fedex envelope stuck to vintage photo - help!
 

I have a 1955 team photograph - appears to be first generation print from original negative with glossy front. It was mailed to me in a fedex overnight envelope - somewhere along the line some water must have spilled on it. part of the envelope is now stuck to the photograph. Any experience in removing it safely?

When gelatin surfaces get wet, they get sticky and then when they dry, they adhere to surfaces like the envelope. Only way to get it unstuck is to reintroduce water to it most likely. I would cut as much of the envelope away as possible leaving only the portion that is stuck to it and then slowly pour some warm water onto the area and start to gradually pull away as I poured the water. It might not work, but it is probably your only hope.

Howard....
 

Are you saying that someone actually mailed you a vintage photo with absolutely no protection like a 25c 8x10 document cover or anything over the photo?

That just sounds crazy! I would call the shipper and try to get some kind of refund.

Mike

I agree. If this is the case, that is a piss poor way to ship an item like that (well any item really).

I have it a long time
 

Unfortunately I have had the item a while. It was originally shipped just like that and I kept it in there in a box with other items - really not sure how water got on it.

Rhys' suggestion is your best option. Once you get it apart from the envelope you will need to let it dry, then as soon as it is dry (i.e-not completely, but appears to be dry-there will still be minute amounts of water in the paper, allowing it to be flattened), put a sheet of mylar over it (cut a sleeve apart) and stack books on top of it. You will need to check it constantly to make sure it doesn't stick to the mylar - I don't think it will (from my experience doing something similar) but I would hate to test that theory too strongly.

Rhys or others - is there something you would suggest other than mylar? That's what I used on my Burke Williams after intentionally cleaning it with water, but it's possible there is something that will actually absorb the water without sticking to the print. The mylar just protected the print from the book surface, allowing it to flatten.

What I have done in the past when I soak a photo out of an album or have cleaned them is the put them between two sheet of higher stock (thicker) computer paper in a book and apply pressure, and change it out every minute or two until the photo is just about dry, then run a cool air hairdryer over it just to the point where it is not sticky anymore, then put it back into a few fresh sheets of computer paper in a book and let it sit for a while.

If it is a press photo it will have a bit of a curl to it, but it wont be too bad and will lay flat in a semi-rigid holder or Mylar sleeve.

BTW, Old Auction catalogs are AMAZING for the weight need to flatten photos out. They are more dense than anything else on the plant, I think they break laws of physics honestly but I have not confirmed this :)