Many of our historical artifacts are absolutely irreplaceable. While the language and information contained in documents can be transcribed, and artwork can be photographed or reproduced, the originals are one-of-a-kind links to our past.

It's a sad fact that many of these artifacts have been mistreated over time, or that some of them are simply made from materials that are naturally prone to deterioration. Conservationists work to discover the best ways to treat damage and to prevent future harm to historical artifacts by careful handling, housing and storage. Innovative products like Artcare™ matboards and mount boards helping them with this work. The MicroChamber® technology used in Artcare™ framing materials actively protects documents and artwork by absorbing airborne pollutants and trapping such pollutants inside the mount board or matting, preventing them from ever touching – or corrupting – the framed artifact.

Artcare™ framing materials are used by internationally respected organizations as part of ongoing efforts to protect priceless artifacts. To demonstrate how Artcare™ helps protect artwork, documents, and other framed materials, here are a few stories about how Artcare™ has been used in the conservation of some of our national historical treasures.

The Wright Brothers Collection

When Orville Wright passed away in 1948 – 36 years after the death of his brother Wilbur – he deeded the brothers' collection of aviation-related documents and materials to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Augmented by donations from others, the full collection contains approximately 300 artifacts related to the earliest history of flight research, including approximately 120 paper-based artifacts.

With the approach of the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' famous first powered flight, the Institute undertook the job of reviewing the collection for conservation needs. Some initial conservation efforts were made in 1978, but modern conservation technology is more advanced than what was possible at the time. Each document in the collection was individually reviewed for any cleaning and repair needs, and all of the artifacts were rehoused in special hinged portfolios constructed of mat board.

The conservators for the project chose to use a 4-ply Artcare™ Alpharag to construct the new housings, primarily because of Artcare's use of absorbent zeolites as a buffer. In the words of one of the lead conservators on the project, zeolites act as "molecular sieves," filtering gaseous pollutants out of the air and also absorbing any pollutants created by the deterioration of the paper artifacts themselves. With the help of Artcare™ Alpharag mat board and the diligent work of conservators, the Wright brothers' historical aviation documents will continue to be available for future generations to view and be inspired by.

Original Audubon Prints

John James Audubon was a naturalist and painter best known for his massive color-plate book "The Birds of America," which contained 435 beautiful and highly detailed prints showing North American birds in natural habitats. One of the remaining full sets of prints belongs to the Maryland State Law Library, which enlisted the help of conservators to clean and rehouse the prints so they could be displayed in a new exhibit.

The original prints were each backed with linen, and the adhesive used to attach the linen was starting to stain the prints. The prints were also contaminated with surface dirt, page edges were damaged from repeated turning, and some prints suffered from creases, tears, or loss of paper or ink. Conservation of the prints required several steps, including removing the linen backing, cleaning the prints, making repairs to stabilize the prints and minimize the appearance of any damaged sections, and then rehousing the prints.

Similar to the Wright brothers' collection, the conservators chose to use Artcare™ Alpharag mat board for the new housings because of Artcare’s 100 percent cotton construction as well as Artcare’s protective zeolites, which absorb pollutants. The prints were each hinged to a supporting back mat with a window mat overlay to conceal damaged edges. Conservators also included a top cover that can be folded back for display, but that covers each print to provide protection when stored and to help maintain the integrity of each print.

George Washington's Will

Constructing a new display housing for George Washington's will presented a unique challenge for the conservators involved. The will comprises 22 pages of handwritten script on both sides of the paper, meaning the document could not be traditionally framed. The document has also suffered previous damage from handling and poor storage and needed to be supported and protected to prevent further decay.

One of the conservators’ main concerns was the iron gall ink used by Washington to write the will because that type of ink tends to degrade and emit damaging gasses over time. To protect the document from "self-inflicted" damage by the iron gall ink, as well as damage from modern pollutants, conservators chose Artcare™ Alpharag for the mat board’s outstanding absorbent properties. Special two-sided housings were constructed from Artcare™ mat board to support the document pages, opening to lay flat so either side of the pages can be viewed and covering the entire document when stored to protect this irreplaceable historical artifact from any further deterioration.

Many of our historical artifacts are absolutely irreplaceable. While the language and information contained in documents can be transcribed, and artwork can be photographed or reproduced, the originals are one-of-a-kind links to our past. It’s a sad fact that many of these artifacts have been mistreated over time, or that some of them are simply […]

Digital photography has helped lots of people become avid photographers, people who may not have developed their interest in photography if they had to work with film. The ease of shooting quality pictures at minimal cost allows many to pursue their curiosity and take more pictures, which leads to improved skills and greater curiosity about what’s possible.

These are some of the great benefits of digital cameras. Digital photo tools offer even more options. With the computerized tools available now for working with digital images, methods of photo restoration are available that were never before possible for the amateur photographer. Learn a few editing techniques and you can restore old family photos or historic photos to a new clearness and clarity.

Start With a Scan

Restoring old photographs starts with creating a digital copy of the printed photo. The scanning step is important because the information that the digital editing tools will use to adjust the picture has to be captured in this step. The better the original scan, the more options you will have later on.

Archive the Final Scan

Before you start editing your scanned photo, make a copy of it in a safe place that you won’t make any changes to, and make sure this file is also safely backed up. This way if you make a mistake with your digital adjustments, change your mind or simply want to try some new effects, you can start over from a copy of the original scan. This way you won’t need to repeat the scanning step or try to work with a file that has already been edited.

Common Digital Restoration Techniques

Old photographs tend to suffer from a similar range of problems. If you know how to fix the most common kinds of damage, you can restore many photos to a beautiful, refreshed state.

An Art Form

Digital photo restoration is a form of art itself simply because of the number of subjective decisions that must be made in editing the scanned photo. Just like taking digital photographs, if you are willing to practice using the available tools, you can have gorgeous old photos that look just like new.

Digital photography has helped lots of people become avid photographers, people who may not have developed their interest in photography if they had to work with film. The ease of shooting quality pictures at minimal cost allows many to pursue their curiosity and take more pictures, which leads to improved skills and greater curiosity about […]

With all the time and effort you put into your creations and collections, don’t you want to display them in the best possible way? Frame Destination now proudly carries Artglass, the same glass used in museum and in the art-display industry worldwide. This glass can be used for many types of mediums, including graphics, watercolors, photographs, archival documents, collectables and other valuables. Artglass will make any item look as though a professional framed it – and will provide the same level of protection.

What Is Artglass?

Artglass is manufactured by GroGlass, a European company that makes coatings not only for art framing but also high-quality electronic displays. Artglass is so high-tech that it was actually originally developed for aerospace applications, but it is also environmentally friendly. There are four different types of Artglass, including:/

Each Artglass product provides different levels of reflection and UV protection – depending on what you’re displaying – and most Artglass types appear virtually invisible. They are touted for being reflection-free, having a variety of UV protection levels, being suitable for outdoor applications, and offering true transparency of color.

Which Types of Artglass Does Frame Destination Offer?

Frame Destination now carries:

Artglass 99 UV Filter

Artglass 99 with a 99% UV-filter is ideal for preserving keepsakes and artifacts. Want to safeguard the sheet of paper signed by Abraham Lincoln that you found inside the dresser you bought from the thrift store for $5? (Don’t we wish!) Artglass 99 blocks more than 99 percent of harmful indoor and outdoor UV rays, which can cause old documents to quickly fade and discolor./

Artglass 70 Anti-Reflective Water White

Whether it’s your super-expensive wedding and engagement photos, or you want to display your own photography, Artglass Anti-Reflective Water White is perfect for picture framing. The glass has no green tint or optical distortions, and it has an anti-reflective coating. It also blocks 70% of harmful UV radiation.

Artglass 92 UV Anti-Reflective Water White

Just as the name indicates, Artglass UV Anti-Reflective Water White has all of the qualities as Artglass Anti-Reflective Water White with the perk of enhanced protection from ultraviolet rays. This type of Artglass provides 92 percent UV protection.

Why Should I Use Artglass?

When displaying your art, it’s important for the viewer to see it exactly as it is, with no color distortion or reflection. If someone wanted to see a reflection of themself, they could just look in a mirror. The specially designed coatings reflect a very low percentage of light, which eliminates reflection. The 2mmthick glass will show every minute detail in your art or framed piece, while still offering protection from harmful ultraviolet rays that can cause discoloration, peeling, and other wear and tear.

Sold! Now That I’ve Bought It, How Do I Clean It?

Nothing is worse than a fingerprint on your frame’s glass. It makes you want to put up a “Do Not Touch” sign like in an art gallery (or hire those people in the navy jackets to make sure no one touches anything). It doesn’t matter if the viewer has busy fingers because Artglass is easy to clean, and you don’t need special cleaning agents. A microfiber wipe or soft cotton cloth lightly sprayed with an ammonia-free household glass cleaner should do the trick. According to the GroGlass website, all you have to do is moisten the cleaning wipe and clean the glass from the top down so the cleaning agent doesn’t dry on the glass.

Artglass allows you to take ownership of your creative endeavors from start to finish. This scratch-resistant, easy-to-clean coating is perfect for DIY framing projects, while still giving your art a professional look. Artglass also does away with the guessing game about which side of the glass to cut, or which side to place on to the medium to avoid having your fingertips muck up the crystal clear glass. The viewer will see your art, photo, or treasured piece exactly as you intended, with nothing blocking the view of your masterpiece.

With all the time and effort you put into your creations and collections, don’t you want to display them in the best possible way? Frame Destination now proudly carries Artglass, the same glass used in museum and in the art-display industry worldwide. This glass can be used for many types of mediums, including graphics, watercolors, […]
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Bright colors and nature prints are a perfect way to add a bit of “summer” into your home’s decor. If you’re looking for an easy weekend decorating project, try this do-it-yourself with our uncut mat board, artificial greenery, and spray paint. Uncut mat board, also called a pre-cut mat blank, is simply a mat board without the window cut-out. They are great for all kinds of creative endeavors.

We used a combination of our 4Ply and 8Ply uncut Alphamat and Alpharag mat boards for this project. The technique is incredibly simple. Lay a piece of greenery on a board. Spray it and the surrounding mat board to make a reverse stencil. Let it dry and then frame it. Krylon makes 3oz containers of spray paint called “Short Cuts”, which are the perfect size for doing individual prints. Be sure to do this in a well-ventilated area due to the paint fumes.

DIY - Easy Botanical Artwork Project

Supplies:

Step 1

Step 1

Using the painter’s tape; cover the outside edge of the mat board to create a border. (This is optional. You can leave off the border if desired. ). The border’s size is your preference, but 1/8” – 3/8” is a good range. Don’t worry if it’s uneven, that just makes it looks more artistic when the tape is removed.

Step 2

Step 2

Prepare your workspace and lay out the mat boards. Place greenery as flat as possible on the boards. It’s OK if the greenery extends beyond the board’s edges.

Step 3

Step 3

Spray the boards evenly with your choice of paint(s).

Step 4

Step 4

Remove greenery and allow the paint to dry.

Step 5

Step 5 a
Step 5 B

Once dry, remove the painter’s tape (if using). The finished artwork can be framed as is if desired. For a more polished look, you can affix the images to the front of a larger piece of blank matboard using double-sided tape, and then frame your finished piece.

*This project was adapted from the article “A New Leaf” in Better Homes and Gardens 2014 “How to Paint Anything” magazine.Our uncut mat board can be purchased here. Check out our wood and metal picture frames as well. BTW - the leftover multi-colored greenery looks great in clear vases.

Happy painting!

Bright colors and nature prints are a perfect way to add a bit of “summer” into your home’s decor. If you’re looking for an easy weekend decorating project, try this do-it-yourself with our uncut mat board, artificial greenery, and spray paint. Uncut mat board, also called a pre-cut mat blank, is simply a mat board […]

The development of digital cameras revolutionized photography and changed the way most people take pictures for good. The introduction of digital cameras quickly morphed into an even greater revolution: camera phones. These versatile devices make it easier than ever to keep a camera with you and take pictures all the time. With modern photography firmly planted in the digital format, a natural development was the digital picture frame. Instead of taking the extra step of printing out pictures to view, they could simply be uploaded to a frame and displayed in their digital format. Even better, digital frames can hold hundreds of pictures – rather than a single shot – so you can view more of your pictures without making more prints and changing out photos.

While digital frames have their uses, they haven’t caught on to the degree people once thought they might, and they certainly haven’t replaced physical prints and old-fashioned wood picture frames or metal picture frames. The drawbacks of digital frames outweigh the advantages for many picture display settings.

Pictures and Plugs

One of the biggest limitations for digital picture frames is their energy requirements. Without electricity, a digital frame is just a blank-screened gadget. The need for power complicates the logistics of using digital frames and makes them more expensive to operate.

Many digital frames work by plugging into a wall, which is fine if the frame can sit on a table or stand close to an outlet. It is a serious limitation if you want to hang a frame on the wall due to the fact you’ll have cords hanging from all of your photo frames. A power cord is not an attractive addition to most wall décor!

The other option is to use frames that rely on batteries. This can get expensive and is not environmentally friendly. You can use rechargeable batteries to somewhat lower the costs, but they cost more upfront, and you’ll still need to frequently change out the batteries and recharge them. This is a lot more maintenance than a printed photo in an attractive frame, which is basically zero maintenance because you can simply mount, frame and hang the picture – and then leave it alone.

Other Digital Drawbacks

Digital frames are more expensive at the outset than an ordinary wood or metal frame. It can quickly become prohibitively expensive to trade out several normal frames for digital versions. Lower cost digital frames display lower quality pictures as well, so you may not be able to have photos as nice as high-quality prints to look at. You can invest in a frame with high picture quality, but, again, that raises the expense. It may also raise the associated energy costs if you purchase a larger frame with a brighter screen.

Digital frames also can’t match all of the experiences that looking at physical prints provide. A traditional photo album may not hold as many pictures as a single digital frame can, but there’s a visual and tactile joy in paging through a photo album that scanning through pictures on a screen can’t match. True, this is a subjective measurement, and some people will notice the difference more than others. But just like using e-book readers and tablets can’t truly replace the experience of reading printed books for many people, viewing digital photos can’t completely take the place of viewing physical prints. Creating an album or scrapbook gives you the chance to create a photo story in a way that a digital frame simply cannot do.

The Value of Digital Frames

Digital frames do have their place. Many people buy a digital frame to keep on their desk at work or to put on a table at home in order to supplement the pictures they hang for display on the wall. It can be nice to have more pictures available to view at once by using a digital frame with a rotating display. With people taking more and more pictures, it can be nice to have a place to quickly upload the most current pictures for viewing, especially as people tend not to update their printed photos and artwork very frequently.

Tablets Can Display Photos, Too

It’s also worth noting that tablet devices can easily double as picture display devices when they’re not being used for other purposes. Instead of purchasing a digital photo frame, simply get a nice stand for your tablet and let it display photos when you don’t need it for other uses. A tablet is more expensive to purchase than a basic digital photo frame, but if you already have the tablet it’s not necessary to purchase a separate gadget that only shows photos.

The ability of digital frames to hold and display many pictures is a nice addition to your décor if you want to be able to view more of your pictures in an easy way. The drawbacks of digital frames mean they’ll probably stay in the realm of gadgetry and won’t replace old-fashioned frames any time soon.

The development of digital cameras revolutionized photography and changed the way most people take pictures for good. The introduction of digital cameras quickly morphed into an even greater revolution: camera phones. These versatile devices make it easier than ever to keep a camera with you and take pictures all the time. With modern photography firmly […]

Although they are rarely in the spotlight, picture frames play a critical role in making your photo and art displays a gorgeous part of your home or office décor. A good frame, especially when combined with the right matting, finishes the look of a photo or piece of art. It also helps attract the eye to appreciate it, setting it apart from the surrounding space.

When people look at your artwork, they also see your frames, even though the frames are not what they are focusing on – and that means if your picture frames are dirty or dusty, they’re going to see that, too. A dirty, dusty frame won’t do any favors for your home décor or the piece that’s framed, and it can easily distract from the pictures you actually want to be on display. Picture frames need regular care and cleaning to look their best and show off your photos and artwork at their finest.

Basic Cleaning for All Frames

You can keep frames in great shape for a long time with simple, regular dusting. Just like the rest of your furniture and home accessories, dust will collect on your frames and start to distract from your pictures. Giving your frames a light regular dusting every other day with a feather duster, lamb’s wool duster or a similar synthetic product is a quick way to keep dust in check. Just be careful not to knock hung artwork off the wall if you don’t take pictures down for this fast dusting!

If you dust less frequently, you may need to take more serious dusting measures for your frames. Take down hung pictures and wipe them very gently with a slightly damp cloth to remove larger amounts of dust. Do not spray water, wood polish, glass cleaner, or any other cleaning agent onto a frame with a mounted picture to make sure that none of the moisture gets inside the mounting and damages the picture.

Deeper Cleaning for Frames

If you need to take a hung picture down to dust it, you may as well take the time to give it a deeper cleaning and get rid of deeper accumulations of dust and dirt.

Cleaning Wood vs. Cleaning Metal

Picture frames need different kinds of care depending on what materials they are made from and what kind of finish they have. When in doubt, clean frames with the gentlest cleaning solutions and techniques to make sure you don’t damage either the frames or finish.

Once your frame is clean, make sure both the frame and glazing are completely dry before remounting your picture. Carefully replace the picture in the frame, seal it back in and rehang the frame. Now your frame is clean, and your photo can take center stage again with no dusty, dirty distractions!

Although they are rarely in the spotlight, picture frames play a critical role in making your photo and art displays a gorgeous part of your home or office décor. A good frame, especially when combined with the right matting, finishes the look of a photo or piece of art. It also helps attract the eye […]