Kathy’s Corner » Handling Damaged Photos » September 2025

Thank you, Bill Moore , Linda Teather, Erin Hoover, Jennifer Jones, Anne Matuszak and so many more for joining us today. Today we enjoyed a lively conversation after Kathy’s presentation, including the contribution of two sample photos by Anne Matuszak, see below. As Projectkin, we’re hooked on family history stories. So often, these stories start with the stuff left for us by our ancestors. In Kathy’s Corner, Projectkin contributor Kathy Stone, helps us sort through and make sense of these materials with insights from her decades of professional photo organizer experience. Explore our calendar for upcoming events here.Was this post shared with you? Fantastic! Learn more about Projectkin and join our community of family historians hooked on stories. Projectkin.org/about.NotesDisaster does strike; we know it will; we just don’t know when and where. In today’s tactical episode, Kathy takes us through the gritty work of handling those damaged photos and artifacts. Safety First! Kathy mixes her guidance on handling the photos with tips on personal hazards like* Mold (or Mould) * Unknown chemicals* Fire residueYou may not know what to expect, but you can be prepared. Kathy’s offered suggestions for the kinds of things your might want to set aside in a Recovery Kit: * Freezer Bags for wet, but clean photos you can’t handle yet.* Wax or parchment paper to place objects to dry without risk of sticking.* Marker and paper for notes, such as to associate photos with envelopes.* A knife or boxcutter to disassemble an album.* Gloves to protect yourself from mold or unknown chemicals.* Breathing mask (N95 or respirator) to protect yourself from mold and fetid material from floods or other disasters.A special guest of Kathy’s, Anne Matuszak shared two interesting photos during the session that helped illustrate both the damage that can occur:To illustrate a drying technique using an ad hoc clothes line method built from ladders, Anne shared this example: Resources* What to Do When Disaster Strikes Your Photos by Kathy Stone* How to Remove Your Pictures from Magnetic Photo Albums by Good Life Photo Solutions • goodlifephotosolutions.com/magnetic-photo-albums* Multi-Purpose Tool for handling photos creativememories.ca/multi-purpose-tool.html* Flattening Curled Photos by Chaos to Memories* Photo Tutorial: How to Relax and Rehumidify Old Rolled Photographs and Documents by the Family Curator • thefamilycurator.com/photo-tutorial-how-to-relax-and-rehumidify-old-rolled-photog* I Have Smelly Family Photos. Now What? By Familytree Magazine familytreemagazine.com/preservation/photos-preservation/smelly-family-photosAs Projectkin, we’re here to help families tell their stories, in any form. I feel strongly that our collections of photos and other artifacts are key to our memories and, in turn, our stories. If you know someone who may benefit from Kathy’s presentation, please do share it and invite them to join us in this community.As you explore this episode, you may also want to explore the many posts on Kathy’s own publication, Kathy's Coaching. Get full access to Projectkin at projectkin.substack.com/subscribe