Virtual Preservation Roadshow 2020

Submitted items from participants of the Virtual Preservation Roadshow, June 2020.

Original Prussian Travel Papers, ca. 1853
Submitted by: Susan Why is it important to you?: "Direct ancestor's (GG-grandfather) immigration papers: Our link to the homeland. Genealogical proof of name, birthplace." Expert Advice: (Provided by Lindsay Murphy) Aside from slight tearing at the bottom of the document and in a few other small places, as well as creases from the document being previously folded, your 1853 Prussian travel document looks to be in good condition. Paper processed before the mid-1850s tended to be made with high cotton fiber content (which made for better long-term strength and stability) and paper processed after the mid-1850s tended to be made with high wood content fiber (which made for worse long-term strength and stability); this is why sometimes you may see that old—and sometimes very old—paper documents tend to be in better shape than newer ones. Since your document is from exactly the mid-1850s, it is hard to say which material it was processed with, but it does seem to be a good condition. Your storage methods are sound. If possible, be sure that the sleeve is truly an “archival” sleeve. This means it should be made of plastics such as polyester (mylar), polypropylene, or polyethylene, and not made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The first three plastics are stable and will not interact with the paper is it sleeving, while PVC degrades and emits acid, which can be very damaging to paper. Make sure the document is completely unfolded. I am not sure if the paperboard you are using is directly touching the document, or if is placed between the initial sleeve that the document is in and the secondary sleeve. I would recommend that the paperboard not be directly touching the document, as it may have acids and other chemicals that can damage the travel document. If you have other materials in addition to this travel document, you can use archival, acid-free, and lignin-free folders and acid-free archival boxes. Some places to purchase these materials include Gaylord Archival, Hollinger Metal Edge, and University Products, and sometimes you can find similar products at stores such as Staples. Some other storage recommendations are, if applicable, to avoid storing this and other similar documents in areas that can experience temperature and humidity fluctuations—this means out of basements, attics, and garages—and also to avoid storing it in areas with direct exposure to light sources. As far as handling, you likely have already done this, but I would recommend making a high-quality scan that you can reference so that you do not have to touch the physical document much. If you must handle the physical document, do not eat or drink around it, and be sure to wash your hands before touching it. You do not need to use gloves to handle the material—gloves oftentimes actually make it harder to handle delicate paper like this document.
Sampler, ca. 1826
Submitted by: Carolyn Why is it important to you?: It got me interested in genealogy. I wanted to find out more about Julia Cole, who made the sampler, and how I was related to her as I am interested in needle crafts as well. Julia is my 3 greats grandmother. She used the skills she developed making the sampler to earn a living as a seamstress to support her family after her husband's death. Expert Advice: (Provided by Todd Pattison) This is an alphabet cross stitch sampler that was done on a linen background, although it is not possible to determine the type of thread used for the stitching from the photographs. The sampler has staining and some of the thread appears to be faded, presumably from light exposure. Besides this damage, it seems to be in stable condition. One area of concern that I have is the framing, which you say was done at least 40 years ago. Without taking this out of the frame it is not possible to tell how the sampler was mounted and the quality of the materials used behind the sampler. Both of these could cause problems over time. It also seems that there may be some water damage to the mat, but this could also just be from photographing through glass. Do you notice any damage to the mat? Recommendations: If there is water damage to the mat you should have it replaced. This would be an excellent opportunity to have the piece examined by a professional textile conservator, preferably one who is a member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). There is a Find a Conservator page on the AIC website that allows you to search for a conservator by specialty and location. A conservator would be able to tell you if the object needs any conservation treatment and also advise you on recommendations for framing. Keeping the sampler out of direct sunlight is very important but even lower levels of light can be damaging, especially over long time periods. Ultraviolet light is the most harmful to textile objects and this can be produced by some indoor lighting. The best defense against light damage, apart from storing the sampler in the dark, would be the glazing (glass) of the frame. There are many different types of glazing that do an excellent job of filtering UV, including Conservation Clear Glass, Museum Glass, and Optium Museum Acrylic. Most framing professionals will be able to offer a choice of UV filtering glazing, at various price points. Protecting the sampler from light damage should be a priority. If the sampler is removed from the frame you should not attempt to vacuum, wash or in any way clean the object. It is likely very fragile and should only be treated by a trained textile conservator.
Clothing, ca. 1871 (or older)
Submitted by: Ruth Why is it important to you?: It is shown in a photo of my great-grandparents, being worn by my great-uncle, circa 1875 Expert Advice: (Provided by Brittany Contratto) When I took a closer look at the pictures, the stitching indicates that it was hand sewn. I agree with your statement that it is likely cotton, linen, and/or wool. Other than a few small holes and small stains, it seems to be in good, stable condition. Here are my recommendations: STORAGE MATERIALS I highly recommend unbuffered, acid-free tissue paper. Here’s an example product of the tissue paper. Depending on where you purchase acid-free tissue from, consider a tissue size of 11” x 14” or larger. The example tissue paper packet has 100 sheets, so you can overlap tissue to accommodate the 24” size. I also would suggest an archival box instead a cardboard box. I recommend a polypropylene/Coroplast box. Here’s an example product of the box or this example, and you can pick the 24” long one to accommodate the clothing’s length. These boxes are acid-free, moisture-resistant, strong, and inert, so it will be very safe your clothing piece. If you only purchase one storage item, I strongly encourage you to purchase the acid-free tissue paper. You can wrap the clothing with the tissue to provide a barrier from the acidic cardboard. STORAGE PACKING When packing the clothing, here’s some suggested steps: Work on a flat, dry, & clean surface such as a bed or table that is free of food or liquid residue. Only use the acid-free tissue paper – no tape, rubber bands, or other materials go in the box. Prepare the clothing by carefully unbuttoning buttons, but don’t force them to unbutton if they are tightly in place. Unbuttoning will reduce stress on fibers around the button. Lightly pad the inner sleeves and inner shoulders with tissue to give support. To pad, slightly crunch and shape paper to be about .5” to 1” high and gently place in clothing. To fit in the box, fold at the armhole of the sleeves. If possible, try to carefully fold the sleeves across the front of the bodice, so they make an X. Although we want to store your clothing with as little folds as possible, you may need to fold the sleeves again or fold the bodice to make it fit in your box. Don’t force a fold if the clothing isn’t taking the fold well. Add .5” to 1” high tissue padding between the folds for support. Before placing the folded clothing in the box, place the box next to the clothing and line the box with a layer of overlapping tissues. Then, carefully lift and place the clothing into the box. Gently adjust it as needed. Overlap tissues on top to cover clothing. Before putting the lid on, make sure no clothing or tissues will get caught on the box’s edge. STORAGE AREA I read it is stored in a closet which is good, because it keeps it away from light and daily activities and movement. Make sure not to store the box in a basement or attic, since those environments fluctuate more. If not already done, keep it on a shelf that is at least 4 feet from the ground. Don’t place any other boxes or materials on top of this box. HANDLING When handling it, don’t wear any jewelry as rings, bracelets, and even long necklaces since they can easily snag the clothing fibers. Before you or anyone else handles the clothing, wash your hands with soap and water. You don’t necessarily need gloves to handle it, but if you are more comfortable with gloves, use powder-free nitrile gloves. Try to minimize handling so you reduce the risk of accidental damage. If you’d like to show it to family or friends, you can show it from within the box. OTHER SUGGESTIONS Be sure to keep a look out for pest such as cloth moths. Periodically (every 4-6 months), you can inspect to make sure it is safe. Here's a link to learn more. Never attempt to clean, wash, repair, or vacuum it – seek a professional textile conservator for those tasks.
Family Bible, ca. 1796
Submitted by: Louise Why is it important to you?: This belonged to my great great grandfather, Edward Payson (1783-1827) who was a prominent minister in New England. It has 3 names written in it- his, Ann Louise Shipman Payson (his wife) and Louise Shipman Payson(their daughter). Apparently it came into my mother's possession (Barbara S. Payson Bowen) and it remained in our family following her death in 1962. My sister has had it for the past 45 + years in a box and never opened in all that time. I recently received the box of old Payson books and opened them. l'd like to preserve it so it can remain in my family . I also would like to know if I could write our names in archival ink. Expert Advice: (Provided by Todd Pattison) Your family Bible has a leather overcover that was added sometime in the first half of the 19th century, judging by the leather and the sewing. This would have likely been done by an owner, so my guess is that one of your ancestors made this overcover and attached it to the Bible. It was probably done to either repair the Bible after it had been damaged or to better protect it. The sewing would suggest that it is not adhered to the Bible using adhesive but simply held in place with the sewing, which means the spine probably feels loose when you open the volume. This is not something that needs to be altered in any way; it seems to be serving the intended purpose and since it was most probably constructed by one of your ancestors it rather adds to the object instead of detracting from it. That said, this Bible could use a custom enclosure to protect both the overcover and the underlying volume. There are several styles of custom enclosures, including cloth-covered, drop-spine boxes and phase boxes (there are several styles of phase boxes). The key to any enclosure is that it fit the volume exactly. If you measure this yourself you need to make sure that you find the largest square dimension, as the box will be square even if the volume is not. The cloth-covered box can be made by a conservator or bookbinder while phase boxes are usually ordered from a vendor. For the small manuscript item that was included in the volume you should get a folder of acid-free paper that is slightly smaller than the volume and place the scrap in that. This can then be placed back in the original location or the folder can be placed with the boxed volume. You may also want to consider adding a folder to the boxed volume for genealogical information or even the provenance of the volume for future generations. There are archival inks that you can use for writing, both liquid inks designed to be used with a dipping pen as well pens that are pre-loaded with ink. The qualities that you are looking for in the ink are waterproof, acid-free, and light fast. Please understand that these inks are permanent, once you put something on the paper it will be there forever. Another option would be to user a pencil, which can allow you to add information but is less likely to be damaging to the object if something goes wrong. From the photograph you sent it looks like a couple of the names are already in pencil so this may be a better choice in this case. When handling the volume, you would want to cradle the book so it does not open flat. There are foam supports that are available for this purpose, but you can also just use clean towels or pillows. The important thing would be to not stress the board or page attachment by opening the volume too much. Make sure to always support the boards, even if you are just opening to the front of the volume to look at the signatures.
Family Bible, ca. 1848
Submitted by: Barbara Why is it important to you?: Family Bible Expert Advice: (Provided by Todd Pattison) Your Bible is covered in sheep leather that has embossed decoration in the central panels on the boards and blind tooling around the panels and board edges. This would be a combination of machine-stamping (the embossing) and handwork (the blind tooling). The spine is not really visible in the photograph, but I would imagine that it has a gold title and blind lines around the raised bands. This would appear to be a case binding with false raised bands on the spine. Condition: Sheep leather tends to degrade more quickly that goat or pig leather and that is why the damaging to the surface of the leather is so pronounced. The front joint appears to be breaking along the top edge, which could also be part of the leather deterioration. While the pages are not visible in the photograph paper from this time period was not that bad so it may be foxed but I would doubt that it is brittle. Recommendations: There is not anything that can be done about the surface condition of the leather; leather deterioration is a little like brittle paper, the fibers have broken on a very small scale and can’t be repaired. You will need to limit handling as much as possible and keep the volume out of light and away from high temperatures, and very high or very low humidity. All of these will speed up the deterioration of the leather. The Bible could use a custom enclosure to protect it from both light damage and dust. There are several styles of custom enclosures, including cloth-covered, drop-spine boxes and phase boxes (there are several styles of phase boxes). The key to any enclosure is that it fit the volume exactly. If you measure this yourself you need to make sure that you find the largest square dimension, as the box will be square even if the volume is not. The cloth-covered box can be made by a conservator or bookbinder while phase boxes are usually ordered from a vendor. You may also want to consider adding a folder to the boxed volume for genealogical information or even the provenance of the volume for future generations. When handling the volume, you should wash your hands with soap and water but not wear gloves. Gloves will lower the feeling in your fingers so it would be more likely that you would damage the object and cotton gloves, especially, will catch on the worn surface of the leather causing further damage. You should always place volumes in a cradle so as not to stress them when handling, but this will be particularly important with the damage to the front joint. There are foam supports that are available for this purpose, but you can also just use clean towels or pillows. The important thing would be to not stress the board attachment by opening them too far; they should not open all the way flat (180 degrees from the text) as this will cause additional damage to the leather at the joint. Make sure to always support the boards, even if you are just opening to the front of the volume to look at the title page. The Bible is in good condition given its age and the leather used for covering. The number one priority would be to protect it as-is, so I would definitely recommend a custom enclosure.
Vase
Submitted by: Judie Why is it important to you?: I always admired it when I visited my grandmother. Expert Advice: (Provided by Brittany Contratto) From the one picture, it seems that the vase is in good condition with no issues. Here are my recommendations: HANDLING When handling it, don’t wear any jewelry as rings, bracelets, and even long necklaces. They can easily catch on fragile parts that are sticking out, scratch the surface, or cause chipping. Before you or anyone else handles the vase, wash your hands with soap and water and make sure they are dry before touching. You don’t necessarily need gloves to handle it, but if you are more comfortable with gloves, use powder-free nitrile gloves. Always use both hands when holding it and try not to handle it frequently, so you reduce the risk of accidental damage. DISPLAY AREA I saw that it is stored in a guest bedroom on a shelf. You may want to make sure that the shelf is very secure or reinforce it and doesn’t have to much weight on it. Also, consider if the shelf is in a spot where people might easily bump into and whether to move the vase to a different spot. Be sure to avoid hanging anything above or behind the vase, so nothing can fall on it. If the guest room is in the basement or refurbished attic, you may want to consider moving it to a different room. Basements’ and attics’ environments fluctuate, and this can over time damage items including ceramics. STORAGE MATERIALS & PACKING If you ever need to store the vase in a box, consider an archival box. Archival suppliers such as Gaylord and University Products have archival boxes in various sizes that can fit your vase. A suggestion for packing would be to wrap the vase with unbuffered, acid-free tissue paper without using any tape or other adhesives. Here’s an example product of the tissue paper. Be extra careful around the flowers. Once it is completely wrapped with 2-4 layers of archival tissue, you can wrap it with bubble wrap and place it in a box also lined with bubble wrap or some gentle packing materials. Don’t use packing peanuts as they retain moisture which could cause damage to your vase or even damage the storage box. If in storage, keep it on a shelf that is at least 4 feet from the ground. Don’t place any other boxes or materials on top of this box. OTHER SUGGESTIONS If you need to dust the vase, do so with a dry dusting cloth that has no chemical products in it, and be careful around the flowers that stick out. Never attempt to wash or repair it – seek a professional object conservator for that. If not already following, don’t put any water or flowers in the vase to prevent damage or issues. If there is possible cracks and water absorbs in the crack, it can create larger cracks or breaks.
Family History Notes
Submitted by: Sherry Why is it important to you?: Earliest genealogy notes that enabled me to trace back into New England. Expert Advice: (Provided by Todd) The paper is quite fragile, appearing to be brittle, which can cause it to break while handling. It is also likely acidic, further contributing to the breaking down of the paper fibers, damaging it on a chemical and microscopic scale. From the darkened state of the paper this would seem to have some groundwood pulp content that would include lignin, which darkens upon exposure to light. The pencil notations, although light, appear to be stable. Recommendations: I would encourage you get high-quality scans made of the pages. This will provide use copies that will limit handling of the originals and will also allow you to share this information with other interested parties. It will also preserve the information in case the originals break down further. If some of the writing is so faint that it is hard to read the pages can be imaged under UV light to fluoresce the graphite pencil. The pages may need some conservation work to reattach the pieces before imaging, although the pieces can be “digitally” put back together using imaging software. Pressure-sensitive tape should never be used to repair the pages as the tape will deteriorate over time causing further damage. It would also be possible to have the originals treated by a trained conservator, preferably one who is a member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). There is a Find a Conservator page on the AIC website that allows you to search for a conservator by specialty and location. If the writing is only on one side of the page they could probably be backed with Japanese paper using starch paste to reattach the pieces and stabilize the paper. Storage and handling: The pages could be stored in a Bristol folder with paper folders or envelopes for each page. This would would block light and prevent damage from dust and envelopes would keep the smaller pieces together, so they do not get lost. When handling the pages, you should wash your hands with soap and water but not wear gloves. Gloves will lower the feeling in your fingers so it would be more likely that you would damage the pages further.

Photo Album
Submitted by: Wendy Why is this item important to you?: So many photos of grands, greats and great great grandparents and family. I feel very fortunate to have something like this. Expert Advice: (Provided by Stephanie Call) The photographs in the scrapbook look to be in very good condition, but I understand the concern you have for the black paper of the scrapbook. I have a couple of different suggestions for you, and which one you choose really depends on how attached you are to having them in a scrapbook format. Regardless of what you choose, I suggest you digitize the pages of your scrapbook. 1) The first recommendation would be to disbind the scrapbook and sleeve each leaf in its own acid-free folder, keeping the pages in order. You can then lay the folders flat in an archival box. Keeping each page in the folder will also benefit any items that might be coming loose, as they will just come loose in a folder, and that is unlikely to cause further damage. If photographs are coming loose, you can also sleeve them in photo enclosures, which I talk a little bit about, below. I recommend Gaylord Archival or Hollinger Metal Edge for archival materials. The box and folders should be of similar size to the size of the scrapbook and the scrapbook pages. 2) The second recommendation is if you would rather the scrapbook stay in something akin to its original format. There is black support paper you can purchase (you will want to make sure the paper is marked “P.A.T” for Photographic Activity Test) or you can purchase a new, acid free scrapbook. Of course, this will depend greatly on how easy it might be for you to remove the photographs from the existing backing. You would just want to make sure to keep, in folders, any pages with notations. Kolo is a good source of high-quality, archival scrapbooks and albums; you can also purchase these through Hollinger Metal Edge or Gaylord Archival. Photo corners work well for placing photographs back on the page. Some general considerations for handling scrapbooks: Handling: When handling the scrapbook, make sure your hands are clean and you’re not wearing any lotions or hand sanitizer. Do not wear gloves, as gloves don’t give people enough grip with paper, and you risk damaging pages further. Make sure the area you showcase it in or on is clean. Reformatting: Limiting hands-on access to it is the best way to ensure this scrapbook is preserved for years to come. If you keep the scrapbook bound, you may want to consider digitizing the book using an overhead scanner (you can have this done professionally) to create digital surrogates of each page- which will also allow other family members to enjoy the scrapbook from afar! If professional digitization services are not feasible, you can take photographs of each page. If you disbind the book, you can digitize each page (carefully!) on a flatbed scanner. Storage: Always keep the scrapbook in an area with stable temperatures and humidity; away from light sources; and, always lie the pages or book flat. Photo Enclosures: You can place your photos in archival quality plastic sleeves made of polyester, propylene or polyethylene, or a paper enclosure. Any photograph enclosures you use to house your photos should pass the P.A.T. test. Envelopes for photographs should be acid-free and lignin-free. Paper enclosures protect from light and you can also write on them, which is a bonus! Your photo enclosures should be as close to the size of the photograph as possible.

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