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Freez-Ette Drive-Inn: Damaged Negative

This is Collins' complete negative. Note the ripples in the image.

They appear because the negative itself is deteriorating.

Photographic images, whether prints or negatives, are made by placing a thin layer of photosensitive material on a base (paper in the case of most modern photographs or film for modern negatives).

Collins used a cellulose diacetate negative film. Over time, that film decays. Chemical reactions cause the base layer literally to break down. As this occurs, the base layer buckles and contracts, forming ripples in the film.The process also releases acetic acid, which can migrate to and damage surrounding materials.

We know acetic acid in its diluted form: vinegar. Because the smell of vinegar permeates decaying acetate film, another name for its decay is Vinegar Syndrome.

Librarians, photographers, and preservation professionals in a wide array of fields work to preserve decaying images. Here at the Historical Society, we have begun scanning many of our damaged negatives in order to preserve the images themselves.

For more information on film deterioration and storage of affected negatives, you can read this preservation report from the Rocky Mountain Conservation Center.

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