Vinegar Syndrome

If ever a blog post needed Smell-O-Vision.

Among the variety of strange things that can happen to poorly preserved media is acetate film base degradation, commonly referred to as vinegar syndrome. The symptoms are unmistakable: first, a pungent vinegar smell begins emanating from your acetate film base, then the film begins to shrink, grow increasingly brittle, and the gelatin emulsion begins to buckle and warp. Examples of vinegar syndrome can be found throughout the Alan Eliason Photograph Collection, MS 150, accessible on the Washington College Digital Archive.

Though all cellulose acetate film will naturally degrade over time, this process is affected by the storage condition, with vinegar syndrome finding warm and humid conditions to be particularly beneficial to its development. To slow the degradation process, MS 150 is stored in a mini refrigerator in the Archives, and their digital representations are continuously being digitized to enable access to the images. Unfortunately, once the damage from vinegar syndrome has begun it cannot be reversed, only slowed down, so consider this a reminder to regularly check your cellulose acetate photographs for a telltale vinegar smell.