>The company claims them to be
>made of 100 percent pure cellulose, bleach and
>acid-free and to have passed the PAT test.  They are
>meant for photos. 
>I am thinking of using these for my letters, because I
>can see through them enough to identify a letter
>without having to touch it, because they breathe more
>than plastic/Mylar/polypropylene options and because
>they are cheap, besides having the above features
>listed by the company.  
>HOWEVER, a company representative said she does not
>believe they are meant for permanent storage of paper.

If the claims about the envelopes are true, I don't see why you couldn't use
the envelopes for storing paper. But I'm not a conservator, so maybe I'm
barking up the wrong tree. At first glance, the biggest concern I'd have is
that the pergamin envelopes might not be very sturdy, and wouldn't withstand
handling any more than the original letters would. 

Of course, any handling is going to be hard on your originals, no matter how
you house them. So I think Dean is right in suggesting that you copy the
letters onto acid free paper (if they can withstand that), store the
originals between sheets of acid free paper, and just not use the originals
at all.

Good luck!

Carole Prietto
Daughters of Charity, West Central Province
St. Louis

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