how do you straighten an old, badly curled photograph?

Question

this photo was rolled up into a tube shape, but will crack if unrolled. Any hints?

Answer 1

I'm a big advocate of just leaving old prints & negs alone, don't attempt conservation work on old photos yourself unless you know what you're doing...or it doesn't matter much to you if they get messed up....so my stock advice is to contact your state or local archive, history museum, maybe a library with a special collections room (genealogy wing) etc....if you can find one with a paper conservator, an objects conservator or at best a photo conservator this would be great...Here are some suggestions (but if they were mine, I would leave them alone & try to find some advice from a professional conservator or an archivist at the very least)

That said, I would not rewet them or reprocess them....if they're severely curled--like in a tube--leave them alone & seek help. If you attempt to flatten them out, you risk cracking the emulsion...one way to deal with a *slightly* curled print is to place it face down (emulsion down) on a sheet of clean blotter paper..lay another sheet on the back, and place a piece of glass over the top of this sandwich...if you do this very carefully, and do it in an enclosed area like a small box or a tent, you can _slowly_ raise the humidity over a period of days....you don't want any mold to grow, but if you can relax the print enough, you may be able to flatten it a bit....another way to do this would be to lay it emulsion side down onto the clean blotter, and then *slightly* moisten the back of the print--do not wet the emulsion side-- and then place another sheet of blotter paper & lightly weight it down...but either way, the blotters and the glass plate etc., should all be bigger than the original...when it's all said & done (assuming you haven't made them worse) you should invest in some nice PAT approved acid/lignin free folders, and maybe a flip top Hollinger type (metal edges) box to store them in a cool & dry spot..so they won't curl again....

If these are hand-colored, look like they have chemical stains, have started to silver out, look like they have mold/mildew growing on them...all bets are off, and do NOT rewet them....you probably won't be able to afford a conservator, but you can at least seek out some good advice.

Good luck.

Answer 2

john_e_29212 has the correct answer, but you may find that to be too expensive.
An alternative method is to place the outer edge of the rolled photograph beneath a heavy book on a flat surface in a warm humid location(such as a bathroom where the hot shower is running) with the photo sandwiched between two sheets of acid free paper. Advance the book across the photo gradually until it is flat enough to use more normal methods of flattening. This is a slow painstaking process but remember, it took a long time for it to get curled up, if the photo is valuable to you it will be worth the effort.

Answer 3

I always have this issue cause I just throw around my pictures and they get all bent, I use a heavey book or two. Leave in on there for a few days, if that doesnt help try bending it backwards then place it under book. Or you could just get a brand new copy at walgreens or your local drug store or photo shop. They restore old pictures no matter how badly damaged.

Answer 4

I suggest you put curlers in your hair. Tell her it's a more "grown up" way of curling your hair and you can even do it with her! I don't reccommend you use heat, as it can damage her hair, especially since she is so young. So I do recommend curlers. As for makeup, just put on a little. And remember, no mascara. Its more for older girls and it's not very good for your eyelashes. You should put on just some eyeshadow, blush, lip stick if she wants makeup, and only for a big occassion. (:

Answer 5

Take the photo to a good frame shop and ask them to dry mount it to a mounting board. If the image is cracked or damaged, once it is dry mounted you can have the image scanned and retouched.
Most images that have been rolled up for a long time are impossible to scan unless they are mounted. Let a professional handle the dry mounting process. Don't try it yourself.

Answer 6

press it between a whole bunch of heavy books! Sorry about your pic's!

Answer 7

You can scan your photograph, then in photoshop program, you can reper it.