What should I do with silvered photos?

Vintage black and white photos used silver particles to make old photo papers sensitive to light. Unfortunately, multiple factors including the developing process, age, and storage can cause the silver particles to oxidize and create a silver or blue iridescent haze over the photo.

You might see silvering just on the edges of a print where the photo was in contact with acidic paper or framing material. In more extreme cases you’ll see silvering across the entire image, and it’s usually worst in dark shadows of the image. Silvering is a common form of decay of black and white prints, but the mirrored effect makes it impossible to see details of the image, especially in darker areas of the photo.

Can silvered photos be recovered?

If you scan silvered photos on a conventional flatbed scanner you can only capture the silvered image, without the missing details. However, at Chaos to Memories use a special camera scanning technique you’ll find in leading archives and museums around the world that captures all the original details of the print but without any damage to the original.

How do I avoid silvering?

If your black and white prints are already silvered, the best solution is to camera scan them with cross-polarization to recover the lost details. If you have old black and white prints that are still in good condition, these steps can minimize the risk of silvering:

• Archival materials
  Store prints in archival materials that are acid free and lignin free
• Environment
  Store photos in a cool, dark location without extreme temperature fluctuations
• Photo frame glass
  If your black and white prints are displayed in frame, replace the glass with museum glass from a professional framing shop. Museum glass limits the amount of UV light which will fade your photos and accelerate the aging process

None of these best practices will reverse photo silvering, but they will minimize degradation in the future.

Interested in working with Chaos to Memories?

If you’re near Chicago and ready to get started, come visit our Wheaton Studio Monday – Friday, 10-5. Please bring your memories with you.

If you live outside the Chicagoland area, we’re happy to send you a Project Form and Contract, along with shipping instructions, so you can get started on your project.

Contact us for more information.