Will my 50-year old photos last another 50 years?

Question:
I have printed photos from the 1950’s, 60’s 70’s. Will they last another 50 years? Some of the photos are scotch taped and stapled to old photo albums that seem to be falling apart.

Answer:
You can make your photos last if you store them on a high-quality, non-acidic, lignin-free paper made from cotton or highly purified wood pulps. This sounds more complicated than it really is. Many businesses stock and sell both paper and albums meeting these criteria.

As far as photo albums are concerned, the plastic-looking enclosures should be made from uncoated pure polyethylene, polypropylene or polyester, as these are considered stable and non-damaging to photographs. None of these plastics have any odor, whereas polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic does have a strong odor. PVC plastics should be avoided as they generate acids which can fade photographs over time. Moreover, the plastic can stick to your photos and sometimes cause the image to be transferred to the plastic.

Today, it is fairly easy to find photo albums that say “Acid, lignin, and PVC free.”

If some of your old photos are already turning colors or otherwise damaged, you can have them scanned and restored to like-new quality. When you get those photos printed out, make sure you store them in the recommended albums or boxes that also are acid, lignin, and PVC free.