All about Picture Frames and Mounts

A picture frame is a kind of container added to a picture in order to enhance it, make it easier to display and to protect it.

Construction

Picture frames have traditionally been made of wood, which is still the commonest material, although other materials are also used, including aluminium, plastics or polystyrene. A picture frame may be of any colour or texture, but gilding is common, especially on older frames. Some picture frames have elaborate mouldings which may relate to the subject matter. Older frames are often made of moulded and gilded plaster over a plain wood base.

The picture frame may contain a pane of glass or a plastic glass substitute, in order to protect the picture. In some instances where the art in the frame is dispensable or durable, no protection may be necessary. Glass is common over watercolours, rare over oil paintings, except very valuable ones in some museums. Glass may be treated with coatings, the most common being UV filters. Some glazing's such as Schott Mirograd, and Museum glass have a coating which makes the glass almost non-reflective and practically invisible under ideal lighting conditions.

For pieces to be framed under glass, except for the most disposable and inexpensive posters or temporary displays, the glass must be raised off the surface of the paper. This is done by means of a mount, a lining of plastic "spacers", shadowboxing, stacking two mouldings with the glass in between, and various other methods. If the paper (or other media) were to touch the glass directly, any condensation inside the glass would absorb directly into the art, having no room to evaporate. This is harmful to almost any medium. It causes art sticking to the glass, mildew, and other ill effects. Raising the glass is also necessary when a piece is done in a loose media such as charcoal or pastel, to prevent smudging. Care should be taken with these works, however, if acrylic glazing is used as a static charge can build up which will attract the pigment particles off the paper. Using float glass helps to prevent this. See below for further details.

Certain kinds of pieces do not usually need glass when framed, including paintings done in acrylic or oil paint (the former is usually waterproof; the latter actually needs to "breathe" due to the decades-long drying process), stained glass or tiles, and laminated posters. These kinds of pieces are still sometimes put under glass though if for example, they are framed using mounts, or (in the case of oil paintings) they are kept in a carefully climate-controlled environment.

Other styles are clip frames, box frames and shadow boxes. A digital photo frame is an example of the changing technology of the 21st century.

 

In the picture framing industry, a Mount/Mat is a thin, flat piece of paper-based material included within a picture frame, which serves as additional decoration and to perform several other, more practical functions, such as separating the art from the glass. Putting mounts/mats in a frame is called mounting/matting, a term which can also usually be used interchangeably with mount/mat.

Decoration

The picture-framing mount is most commonly known by laymen for its use as additional decoration to enhance the look of a framed piece, sometimes in conjunction with a fillet or more rarely, liners made of wooden moulding with a cloth surface. Typically the mount or mounts, if matched carefully and properly proportioned, serve to help draw the eye in towards the framed piece, or towards a particular key element of the piece.

Mount are fairly adaptable in the visual sense. Since they are typically quite thin (roughly 1/16th of an inch (1.4mm) thick) or, for example, they are able to be cut to "stack" inside of a display, allowing for double, triple or quadruple mount, or even allowing for a fillet in between mounts. Mounts are available in numerous shades of every colour in the rainbow, and can easily be found or altered to include further decorative features, such as a cloth covering (most commonly linen or silk, though mounts with leather coverings or various other types of cloth covering are also available from some companies) or other decorative coverings or coatings (such as metallic coatings, or textured and patterned coatings that can include rice paper).

Because the mount is thin, but not razor-thin, it can also be carved (traditionally by hand) to feature a design, such as lettering or a simple image; since the carving consists mainly of cutting away a small portion of the top decorative layer of the mount, this means that the carved design will show up as the colour of the mount's core. Most mounts are only available with a white core, but a handful of mounts are also available with a non-white core, most commonly black, though a smaller number are available with bright green, red, yellow or blue cores.

Since mounts are made of paper-based material, they tend to take well to minor surface additions, including ink and paint; cloth-covered mats can also have objects such as pins, flags or cloth patches pinned or sewn to them, a technique frequently used in shadowboxing to avoid having to glue items to the backing. It is also possible to affix a small metal plate to the surface of a mount. Such plates are typically made of brass, and can also be affixed to the picture frame itself if the frame is made of wood.

A common form of decoration on non-cloth coated mounts is the French line or line, and the French panel or panel. A French line or line is a line drawn on the mat, usually in ink or paint and usually drawn to form a complete rectangle or square around the opening in the mount. It is used as additional decoration to help draw the eye in towards the centre of the display, and can be done in pencil or any colour of ink or paint, including metallic inks. A French panel or panel is similar to a French line, with the exception that it is thicker, formed from decorative material ranging from gold leaf to a design in ink or paint. Typically a painted French panel will be done in watercolour, which is also sometimes referred to as a watercolour panel.

Protection

In archival or conservation picture framing, mounts have several important functions. One of the most important functions is that it separates the glass from the art or document being framed; this is primarily important because any condensation that develops on the inside of the glass can be transferred to the piece if they are not separated, resulting in water damage, mold or mildew. Photos should also be separated from the glass because the surface of photographs is particularly easy to damage, and may even separate from its original paper and stick to the glass if wet; for this reason, any framed photograph of value should be framed in such a way that the glass does not directly contact the photo. Additionally, some types of art, such as pastels or chalk pictures, can smudge easily and should be separated from the glass for that reason.

Another major function of the mount in archival framing (where the mounts used are made of acid-free and lignin-free paper) comes into play during the mounting process. In archival framing, paper items are not typically glued down to the backing, as it prevents anyone in the future from being able to safely and easily remove it to replace damaged frames, backing or mounts, and can make restoration of a damaged document or art piece more difficult. Typically, such items are instead held in place against the backing with Mylar "photo corners" (tiny triangular pockets into which the corners of the paper are put). The added (though slight) weight of mats can help hold a piece in place while also helping to hide the backing and photo corners. In archival framing, the mounts are not glued to the piece or backing, but are "hinged" to the backing with tape, though if more than one mat is used, the mats are typically glued to each other.

Acidic vs. "acid-free"

There are two main types of mount material: acidic, and "acid-free" (neutral ph). Older mounts are typically acidic, because acid-free paper was not widely available or marketed until recent years; however, not all newer mounts are acid-free, and one should always ask his or her picture framer about the acid content of the mounts. The difference is important for the protection of the piece in most cases; acidic mounts can cause what is called mat burn, brown marks that creep from the outside in on the displayed piece itself. While mat burn is sometimes reversible through cleaning the piece, cleaning may not be feasible if the piece was executed in water-soluble inks or paints, such as watercolour. Thus, it is important to know if the mounts used are acid-free.

To determine the pH of an older mount with a white core, look to see if the core (visible where the mat has already been cut) has turned brownish or yellowed; if so, it is acidic. If the core has not changed colour, one can determine the pH by using a pH tester.

There are several categories of mount board and they are all separated by the level of protection offered the art work or artefact being framed. While it is safe to say that acidic framing materials should be avoided for all but the most temporary frames, it is not safe to say that all "acid-free" mounts are recommended for use.

The hierarchy of mat board quality is as follows:
 

I. Museum Board - The highest quality material available. It is constructed of 100% cotton fibre, is Archival and will protect and preserve the contents of a frame. While it is the most expensive material available, the difference in actual material costs relative to the cost of framing is minimal.

II.Archival Mount Board- Still a good quality choice for conservation, it is constructed of cotton liners and cellulose (wood pulp) middles. The cellulose is a less expensive raw material but offers sufficient conservation properties for most works.

III. Acid-Free or Conservation - Constructed of 100% pure high alpha cellulose (wood pulp) and treated to be inert for up to 300 years. This is the highest quality paper mountboard available.

IV. Acid Free Lined - Not a good choice for framing. This material is usually lined with a highly alkaline liner on one or both sides and the core is either recycled fibre or acidic paper. Eventually the acid in the core will leach out to the surface which can harm the artwork.

 

Caution must be exercised in selecting a mount board and there are many terms used to confuse consumers who may otherwise believe they are paying for the best possible product. Many art works are damaged by improper mount boards that are used either intentionally to lower cost or because of ignorance of good conservation technique. Correct Conservation Framing includes all components, not just the mountboard. There is no such thing as an archival foam-board. Look for Archival Mounting Board, Archival Backing Board, Archival Dustcover or Back Paper, and make sure the framer is using good Conservation Framing Techniques.

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