Keeping a Richard Mortensen Framed Poster in Good Shape

Dust, daylight and damp do most of the damage to a framed poster. Here is what actually preserves one, and what matters less than people assume.

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

Care for a Richard Mortensen framed poster by dusting the glass monthly with a dry microfibre cloth, hanging it away from direct sun and radiators, and keeping room humidity below about 60 percent. Avoid household sprays on the glass. Done consistently, a framed poster keeps its colour for decades.

Dusting and Cleaning the Frame

The routine is simple and takes minutes. Dust the frame and glass once a month with a dry microfibre cloth, working from the centre of the glass outward so grit does not drag along the edges. Never spray cleaner directly onto the glass. Liquid can wick under the frame lip and stain the paper, and the stain is permanent. Dampen the cloth instead, if the surface needs more than a dry pass.

Wood and metal frames want slightly different handling. A wooden moulding tolerates a barely damp cloth; a lacquered aluminium frame can be wiped more freely, since nothing soaks in. Skip furniture polish entirely. Its residue collects dust faster than bare wood does. The same gentle routine applies whether you own a Mortensen composition with large flat colour fields or, say, a landscape such as a framed poster of Dartmoor Farm. Flat inks show smears more than textured paint ever will.

Light, Heat and Humidity

Daylight is the main threat. Ultraviolet radiation fades poster inks slowly and unevenly, so a Mortensen hung opposite a window may lose its strongest colours first while pale areas barely change. That uneven fading looks worse than uniform ageing. A wall that receives no direct sun, or a few hours of indirect light at most, will hold the print far longer. If the room is bright, a UV-filtering glazing is worth considering.

Heat and damp work more quietly. Keep the frame away from radiators, fireplaces and the kitchen, where grease settles on glass. Bathrooms are a poor home for any paper print. Aim for stable room conditions, roughly 18 to 24 degrees and humidity below about 60 percent. If you are still deciding between formats, the trade-offs are set out in how to choose between canvas and framed poster, since canvas tolerates humidity differently. The same logic applies to a framed print like The Church of St. Gervais.

Placement rules that matter most

No direct sunlight on the glass at any hour of the day.
At least a metre from radiators, fires and air conditioning vents.
Away from kitchens, bathrooms and damp exterior walls.
Stable temperature, ideally between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius.

Handling, Moving and Long Term Storage

Most damage happens when a print is moved, not while it hangs. Lift a framed poster by the frame body with two hands, never by the hanging wire or a single corner. Before lifting, check that the hanging hardware is firm, because a loose hook turns a careful move into a fall. When carrying it any distance, keep it upright and vertical. Flat carries invite someone to set it down on a surface that scratches the glazing.

If you need to store a framed poster, wrap it in a breathable material such as a cotton sheet or plain paper, never plastic, which traps moisture against the glass. Store it upright, off the floor, in a room that stays dry. Should a frame ever need reopening to replace backing or glazing, a framer is the safer pair of hands. The same handling rules serve any flat print, and the hanging side of the job is covered in whether a print needs a hanging kit. For a sense of how subjects and colours age visually, Mortensen's most common subjects is a useful companion read.

A poster fades from the light you stopped noticing years ago.

Task	Frequency	Method
Dust glass and frame	Monthly	Dry microfibre cloth, centre outward
Clean glass smudges	As needed	Damp cloth only, never sprayed liquid
Check hanging hardware	Twice a year	Tug test hook and wire before lifting
Inspect for fading or damp	Yearly	Compare edges of the print for colour shift

Care schedule at a glance

Key takeaways

Dust monthly with a dry microfibre cloth and never spray cleaner onto the glass.
Direct sunlight fades poster inks unevenly, so choose a wall that stays shaded.
Keep the frame away from heat sources and hold humidity below about 60 percent.
Carry framed prints upright with two hands, since most damage happens in transit.

Related questions

Can I use glass cleaner on a framed poster?

Never spray it directly. Liquid runs behind the frame lip and stains the paper, and the mark will not come out. If the glass needs more than a dry dust, apply a small amount of cleaner to a cloth, wipe, then dry with a second cloth. Keep all moisture away from the frame edges.

How long will a framed poster print keep its colour?

On a shaded interior wall, a good poster print holds its colour for decades. Direct sun shortens that dramatically, sometimes to a few years before fading shows. UV-filtering glazing extends the life further. The inks themselves and the paper quality set the ceiling, but light exposure decides how quickly you reach it.

Is caring for a framed poster different from caring for a canvas print?

Somewhat. Canvas has no glass to clean and tolerates a light brush with a dry cloth, but its surface can scuff, so it wants the same protection from sunlight and damp. Framed posters need glass care and hardware checks. Both formats last longest in stable, shaded, dry rooms.

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