How best to remove photo stuck to glass?

[doyt]

My daughters high school photo was placed in a frame without any matting. Now it is stuck to the glass of the frame. I'm afraid that if I try to remove it the photo emulsion will peel off the photo and ruin it. I have tugged at it a little and this is what's happening.

I have contacted the professional photographer who took the photo about getting a new print but unfortunately he lost all his negatives in a flood.

Does anyone have any idea as to how to remove the photo without to much damage? I can scan the photo and touch up some of the small background areas, but I'm afraid that if I'm too aggressive with removing the photo I will damage areas beyond my talents.

[Flora]

Hi doyt,

welcome to RetouchPRO!!!

I'm moving your Thread to the History, Conservation, and Repair Forum. Waiting for someone to help you solve your problem, you could have a look at some of the results of my search on the same topic here

[Tony W]

Hi Doyt

First thing is to make sure you preserve what you have before attempting any removal methods!!! I would suggest scanning the photo with glass in place to get the best result you can. This is the fallback in case of problems with other methods.

There are many methods that you can try but all have the potential to damage the original e.g. soaking in water and wetting agent, steaming off, freezing, etc etc.

My concern is that you have already seen the emulsion peeling away after giving it a tug - this likely to go worse if not handled very carefully

There are some links on this site Here - these maybe what Flora's post referred to

[jeremy1986]

i always used a hair dryer and aimed it between the glass and picture

[Kraellin]

the first thing you want to do is get a digital copy of the picture. i'd suggest a camera rather than a scanner if the emulsion is coming off easily. you dont want the scanner tray or top to ruin something.

other than that, search this forum and the restoration forum for more solutions. i know there are some good ones here.

[overcbrat]

concerning the problem with "magnetic" albums with pics:
another spatula that works great is the one from "Cricut" (the automatic paper cutter). It's cheap and found in hobby stores separate from the machine. It's like a very thin knife and flexible.
Joy,first timer, and thanks for the suggestions re: those 70's albums!

[TPF]

A bit late I know.....but anyway!

I had this exact problem a while ago. First thing I did was take a photo of the picture, just in case

Then I used a wallpaper steamer (not for long, in very short time burts) and used a artist spatula to gently pry it off.

Also not a bad idea to have a dryer with you....if you over steam, a quick burst of the drying will help keep things under control, also give a tiny amount of curl due to the contraction....depending on the state of the picture this sometimes can help.