Paper Lamps. Boulder, Colorado, 2011
It all depends.
It depends on whether you consider just the photograph itself to be the work of art, or if you consider the photograph along with the attached, signed backing board to be the work of art.
If you are party to the first opinion, then dry mounting is not an option and most museums would also agree. Museums typically consider the mounting of a photographic print to be archival only if the photograph itself can be easily removed from its presentation environment (mat, frame, or whatever) and transferred, all without suffering damage. Since a dry mounted photograph is very, very difficult to remove without damage, it therefore isn’t accepted by most museums as archival (or, to be more precise, it isn’t accepted as an effective “conservation” method).
If you want to present your images in a way that meets the museum standards of “conservation” and “archival” you obviously must not press, stick or glue your print to the backing board. Instead, you’ll need to afix the print with acid-free archival materials that can easily be removed. Two common ways to do this is are with a V or T hinge (like this, and scroll down to instructions) or with photo corners (like this).
Having said all this, there are others who claim that dry mounting is indeed archival and they cite some pretty persuasive reasons. First, and most importantly, they start with the assumption that it is not just the print that is the work of art, but the backing board as well–it is all one unit. Indeed, in many cases, the artist will sign the work just below the image on the backing board and will often add another certification sticker or signature stamp to the reverse side of the board. Obviously, those things are important and integral to the print itself.
Furthermore, it is also quite simple to choose and use acid-free materials in all steps of the dry mounting process–from the dry mounting tissue to the backing board to the outer mat. Many argue that the print is actually protected from the environment better this way than with the more loose V or T hinge-type mounts preferred by the purists. In the latter case, they argue, damaging substances can more easily get at and eat away at the photograph.
*Personally, I prefer the dry mount option (as did Ansel Adams). The print lies flat and will never curl, it can be easily handled even without the top mat in place, and I also like having the signature on the board (with additional certification/signature stamp on the back) rather than on the photograph itself. If the whole unit–backing board and print–is well-crafted with museum-quality, acid-free, archival materials, (and quality inks and paper are used in the print) I think it stands a good chance of outlasting most of us alive today.
What you do will depend very much on the type of photography you do and which way you decide to go in this “archival debate.” In fact, you may also decide to do neither. You could, instead, mount your images with thumbtacks, or on aluminum, cloth, wood, or plastic…or use any number of other, more imaginative methods of presentation.
This is art, after all…and there really are no rules!
NOTE: For absolutely anything related to any kind of mounting, see Chris Paschke’s website. She has articles on just about everything under the sun you could ever think of–scroll through the list at that link to see what I mean.
*UPDATE (late 2013): I have since changed my opinion. If dry mounting were easier I would probably still do it, but I have found it difficult to effectively and quickly center an image on the backer board and press it in place with my Seal 210 press. I now use archival photo corners to hold the image instead. Preparing a mat with an image centered and mounted is much easier and quicker this way–plus the museumheads will be happy! See my October 4, 2013 blog entry for the full mounting procedure.
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4 Comments
I also prefer dry mounting, I like to see my image flat than wavy and touch the glass, about centering, the print, I cut the board little bit bigger and then do a final cut to center the image once it mounted…
Hey, Mark. Thanks for the comment!Lately I have been doing a number of prints on either wood, or on a high-quality canvas with a float frame and am pleased with the results. Lots of options out there!
I favor your initial response to dry mounting. Centering the photograph really isn’t difficult, and the use of a tacking iron helps to secure it before using the press. Thanks for your thoughts and for the link to Chris Paschke’s book.
Thanks, James…yeah, I guess I didn’t have the patience to learn and improve my skills in that regard. I may give it a try again at some point–I still have my Seal 210M press.