Framing By Walter has been serving the Philadelphia community for over 35 years from Walnut Street in the Rittenhouse Square district. Photographs, prints, oils, and documents are all treated with conservation care and attention to detail. Our specialities range from simple certificates to tastefully composed composites of twenty or more elements, shadow boxes enclosing anything from baseballs to ancient text, or our own lamination treatments for posters and topical art. We have the tools and skills to do our work in house, start to finish, and ensure your satisfaction.

True "Conservation Art Framing" can give a client confidence that his or her valued object is being cared for in a way which protects and stabilizes the material as well as the conceptual properties of the piece. The boundaries of an object, including mat size and color, complexity of design, and material selection all have an influence on the perception of the piece on the wall. Yet, an understanding of the conservation practice in a patron's mind is often obscure.

The physician's motto, "First, do no harm" is our operable rule. More explicitly, conservation supports and protects an artwork in such a way as to prohibit visible or hidden damage. It also implies reversability; meaning supporting materials can be removed or replaced with minimal effect to the artwork.

It is helpful to consider the difference between preservation and conservation as it applies to artwork of varying age, material, and state of repair. It is also helpful to keep in mind that fine art framing should support both the material as well as aesthetic properties of a work as designed by the artist.

A contemporary document, painting, print, etc, with material and execution in original condition, is framed with conservation materials, so as to fit with the owner's tastes as well as preserve the the original art. Artwork which has degradation through age, environment, or abuse is treated with the same materials and care but these are augmented with techniques for repair and stabilization.

Work which has lost strength, flexibility, or aesthetic accuracy in pigments requires both physical and design attention. The final package will include a method of mounting of the work, protective materials to exclude damaging environments, and a design which reflects the inherent qualities, while minimizing the negative impact of degradation. In some cases, hiding stains from contact with humans or acidic materials will enhance the the beauty of the original art. In other cases stains, tears, or insect damage form an important record of the art works history (or provenance). A contemporary artist usually has intentions as to how his/her are work is to be presented which should be respected. Artwork from centuries past may have information about the artists process not intended to be seen. Revealing this information in a respectful way can deepen the experience intended by artist.

Philadelphia comes to Framing By Walter because we excel at protection and design.

Our process begins with an inquiry and may procede in a number of ways. Customers are welcome to come in to our shop, to browse an extensive collection of sample materials. If appropiate, we look forward to applying a sense and experience gathered over the 35 years in business. We have equipment and facilities to handle all phases of conservation framing.

Framing By Walter also accepts projects through the mail and we can work with you through mock ups and design snapshots. Our in house archival printing capabilities allow us to generate your artwork and complete the project with only a digital image from disc or e-mail.

Ilumin.png

Glazing Options fall into three catagories: composition, reflectivity, and UV filtering properties. Within that matrix the industry supplies a number of solutions. The simplest glazing is soda-lime picture glass used in just about every application calling for veiwing glass in the world. It protects the work from physical damage and air polution but little else. It's fine for materials with a forseeable life span. Most artwork of value requires protection from Ultra-violet light which over time will degrade and chemically alter organic pigments and substrates.

Anti-reflective (or non-glare) materials fall into two categories; those that disrupt reflection with a fine texture on the glass surface and those that use optical diffraction coatings. Textured glass causes a slight visual softening of the image that can be quite pleasing if detail is not minute. Optical coatings do a much better job both of reducing reflection and preserving detail. Both types are available with UV filtering materials.

At this time Walter's does not carry plastic with optical coatings but carries regular, non-glare, UV filtering, and NG UV acrylic glazing products. Acrylic materials, while they tend to scratch more easily then glass, are more robust and safer in applications like childrens rooms, public spaces, and pieces to be shipped.

We have the tools and skills to do our work locally, start to finish, and ensure your satisfaction. Whether a frame package for photograph, print, oil, or document; all are treated with conservation care and attention to detail.

Simple certificates to tastefully composed designs with twenty or more elements
Shadow boxes enclosing anything from sports collectibles to ancient text
Simple enclosures or our own lamination treatments for posters and popular art.

End