Removing Photographs That Are Stuck to Glass

Making A Backup Scan

Begin by making a scanned copy of your photo. This is a necessary precaution in case your photo is damaged when being removed from the glass or subjected to the following method. If the photo is in a frame, remove the glass and the attached photo from the frame and lay it on the bed of your scanner for scanning. Scan the photo as you normally would at the highest resolution available, and save a copy of the photo to your computer.

Soaking

Fill a container of an adequate size--a bathtub is good--to submerge your glass and attached photo with room-temperature water. (It's preferable to use filtered or distilled water but not essential.) Lay the glass and attached photograph face-down in the bath. (If the photo has been attached for the glass for a very long or indeterminate time, add Photoflo--a Kodak product--to the water before your photo goes in. If using Photoflo, it is also essential that you follow the dilution instructions exactly to prevent your photo from being damaged.)

Checking The Progress

Check periodically to see if the photo is beginning to come away from the glass by gently pulling at a back corner of the photo. It's likely that the photo will need to soak for an hour or more (sometimes up to a day or more) to be fully freed from the glass. However, monitor the photo during the soaking time to ensure that it doesn't deteriorate from contact with the water.

Removing the Photo From the Glass

Once the photo is sufficiently dampened that the bond against the glass is released, slowly peel the photo away. Monitor your progress to ensure that you aren't leaving any of the photo's emulsion on the glass. Once you have worked the photo off the glass, hang it to dry, clipping in the corners as if it had just been developed.