Submitted by: Franklin Why is this item important to you?: Belonged to fifth Gr Grandfather Expert Advice: (Provided by Tim Salls) The paper cover for this account book has some areas of loss. It is not possible to tell from an image how well the book opens – does it lay flat? If the volume has been over sown it can cause stress on the pages eventually causing them to break away. It does look like there are some loose pages. Paper produced during the early 19th century is typically good quality. It is not uncommon for the paper of an account books to have surface dirt – an easy treatment by a conservator. The real concern is the ink. Iron gall ink was produced with tannin and iron sulfate (often mixed with gum arabic). The iron can oxidize causing the ink to become acidic damaging the paper eventually resulting in paper loss. Acidity damage is accelerated by high temperature and humidity thus the call for storage in a cool environment. Treatment of acidic ink requires professional treatment utilizing strong chemicals requiring multiple safety considerations. Our philosophy on treating account books is shifting away from dramatic intervention of dis-binding, washing every page to remove contaminates, mending all tears and loses, re-combing and then sewing the pages and the covers back together. The primary goal is stabilization to preserve the whole object as an artefact. More dramatic conservation measures is always possible if needed in the future but once done you can’t go back. The major focus then becomes proper storage – the enclosure and the environment it is stored in. Cardboard is acidic and this storage object should be replaced with an archival box. A conservator can produce a custom archival quality box for the dimensions of this specific account book. Archival supply vendors sell flat archival storage boxes in a variety of sizes and any free space can be filled with archival tissue paper. I would also encourage you to 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. In addition, it preserves the information in case the originals break down further.
Submitted by: Mary Why is this item important to you?: Grandparents wedding certificate, written in Swedish. Expert Advice: (Provided by Tim Salls) This marriage certificate should be treated by a 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: https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator. Presumably, the discoloration seen at the bottom of the document (from the image of the Bible/Book down) is damage caused by acidity from the cardboard storage tube migrating into the document. This needs to be addressed by a conservator to prevent further damage. The multiple tears may be mechanical damage or chemical damage due to the paper quality. The tears can be mended and the paper's pH stabilized if needed. The conservator will test the inks and colors to determine if they are water-soluble before they suggest treatment options. A digital image of the marriage certificate after conservation would assist with limiting the handling of the original document. The conservator could also create an archivally sound storage enclosure for the document to provide physical support and some protection from light and physical damage.
Submitted by: Amy Expert Advice: (Provided by Tim Salls) This appears to be an albumen photograph, which was a common photographic process late 19th century into the early 20th century. The image quality seems fine. It seems like the cockling on the right side of the image is the plastic sleeve and not water damage or cockling to the photograph. If it is actually the photograph itself then that would need to be addressed by a photograph conservator. The secondary support has some foxing – mold growth. Storage in an interior closet is usually adequate particularly if temperature and relative humidity is fairly stable. Avoid handling the original photograph as much as possible. Always wash and dry your hands before handling the original photograph and handle photographs by the edges to avoid touching the emulsion. It is important to make sure the plastic used to store the photograph has passed the photograph activity test (P.A.T.) like those sold by archival vendors such as Hollinger Metal Edge, Gaylord Archival, etc. Do not store photographs in plastic made from Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). A high-quality digital image should be made of the photograph. This will allow you to make service copies so the original can be archivally stored limiting its handling and exposure to light and pollutants. A photograph conservator, preferably one who is a member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), could treat this object. There is a Find a Conservator page on the AIC website that allows you to search for a conservator by specialty and location: https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator. There are typically a range of treatment options from stabilizing to full conservation of the object. It may be possible for a photograph conservator to remove the photo from the mount and the treat the mount for the foxing, remounting the photograph afterwards.
