Richard Wiegmann

Archival Care of Works on Film

Polyester film (one brand is Mylar®) is an archival material. The media used (graphite, oil crayon, and color pencil with solvent) are high quality and light resistant, but, as in the case of watercolors and other media on paper, they should be kept out of direct sunlight and out of fluorescent light as much as possible. The safest archival practice would be to use UVA (ultra-violet absorbing) glass or Acrylite OP-3 when framing. A white acid free mat, 3½”–4″ wide, is appropriate; the acid-free mat board behind the translucent film should be very white.