Category: Photo processing

Archives, Cellulose acetate, Copyright, Historical photos, Historical research, Photo processing, Photos, Preservation, Research, Vancouver history

Update on Don Coltman photo preservation project at the City of Vancouver Archives

Archive Angel
Scene at Vancouver Yacht Club, circa 1945
by Don Coltman
Reference code: AM1545-S3-: CVA 586-6176

It’s been many months now since the City of Vancouver Archives has completed its project to digitize more than 5000 photos taken by early Vancouver photographer, Don Coltman that I first wrote about in a post last February.

The Coltman collection offers a rich selection of Vancouver and Lower Mainland scenes from post-WW II and includes such subjects as:

  • B.C. industries and small businesses such as canneries, ports, sawmills, fishing, pulp and paper making and manufacturing
  • Community activities, fashion, businesses, events, sports activities, factories and production
  • Vancouver parks, bridges, beaches, streets, buildings, schools, shipyard and dock
  • Portraiture including weddings, families and local employees.

All photos are in the public domain and have been uploaded to the Archives online database with accompanying descriptions.

Archives, Cellulose acetate, Historical photos, Photo processing, Preservation, Vancouver history, Visual Art

Cellulose Acetate photographic negatives preserved

Archive Angel

City of Vancouver Archives (CVA)  has recently begun a project to digitize thousands of negatives created by commercial Vancouver photographer Don Coltman who worked at Williams Brothers Photographers, and whose images were created in the years 1941-55.

Coltman’s images cover such subjects as

This is exciting news and will add much to the photo collection of Vancouver images that are available online.

old camera

Researchers will be happy to know that all Coltman’s photographs are in the public domain and will be freely available for use once the project is finished.

The negatives are made of rapidly deteriorating cellulose acetate and are stored frozen to keep them from deteriorating further.

Because cellulose acetate is toxic, the CVA had to develop a way to digitize the negatives that would still be safe for staff and figure out a way to manage preservation of the negatives while also reducing the amount of time they are out of the freezer.

See the link at the top for more about the chemistry and preservation of cellulose acetate photos and about the CVA’s preservation work with the Coltman collection.