What role do storage materials play in the longevity of a photograph or negative?
Proper storage materials are essential for long-term stability of photographs and negatives. They provide much needed physical support and protection for fragile objects, and at the same time act as a barrier between the photograph and a potentially unstable environment. It is of utmost importance that storage materials be known to be unreactive to the photographic material. Much damage has been done in the past through the use of reactive materials such as acidic ground wood pulp sleeves, rubber bands, paper clips, pressure-sensitive tapes, and poor-quality adhesives such as rubber cement or animal glue.
