaces and tend to have a long shelf life under good conditions. Digital photos are now vastly more poplar than prints or film photos. But just like everything in the world, digital storage devices also deteriorate through the years and have problems.

Digital photos and electronic media has become so popular that even new couples to get their wedding photos on a CD or USB drive with all of the intentions of printing photos from them later. Which rarely happens as their friends have already seen the photos so there is nothing pressing them to print them. Unfortunately USBs and CDs are "temporary" storage solutions only meant to store items short term until the couples can find a different solution which many times doesn't happen until years after the fact when it is too late. 

I urge people to reevaluate their family memories ASAP. Below is a breakdown of the possible types of storage commonly available today and the issues associated with each type to assist anyone looking to protect their family files:

Electronic Media Storage: USB drives/ Hard Drives

Issues :

- Number of times file are added and deleted severely affects longevity.
- Exposure to hot and cold temperatures.
- Everyday drops and bumps.
- USBs are frequently lost due to their size.
- Software and hardware malfunctions.
- Popular file types change over time so in the future you may not be able to open the files.
- Popular hardware changes so you may not have the physical equipment to open the file in the future. Have you tried opening a file on a floppy disk recently?
-Lifespan: 2-5 Years

Remember this?

Cloud Storage: Sites like Facebook, Flickr, even Blogger, as well as sites dedicated to storage like Dropbox and GoogleDrive. 

Issues:

- Issues with privacy/hacks.
- If a company goes out of business, what happens to your files?
- If something happens to you, does your family know how to access the files?
-Lifespan: ???

CD-Rs and DVD-Rs: 

Issues:

- While professionally made CDs and DVDs can last decades, homemade ones deteriorate in as little as 5 years.
- Can be scratched or cracked easily.
- Heat (such as being left in a hot car) can speed up the deterioration process.
-Lifespan: 2-5 Years  

Issues with Photographs:

-Can be damaged by fire, water, etc. (There are far more people who have lost photos, videos and documents due to hardware failure than people who have lost these things due to natural disasters such as fires or floods.)
-Can take up a lot of space. 
-Not all negatives, films, papers and ink created equal. Low end items will show color shifting earlier.
-Fade when exposed to sunlight.  (Always display a copy and keep the original packed away.)
-Lifespan:  65-100+ Years

Regardless of what media you choose, it is smart to have a copy of all important documents at a different location. Water and Fireproof boxes are a smart investment for irreplaceable documents. Not only will they protect your files from fire and water damage but it helps to have your documents all in one place in the case of an emergency. Also remember that no method is perfect, so reevaluate your documents and storage systems every few years.

For more information on proper storage of photographs and documents check out this page: Care for Antiques.   
  

How to Care for and Repair Vintage and Antique Quilts: Guest Post by Ann Wasserman

I am so excited for this post and to introduce everyone to Ann! Ann has a degree in anthropology and many years of experience working with vintage and antique textiles. She has a wealth of knowledge as can be seen on her blog and website and is so inspirational. Thanks Ann!

Hello! My name is Ann Wasserman. Stephanie Ann has graciously invited me to write a bit about my experience with repairing and caring for antique quilts (30 years). I also have more recently begun repairing vintage clothing (5 years).

Quilts (and clothing) are an important part of this country’s history, and of family histories, too. When you are working on an antique quilt, you are taking stitches in a three-dimensional, historical document. All quilts, not just “museum-quality” quilts, hold valuable information. In a hundred years, there may be only a few quilts from the 1940s left intact. They will be as rare and collectable as quilts from the 1840s, even the plainest ones, are now. A future quilt historian may someday find a great deal of information in your quilt if it is treated kindly now.

Over the years, I have developed three basic "rules" of quilt care:

- Do as little as possible.
- Don’t do anything that can’t be undone.
- Preventative maintenance is the best medicine.

These rules could just as easily apply to any antique or vintage textile items. And really, they are also pretty good to keep in mind with any new heirlooms that you are making or acquiring.

Here are some ways these rules can be put into use:

- Do as little as possible.

- Remember that doing nothing is always an option, especially if you are feeling unsure of techniques.

- Each quilt and its problems are unique and must be carefully considered before you start.

- I avoid inserting my own color and design tastes into the original look. Duplicating the original as closely as possible maintains the vintage ambiance of the quilt.

- There are two very different routes to choose between:

“Restoration” is often referred to as “repair.” A quilt is restored as closely as possible to its original state by replacing or fixing missing or worn fabrics.

Patches on a 1950s-60s Bowtie quilt:

Mending torn edge of a 1940s quilt:

“Conservation”, on the other hand, stabilizes and maintains the current condition of the quilt. The only fabrics added to a quilt are those that give necessary structural support. A pleasing visual presentation takes second place to maintaining the historic information embodied in the quilt.

Applying crepeline silk on a c.1860s Old Italian Block quilt:

Don’t do anything that can’t be undone.

- When patching, don't remove the old, worn fabrics. If anyone ever wants to see the original quilt, they would be able to find the original underneath your patching. Also, removing fabrics and cutting threads can cause new problems, such as weakening and skewing the structure, or causing more stitching to unravel.

- Stay away from mending with fusibles. Besides being permanent, some can stiffen the fabric, and longterm effects of the glues are unknown.

- Keep all your knots in the new fabrics you are applying to avoid making knot-size holes in the older fabrics.

Preventative maintenance is the best medicine.

- This includes careful storage, gentle cleaning, and so on. These things are sooooo much easier than sad and difficult repairs down the road.

- Storage: Never in plastic - Never in unheated or damp attics or basements - Use moth and rodent protection.

- Cleaning: Wet wash only when the soil is actually damaging the fabrics or the quilt is too dirty to be bearable - Be very, very careful if you do decide to wash, eg. never agitate in the washer, don't use stain removers - Vacuuming to remove dust is the safest.

- Old fabrics should never be handled as if they were new. Natural fibers are made from plants and animals, from parts of living things. When the fibers are harvested from the plant (vegetable fibers) or animal (protein fibers), they, in essence, have died. They immediately begin to degrade, or decompose. Synthetic fibers seem stronger, but are also susceptible to aging and wear.

Other guidelines:

- A good knowledge of the history of fabric colors and styles helps in finding fabrics for repairs. Some books that I use often are:

-Clues in the Calico, by Barbara Brackman
-Dating Fabrics, books 1 and 2, by Eileen Jahnke Trestain
-Fabric Dating Kit, by Cindy Brick

Also, just browsing through quilt history books and books with vintage photos of all sorts can really hone your eye.

- My favorite source for reproduction fabrics is a shop entitled, most appropriately, Reproduction Fabrics. (This is an unsolicited endorsement. I'm nothing more than a very happy customer.) The owner, Margo, and her staff are super friendly and super helpful and super knowledgeable. They'll send out huge swatches in no time at all, and fill orders just as quickly. The website is sectioned by era, but searches can be done by color as well.

- The sewing needed is relatively simple, i.e. no fancy stitches required. But this is pretty much all handwork, so be prepared for a long-term project. What's nice is that you can relax and take larger stitches (at least, large compared to what quilters usually do). Larger stitches are less likely to pull on and break the weak, old fibers.

- Professional conservators have tons of skills, tools, labs, and information that homesewers do not, myself included. If you have a very valuable, fragile, or historically significant quilt, consult with a conservator.

Here are pix (and links to my blog posts) of a few of the lovelies I've had the pleasure of repairing.

Six-Pointed Stars, part 1 and part 2       
 

Embroidered Crazy Quilt: Link to post.

Friendship Dahlia: Link to post.

Snowflake, part 1 and part 2

I would also like to introduce you to the book I've written that covers all these topics and more.

http://www.annquilts.com/book.html

Thanks to Stephanie Ann for including me in her blog! There are lots more photos and stories on my blog and at my website.

Trash or History?

Did you know that litter on National Park land belongs to the government? The same goes for anything interesting you might find.

If you find something really interesting in a national park, the proper protocol is to take photos of it, note it's location and notify the ranger.  Many people are unaware of this or don't think anything of picking up these items and keeping them or giving them to the rangers.

To many, artifacts are the treasure. But to anyone studying history, the context is the treasure. To illustrate, it is the difference between finding a button from a Civil War soldier and finding a button from a Civil War soldier who was only 16 years old and delivered a letter to Stonewall Jackson minutes before he was killed.  

Do you think that there are so many visitors that you shouldn't even bother keeping your eyes open? Very interesting things are found on historic sites each year. Weapons, ammunition, buttons, helmets, and coins are found on battlefields every year. Some visitors even find soldiers. 

Last year, a visitor stumbled upon the remains of a Civil War soldier at Antietam, in a groundhog hole. While no charges were filed against him for bringing the remains to the rangers, this man at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield wasn't so lucky. He found remains sticking out of a river bed, excavated them and sent them to the park service. He was fined over $5,000.

 

Middletown Peach Festival and Fun

This weekend I had a ton of fun at the Middletown Peach Festival in Delaware with the Victorians of Virtue and Valor. We marched in the parade and then occupied the yard in front of the historical society with period games, a fabulous Cinderella puppet show made from period patterns, a recruitment center, a silhouette artist and even a snake-oil salesman. 

While the festival isn't purely a historically based event, the event was lighthearted and there was a lot of interaction between reenactors and visitors.

Beautiful doll fashion show.

Salesman making some sales. 

The puppet show was beautiful and a huge draw for girls and boys alike.  Some visitors even play acted out the whole 15 minute Cinderella script. 

To finish off the day, the ladies tried their hands at a military volley.  

Then Sunday, Andy and I went to help out on tall ship, Gazela. We're joining the crew so will have more updates about the ship later this year.

Overall it was a fun and productive weekend. I was able to see friends and make new ones.

How to Preserve Old Photographs

My Grandma and Grandpa on their Honeymoon in 1948.

It's a snow day here and everyone is snowed in. I thought it would be the perfect day to sort through and label all of those family photos that have been collecting over the years. Although I am very strict on how I keep my photos, my family has a notoriously bad system of keeping their photographs.  

My grandma gave me the photo at the left yesterday. My grandmother and my grandfather went on their honeymoon in Miami. My grandmother said that they had to take the bus all the way down because the trains were full of soldiers and that they still couldn't get meat. She got sun poisoning and was subsequently very sick. Her photos are really cool but are seriously degrading because of the photo books she has them in. The albums that were popular at the time were made with paper that contains acid which helps break down photographs.     


 Before you can preserve a photograph, you need to identify what kind of photo you have.

Types of Photographs

·         Daguerreotypes  (1840s-1860s) These photos are really fragile and most were placed in glass frame cases to protect the image. The image is printed on polished silver. These have a shiny , mirror-like quality to them. These are normally reversed images due to the photographic process used to make them. 

·         Ambrotypes (1854- 1880s) The picture is a negative image printed on glass and is backed with black paint, paper, or cloth to make the image appear as a positive. 

·         Tin Types (1850s)  Image is printed on an iron plate. 

·         Carte De Visite (CDV) (1860-1870s) The image is printed on paper and glued to a heavy card, frequently including studio information on the front or back of the card. These pictures are normally 2 ½ x 4 inches.  These were printed in sets of 8 and were given to friends and family.   

·         Cabinet Cards (1870s- 1900s)These photos look like CDV’s but in a larger size, 4 x 6 inches and were glued to heavier card stock.  

My Great, great Grandfather, Paul.

·         Gelatin (1890s-1960s) These images are glossy images printed on card-stock. The images are in true black and white.

This is my another picture of my Grandma. The original photo is in clean black and white, it looks brown because of the lighting.

·         Resin (1970s photos) These normally have a brownish tint.

How to Clean Photographs:

Daguerreotypes: Daguerreotypes normally have tape around the edges to prevent the image from tarnishing. To clean Daguerreotypes, you need to remove them from the glass or case while wearing gloves. Put the image in a safe location and clean the glass with distilled water, diluted dish soap and cotton swabs. Make sure the case is completely dry before replacing the image. The image is far too easy to scrape off if you clean the image, but due to the tape around it, the dirt is normally just on the glass anyway. 

Ambrotypes: If the image is sandwiched between two glass plates, the glass can be cleaned carefully using cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol. Make sure that you only touch glass and never touch the image or blackening. If the ambrotype only has one plate of glass, do not attempt to clean it, it is too easy to accidentally chip the black paint or image. Never try to open a sandwiched ambrotype. 

Tin Types: Tintypes are normally in cases and can be scratched easily.  Only hold the tin type by the edges and clean with compressed air. 

Carte De Visite: Cartes De Visite should only be cleaned with a soft brush or canned air.

 Cabinet Cards: Cabinet Cards should only be cleaned with a soft brush and canned air.

All later photographs: Modern  photographs should be cleaned with canned air, soft brush and lint-free cloths.  

How to Store Photographs

After cleaning, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes and Tin Types should be stored in archival paper envelopes which can be made cheaply and easily using acid free computer paper. Make sure that after you make the envelope, you remove the photo, write the photograph information on the envelope then replace the photo and seal the envelope with a little bit of tape. Many people suggest that you store These types of photographs upright but it isn’t really practical unless you have a large number of them. Place your envelopes in a box, labeled with the photos contained therein. Store in a drawer or closet where they can be protected from temperature fluctuations, dampness and light.  

Cartes De Visite, Cabinet Cards, and modern photographs should be stored in acid-free albums (modern scrapbooks are normally good). Use photo corners to attach the photos to the page and be sure to write the photograph information on the paper to avoid having to remove and replace photos unnecessarily.

 

The Do’s and Don’ts of Photograph Preservation

-Don’t keep photos in contact paper books, the glue ages and browns and also ruins your photos.

-Don’t fold, tape, rubber band or paperclip photos. Tape eventually browns over time and will eventually hurt your pictures. Today, we can digitally reassemble a torn photo.

-Don’t glue photos into photo albums or they will likely be damaged when removed in the future.

-Always write the name or names of the people in the photos, the year and the location with a photo safe marker or lightly with a pencil. Regular pen ink deteriorates and can harm your photo.  (Really, do this. In a few years you might not remember as well as you think you will. It will also help your great grandkids in the future; it’s horrible to have a box of photos of unidentified people.)

-Always keep photos in temperature controlled areas (closets are good,) the extreme temperatures in attics will damage photos.

-Always use an archival scrapbook (the ones currently sold in craft stores are archival and contain no acids) and photo corners. Most older albums are actually bad for your photos.  

-Always hold photos by the edges, don’t touch the image.

-If you can, wear cotton gloves when touching photos.

-Make a copy, store the original.  If you display a photo, the light will eventually fade it, always make a copy and store the original safely.  Physical and digital copies of your photos also back up your photos if the original ever gets destroyed.

This photo of my grandmother was damaged in a house fire.

Torn photo as a result of being glued into a book.

Making copies is very important. If you display a photo, the light will eventually fade it, always make a copy to display and store the original safely. Physical and digital copies of your photos also back up your photos if the original ever gets destroyed. 

A lot of people don’t like to display copies because they think that they lack the charm of the original. Photocopying and art techniques can create an image that is practically indiscernible from the original and also preserves the original.      

 

This CDV is not only a copy but completely fake. It was made completely with modern photographing techniques and art. We keep this photo around as an example of what can be done to copies to try and preserve the charm of the original. Always make sure to write on the back of copies that they are not the original so you don't confuse future generations. Remember a lot of museums make similar replicas of their sensitive artifacts so the originals can be preserved for the future. You can even tell people that they are replicas--they will probably be really surprised.      

Phew! That was a lot!

How to Preserve Antique Books

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Books are unlike other antiques. Many people think that just because a book is old, that it is “worth something.” While I am one of those people who think books are always “worth something,” to collectors and potential buyers of your book, being old does not make it more desirable. Unlike other antiques such as furniture, toys, and clothing, which are used a lot over the years, the majority of books only get read a few times over the years and spend most of their time unharmed on a bookshelf. Books from the 1700s and before are prized by collectors, as well as 1^st editions of books and books signed by the author. Many of us wish to preserve our books for their information and beauty, despite their lack of collector value.  



If you have a historical book or book of importance, it's best to leave this to a professional. (I mean it.)

Before you start preserving your book, decide if it is a book that you want to read a lot or not. If it is a book you will want to read a lot, consider making a digital copy of the book. You can photograph each page with a digital camera or use a photocopy machine that is designed for old books (the ones that have 2 panels to scan instead of one flat one, these can be found in large research libraries.) Once you have a digital book, you can keep it digital or print it out and put the pages into a binder.   

Before you touch your book, wash your hands and make sure they are very dry. The oils on our hands can break down the paper and inks. Some people like to wear white cotton gloves but I think that it is harder to turn pages and you are more likely to cause damage to your book.

Open your book carefully. Find two spare books and lay towels on them to hold your book slightly closed so you don’t put stress on or break the spine or binding of the book.

Go through the book and remove anything that should not be in there such as book marks, newspaper clippings, bugs, dust and dirt. You can very carefully vacuum the dust and dirt out but I find that a clean feather or never before used paint brush work very well. Be careful when turning fragile pages. You can use a loose leaf of paper to turn the pages if your book is too delicate.  

Unfold any folded pages; this can be very tedious because sometimes a lot of pages are “dog eared.” If you leave these pages bent, the bent part will weaken the paper and eventually fall off. You may see some of the page corners in your book already broken off.

Decide how often you will need the information in your book. If you will be using your book often and did not want to make a digital copy, wrap your book like you would a school “book cover” only make sure you use acid free, archival paper. This can be bought at craft stores in the scrap booking section or from an office supply store.

If you will not be using the book much, wrap your book like a present; again use acid free, archival paper. Be sure to label your book cover in pencil. I write the title and copyright information on an index card and tape it to the front of it to avoid ruining the book cover while pressing to hard on it with a pencil. Your book can then be placed in a zip-lock bag.

If your book is very important (diaries, family bibles, a book with high collector value), make a box for it, out of archival cardboard; make sure the book is a tight fit. If your books aren’t very important, like mine, I place three or four books in a shoe box.

Store the books or boxes, lying flat on a surface in a dry dark place. Inside drawers or on bookshelves are good places. Make sure that bugs will not eat your books by putting bug traps on top of and behind your shelf.

Some other problems you may have:

Mildew Stains-- The greenish brown stains in books are not mildew but what is left behind after mildew has been there. There really is no cost effective way to remove these stains. There is not danger of the mold returning if it is only stains. 

Mold or Mildew—If your book has mold or mildew currently, you may wish to make a digital copy (outside) and discard the book. Books with mold or mildew can infect other books. It is very hard to remove mold and mildew because touching them only spreads the spores. A good rule is to never buy books with mildew on them in the first place, no matter how cheap.   

 

Oxidation or "Foxing"—Rusty looking stains in books. These can only be removed by a conservationist but will not hurt the book.     

Crinkling of the pages or Tears—These can only be repaired with great care. Try to flatten out crinkles the best you can. Do not tape tears; it only leads to more problems in the future. If you need to repair a tear learn how to repair it the proper way with Japanese rice paper and a rice based glue. I will probably post a short tutorial on fixing tears sometime in the future.  

*Note: Look at the Godey's Lady's Book Lithograph at the beginning. There are two children using an umbrella in the snow. :D I hope you all enjoyed and can make use of this information.

How to Date Old Books: How to Read Roman Numerals

 I love old books. There's a smell to old books and the worn in, well read feel that you just can't get from a modern book. Great care used to go into making books, many were even hand bound, today machines manufacture the whole books. 

Many of us have old books but have no idea what year they are from. Many 18^th and 19^th century books have no publication date and leave us to research for ourselves to determine their origins. 

The first thing to look at is the front pages of the book to see if there is any publisher’s information. If there is publisher’s information, you can do some research online to find out between what years a publisher was in business. You may also be able to find lists of when they published certain titles.

Also, look to see if there is a forward in the book. Sometimes forwards include the date of publication so it is unnecessary to include it in the publishers notes. Another thing to look at is if there are any advertisements in the book. These are more common in older books than you would think. Try to research a little on any advertisements in the book as other books advertised are likely to have been published in the same year.
  

If nothing else, you can try to date a book by the style of binding or printing as well as any etchings or photographs included. Book printed on rag paper, were normally printed during the 1600s and 1700s. Books printed on wood pulp paper normally date after 1840.









If an illustrator created images especially for the book, try researching the illustrator as well as some of the artwork. Woodcut illustrations (usually only one) were used in books in the 18th century. Woodcut designs are normally thicker and less detailed than "etchings" which were used from the 1800s to the early 1900s.  

The date may also be included with the publisher’s information as Roman numerals. Roman numerals are one of those things that many people half-learned. Most of us learned enough to read a clock, but nothing else.  Roman numerals take a bit of work to figure out but it is well worth it to learn how just to know if your copy of Walden is from 1854 or 1910. The practice of using roman numerals was more prevalent in Britain but can still be found in a lot of old American books.

• Roman numerals are written with the largest numerically equivalent letter to the left and the smallest numerically equivalent letters to the right in largest to smallest order.

                  Ex. MDCLX = 1660

• Each letter’s value is added together.

                  Ex. MMC = 1,000 + 1,000 + 100 = 2,100

• Each letter is normally only used three times in each number (this is sometimes four but it is rare.)

                  Ex. VIII

• To make sure that each letter is only used three times, there is a “subtraction rule” which is if a numerically smaller letter is before a larger one, it is subtracted from the larger letter’s numeric value.

                  Ex. MCMXLII = 1,000 + (1,000-100) + (50-10) + 2 =1942

Some Roman Numeral Dates to try:

Answers: 1. 1854, 2. 1862, 3. 1861, 4. 1843 

I hope this helped and that many of you can now date your antique books. This is eventually leading up to a post on how to care and preserve your old books.  


*Note: The woodcut design was drawn by Paul Revere in the 1770s, the etching is from Godey's Lady's Book 1860.