Archival Photo Project At Philbrook Museum Preserves Tulsa's History

Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum is preserving snapshots of the city. With the help of some archival photos and a projector, workers are getting a look at life 100 years ago.

The museum has hundreds of positives, which share stories of Tulsa that could've been forgotten without the help of archival specialists, like Saige Blanchard.

"It is just wonderful to explore down there and to find something new every day,” Blanchard said. “I mean I am still pretty new so I am still discovering my territory, so to speak."

She's seen digital versions of these photos before, but for her, there’s something about seeing the original copies through a slide projector.

"Putting them in there and then actually clicking through the slideshow and see them in their natural state was a different experience than looking at a digitized photo, so that was fun,” Blachard said.

It takes a lot of hard work to keep these items in perfect condition.

"You have to take all of these different measures to make sure these things are well taken care of,” Jeff Martin with Philbrook said.

Workers wear gloves while handling the pictures, which are kept in protective sleeves.

Blanchard thinks it's worth it to protect glimpses of Tulsa’s past.

"It's really important and how we can continue sharing these things in the future,” Blanchard said. “That's the best thing; preserving history."