Q: During World War II, my father was in the U.S. Navy and was stationed in Washington, D.C., in the photo lab under the direction of Edward Steichen. I have about 200 black and white photos depicting the war that were taken by Steichen and many of his handpicked photographers. I also have a letter addressed to my father thanking him for his service and signed by Steichen. I have the photos in archival pages and moisture proof albums. Is there anything else I should be doing to preserve them? Is there any value to them?

A: Edward Jean Steichen (1879-1973) was known for his portrait and fashion photos. He helped develop aerial photography during World War I and served as Director of the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit during World War II. His photos sell for high prices at auctions. Using archival pages and albums to store your photos helps preserve them. Make sure the albums don’t contain PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which can damage photos. Don’t store them in an attic, basement, or anywhere they’ll be exposed to high temperatures or high humidity. The highest price realized for a photograph by Edward Steichen was $2,928,000 for a landscape in 2006.

 

 

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