Adhesives used for mounting photographic prints of the 19th and early 20th centuries

Abstract

This paper is the result of research conducted to determine the types of adhesives used to mount print photographs up until 1920. Sources consulted included conservation literature, historical photographic journals and the relevant trade and patent literature. A total of 185 recipes were found. The adhesive recipes were inventoried and the various constituents of these recipes are discussed, particularly in reference to their possible effects on solubility and permanence. Along with the recipes, a short history of adhesives for photographs is provided, including a discussion on mounting methods. Pre-1920 photographers were concerned with all issues of permanence, and adhesives were recognised as a potential source of deterioration. This would appear to have led to a generally conservative choice of adhesive. The identified recipes tended to be simple, with 41.6% consisting only of the adhesive material and its solvent. Starch and gelatine were the most common adhesives used, with dextrin and gum arabic also used frequently. Less common were rubber, animal glue, shellac, flour and gum tragacanth. Fish glue, mastic, balsam, casein, egg, elemi and gutta percha were used occasionally. About a quarter of all recipes contained more than one adhesive material, with common mixtures including gelatine, gum arabic or dextrin mixed with starch or dextrin mixed with gelatine. When additional ingredients were added, these were most often preservatives, such as carbolic acid or essence of clove, or humectants, such as glycerine and sugar.