I’ve got a christening photo that’s over 20 years old, and it’s turned yellow because of nicotine. What can I use to clean it?
That’s a slightly difficult question to answer without seeing the actual photograph. Yellowing can occur for various reasons, and sometimes because of a combination of factors. Photographic materials and techniques also play a part. I can’t recommend that you try to clean the photograph yourself. There’s a lot of chemistry involved here, and you risk doing more harm than good. If you have a negative of the photograph, then of course you can get a new print made to put on display. In any event, I recommend that you have the photograph looked at by a photographic conservator. You can find a private conservator by going to the website of the Norwegian Section of the Nordic Association of Conservators (NKF) (www.nkf-n.no) and clicking on ‘Find a conservator’.
Kind regards, Alexandra, paper conservator
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