Yes, Put On Those White Gloves, Baby!

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things."

Thursday, on Shades Of The Departed, will be dedicated to
many things, and nothing in particular.

Many Things Thursday

Much of the damage to photographs and negatives is caused by chemical reactions of the body oils in fingerprints with the image during the handling process. Wear white cotton gloves to lessen the possibility of leaving fingerprints and soiling the photograph. Shades has stated this admonition on more than one occasion. Have you ever seen a fingerprint that could be 100 years old? I thought I'd introduce you to one today.

Here is the reason you wear white gloves.

Here is a fingerprint burned into the Real Photo Postcard used in my article A Sign Of The Times. The postcard was produced ca. 1911. The fingerprint was the product of poor handling procedures sometime between 1911 and the date it was received by Shades in 2009.

Always remember to:

-- Handle a photograph while wearing lint free white gloves.
-- Never touch the photograph itself. Always handle a photograph by the edge.
-- Remove bits of cardboard or debris from your gloves between each photographic examination.
-- Wash gloves after every use.

So put on those "white gloves, Baby" and be confident you won't get an oily fingerprint in the middle of Great Grandmother's pretty face.

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