PRESERVING THE LITTLE MOMENTS

THE MAURICE H. CLINE COLLECTION AND NEGATIVE PRESERVATION

Photography allows us to capture fleeting moments in time. It is just as important to preserve the little moments as it is the exceptional or grand moments. Orangeville High School principal Maurice H. Cline (1906-1983) understood the importance of capturing day-to-day life in Orangeville and dedicated his lifelong photography hobby to preserving as many of these everyday moments as possible. The Museum of Dufferin (MoD) Archives houses around 20,000 negative photographs as part of the Maurice H. Cline Collection.

WHAT ARE NEGATIVE PHOTOGRAPHS?

Negative photographs or “negatives” are clear plastic versions of print photographs, where the light areas of an image appear dark, and dark areas appear light.

two boys standing behind a wood lathe in a classroom — Photograph of a physical negative (on left) versus the scan of the same negative (on right). (Students in Shop Class, Orangeville District Secondary School, Orangeville, 1953, MoD collection #P-6023-1)

The first successful negative photograph was taken in 1847, using an egg white and potassium mixture coated on a piece of glass, that created an image when exposed to light. This was replaced by plastic materials such as celluloid film in the following decades, which laid the foundations for digital imaging in the twentieth century.

There are three main types of film negatives, determined by the materials used to make them. All three types are present in the Maurice H. Cline Collection.

Cellulose Nitrate negatives were the first plasticized negatives. Although they are historically significant, nitrate negatives are highly flammable and therefore require special care and storage practices.
Cellulose Acetate negatives or “safety film” were a safer alternative to the flammable nitrate negatives, and while they are more stable, they are still prone to deterioration. Acetate negatives can suffer from “Vinegar Syndrome,” and will often take on a blue or red tint as they break down. The Cline Collection is mostly composed of this type of negative.
Polyester negatives are the most modern of the three types. They are strong and stable and are less prone to deterioration than the other two.

WHAT IS “VINEGAR SYNDROME?”

The Maurice H. Cline Collection spans from the 1930s to the 1980s, with most negatives taken in the 1950s and 1960s, making most of the collection over 60 years old.

Over time, acetate negatives can become unstable with exposure to heat and moisture. This stimulates a chemical reaction within the negative’s plastic support, releasing acetic acid. This acid is the main component in vinegar, emitting that distinctive odor, and giving the degradation the name Vinegar Syndrome. The pockets of acetic acid gases, combined with the shrinking aging plastic around the gelatin emulsion, create separation patterns called “soap bubbles”, “tree branches” or “spider-webs”.

Negative with mid-stage Vinegar Syndrome. Note the “soap bubbles” and “tree branches” as the plastic shrinks, and the distortion at the top and bottom edges as the negative begins to warp. (Unidentified students in “The Great Raymond” play, Orangeville District Secondary School, Orangeville, 1954, MoD collection #P-6027-5)

As deterioration progresses, the gaseous pockets will expand and spread towards the edges of the negative, where the gases are released. This splits the plastic at the edges, leaving it to fray and curl. Pinching at the corners can also occur, making it difficult to separate from adjacent negatives. The vinegar odor will become stronger until there is no acetic acid left, and the emulsion, normally flexible, will warp and become stiff. At this point the acetate negative is very brittle, and any pressure may cause cracking or breakage.

Girls sitting at a piano — Negative with mid-stage Vinegar Syndrome. Note the “spider-webs” across the entire image, more subtle than the “tree branches” seen in other negatives. Note the warping along the edges, and the pinching at all corners as the negative shrinks. (Unidentified students playing instruments, Orangeville District Secondary School, Orangeville, 1957, MoD collection #P-6047-11)

When deteriorating negatives are stored in direct contact with healthy negatives, the chemical reaction can spread and initiate Vinegar Syndrome within an entire storage envelope or box. Once it starts, it cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed by cold environments. Ultimately, the image will deteriorate, crumble, and be lost entirely.

photograph negative picture of school building behind a stand of trees — Negative with mid-stage Vinegar Syndrome. Note the “spider-webs” and “soap bubbles” around the edges, with extending lines towards the middle of the negative. This halo-like pattern is common in deteriorating Cline Collection negatives. (Exterior view of Orangeville High School, Orangeville, 1955, MoD collection #P-6030-5)

Over one-third of the Cline Collection, primarily 4 x 5-inch acetate negatives, suffer from Vinegar Syndrome.

badly deteriorated photograph negative with tiny bubbles across surface. Picture is of couples sitting on the ledge in front of a fireplace. — Negative with mid to late stages of Vinegar Syndrome. At this stage the image is barely legible. Note the “tree branches”, “soap bubbles” throughout, and the warping on the top edge. (Grade 13 Party, Orangeville District Secondary School, Orangeville, May 1956, MoD collection #P-5929-3)

NEGATIVE PRESERVATION AND THE MAURICE H. CLINE COLLECTION

In the 1990s, digitization was not as common as it is today, and there was no need for it because the physical copies were available and healthy. Now that over one-third of the Cline negatives are deteriorating, modern preservation methods such as digitization are critically necessary.

Digitization involves saving high-resolution digital copies of the negative via flat-bed scanner for perpetual storage. After inventory and creating both preservation and access (public use) digital copies, all negatives undergo the Critical Moisture Indicator Method (CMI). This method uses cold storage to increase longevity and is intended for smaller collections, perfect for the Cline Collection.

Flat bed scanner, lid open, with six film negatives on glass surface. — 4 x 5-inch Cline negatives with Vinegar Syndrome on flat-bed scanner.

Once all the negatives are digitized for preservation, they are stored individually in an acid-free envelope and labeled with a soft pencil, with their respective catalogue record. Using the CMI method, each one-inch stack of negatives is sealed inside a polyethylene bag, along with a Relative Humidity (RH) strip, dried matte board, and outer label detailing the contents. The one-inch stacks are placed, as is comfortable, into an acid free storage “shoebox”. This archival box is wrapped in air-tight polyethylene, with an RH strip inside, and placed into a moisture-resistant freezer.

On left, hand wearing black glove pointing at a box filled with envelopes. On right, two rows of boxes with labels on front. — Maurice H. Cline Collection negatives in acid-free envelopes in archival “shoebox” (on left); and nine “shoeboxes” containing 3,500 digitized Cline negatives (on right).

The RH strips will be regularly checked for any changes. If moisture content exceeds 30 percent within the sealed bags, they will be re-examined and re-housed. The matte board is used to absorb any water vapour which may permeate the packaging before it can impact the negatives. It will also be replaced as necessary.

Two boxes with labels, wrapped in plastic, a humidity strip in top of each box. — Maurice H. Cline negatives packaged and labelled with RH strips, the left archival “shoebox” is fully packaged, the right is in process. The left photograph is an aerial view of these boxes, and the right photograph is a side view of the same boxes.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

The Maurice H. Cline Collection represents a particular time period in Dufferin County, largely in Orangeville, which is critically underrepresented in the MoD Archives. There are few donated photographs from the 1950s and 1960s, since these decades are considered relatively “recent past”.

But why preserve them if you have a digital copy? – Digitization allows for preservation and ease of access for researchers and MoD staff; however, the physical original still has inherent value. There may be historical context and information provided by the negative photograph that can only be deciphered by future knowledge and interpretations. In extreme situations, digital copies may also be lost or corrupted. In the case of negatives, the physical photograph does not look like the scan.

Through the CMI process and cold storage, the thousands of healthy negatives will be preserved for decades to come. And while the original negatives are in permanent storage, the public can access the digital copies through the MoD website. MoD – Online Collections.

Through his lens, Maurice H. Cline captured 20,000 snapshots of mid-century Orangeville, its people and community. We invite you to come enjoy the Maurice H. Cline exhibition on the basement floor of the MoD and appreciate the “Little Moments” of Orangeville’s past!

Do you recognize anyone? Many of the Cline photographs are not identified, so if you see a familiar face, let us know!

By: Emmanuelle Vanleeuwen

Emmanuelle is on a contract as the Archives Intern at the Museum of Dufferin. She is an emerging museum and archives professional with a BA in History at the University of Guelph and has two years of experience working with municipal archives.

This article and research on negative preservation would not have been possible without Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Archives Event Coordinator, Shayda Spakowski.

Questions about the Maurice H. Cline Collection can be directed to Laura Camilleri (Archivist) by email at lcamilleri@dufferinmuseum.com.