I do two things.

I would not open them, that is a lot of unnecessary handling. You can
attach a label or write the number in pencil on the back of the frame. I
also like to have a tag on the hanging hardware with an extra long string
so that you can easily see what it is without having to pick it up.

If something is unframed for any reason it should already be a habit to
look for a marking. If these are ever opened then you can pencil the number
on the actual print. It can be noted in the database that the print itself
was framed and thus was not labelled when accessioned.

On Thu, Jan 24, 2019 at 12:47 PM Morrow, Amanda <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hello!
>
> My background is in history museums, but my university just accepted a
> very large acquisition of art (prints) that I will be cataloging.  The
> donor is a former art professor and nearly all 1000 of the prints are
> expertly framed with archival materials.  We have the space to store them
> in their frames.
>
> How would you go about marking the prints, given the number and the risk
> of damage by opening up each frame individually?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Amanda Morrow
>
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