Virtual Preservation Roadshow 2021

Submitted items from participants of the Virtual Preservation Roadshow, January 2021.

Photo of Jacob Holub, ca. 1911
Submitted by: Elizabeth Why is it important to you?: This is a photo of my great grandfather, Jacob Holub, who was a band and orchestra leader in Boston in the late 1800s and early 1900s (Holub's Orchestra). I've learned through my research that he was a professional musician and served as a musician in the Marines. One time, he and his orchestra members were each fined $5 for breaking the Sunday Blue Laws for playing at a Jewish wedding reception (I'd have done the same). I am a church musician and learned about him well after I became a musician. That discovery was amazing to me and I feel a real connection with him. Expert Advice (Provided by Stephanie Call): Your photograph looks to be in good condition. Here are some general notes on preserving this photo: Handling: Photographs should be handled after you have washed your hands with soap and water, do not use hand sanitizer or apply lotion after. When handling the photograph, you want to ensure you are providing equal support with your hands by laying it flat on them (or on a table). This will avoid applying too much pressure to one area. It is hard to tell, but it looks like this photograph is mounted on cardboard, as opposed to being matted. Over time, the cardboard mounts or mats can become brittle and weak at the corners and along the edges, making them susceptible to breakage. If the cardboard mount has bowed out overtime no attempt should be made to flatten it. This can crack the emulsion of the photograph and damage the image. Storage: Photographs should be stored away from light exposure, in stable environments with temperature and humidity control. Storing photographs in a location with fluctuations in either can lead to deterioration of photographs. Paper photographs on card mounts can be stored in either archival paper or plastic sleeves, close in size to the photograph. You want it to be fully covered by the sleeve and for there to be no resistance or pressure when you are trying to remove or return it to its sleeve. The sleeve will protect it from rubbing against anything that might damage the image. The sleeve can then be placed in a folder which keeps it from sliding around in the enclosure you decide to store it in. You mention storing it in a box, but I’m not sure if that’s an archival box. Even if stored in an archival box, I recommend purchasing enclosures and folders. Two places to get archival quality supplies are Gaylord Archival and Hollinger Metal Edge. The cardboard mount looks like it is in relatively good shape, but keep in mind that it was most likely made from materials that are highly acidic. This can leave the photograph vulnerable. If there are concerns that the mount is brittle it should be stored flat with no pressure on it. Do not attempt to remove the photographic paper from a cardboard mount. Other Recommendations: It is always a good idea to make high-resolution digital copies of your photographs. This will give you a copy to reference and limit the amount you need to handle the original, exposing it to light and risking damage from too much handling. A physical copy can be printed out and displayed. This is especially beneficial if the card mount is showing signs of damage. If you are concerned about any damage or deterioration of your photograph, the American Institute for Conservators has a helpful "Find a Conservator" resource that can help you find a local conservator: https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator. They can assess the photograph and recommend a course of action.
School girl's copy book, 1842
Submitted by: Betsy Why is this item important to you?: This "copy book" belonged to Elizabeth Jane Kyle, my great-grandfather's half-sister, who died in 1846 at the age of 19 in Western Pennsylvania. It contains hand-writing practice pages, art-work, poetry, Masonic-looking buildings and other information relevant to her life. I suspect that my father named me "Betsy" because she was called that in her lifetime. Expert Advice (Provided by Lindsay Murphy): The copy book seems to be in relatively fine shape. The first thing I notice is foxing (the reddish or brown spots found throughout). Foxing is a very common sight in 19th-century machine-made paper, and there are methods to try to remove the foxing, but the removal process is risky and can cause further irreparable damage, so I would recommend against it. If you did want to investigate potential methods to remove it, reaching out to a paper conservator would be your best option. There is a Find a Conservator page on the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) website. You can search for a conservator within a certain distance from you. Other than some tearing and fragility along the edges (which are also common in older documents like this), the paper seems 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. Considering this is from the 1840s, the paper quality should be stable for a long time. Storage: You are on the right track to store the copy book in a sleeve—but, 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. If you find that ink/other materials are bleeding or migrating onto other pages (which may be happening in the last photo you submitted), you may want to interleave archival paper between each page to prevent this from happening. If doing this, it might be easier to store the copy book in an archival, acid-free, and lignin-free folder, rather than a sleeve. 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. How is the copy book bound, and do you see the binding falling apart or causing any damage (rust forming from staples, etc.)? If so, you may want to consider removing (or having a professional remove) the binding. I am not sure how the climate controls in safety deposit box vaults are, but wherever you store it, be sure to avoid 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. Handling: As far as handling, 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, as gloves do not give people enough grip with paper, and you risk damaging pages further.
Certificate from WWII
Submitted by: Linda Why is this item important to you?: This item belonged to my maternal grandmother who lost her first husband (James Yates) in the Battle of the Coral Sea. This is a certificate signed by President Roosevelt acknowledging his service and sacrifice. Ideally, I would like to properly preserve this document in a frame and return it to James Yates' son (my half uncle). Expert Advice (provided by Lindsay Murphy): Besides the brown stains near the top right corner (which I can’t exactly tell what that is from the photograph, but it does not seem like mold), the certificate seems to be in good condition. When documents are rolled, the fibers of the papers are weakened, often resulting in cracks or brittleness. Thankfully, from what I can tell, I do not see any of that. You do not want to just unroll the document and bend it in the reverse direction to make it flat, as this can cause the weakened fibers to break and tear. There is a method to safely flatten the document involving humidifying the document. You may not feel comfortable doing this yourself (and I wouldn’t blame you!), and if that’s the case, you can contact a local paper conservator using the American Institute for Conservation’s Find a Conservator search to do this for you. Basically, you (or a conservator) will create a humidification chamber by using a large plastic bin, water, and some sort of weights, among other things, to humidify and flatten the document. Instead of giving you step-by-step instructions of how this works, I will include links to instructions and videos that will best explain the process. One thing to be way of, though, is that while this process can safely unroll the certificate, if the inks used on the document are water-sensitive, it may cause the ink to bleed. If you plan on framing the certificate, as you mentioned, it is possible that the framers can flatten it for you, but just remember that, in most cases, they are not professional conservators. If you do not plan on getting it framed for a while, the certificate should be placed in an appropriately sized archival, acid-free, lignin-free folder, and to make it even safer, perhaps also in an archival box. You can purchase these items from companies including Gaylord Archival and Hollinger Metal Edge. The folder and/or box should be stored in areas that do not experience temperature and humidity fluctuations—this means out of basements, attics, and garages—and also should be stored areas without direct exposure to light sources. As far as handling, 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, as gloves do not give people enough grip with paper, and you risk damaging pages further. When getting it framed, be sure to ask for archival framing (also called conservation framing or preservation framing). Archival framing uses materials and techniques that will protect the document in the long term.
Possible Wedding Photo, 1855
Submitted by: Karen Why is this item important to you?: This is a photograph of my paternal great grandparents. Should I keep it intact within the metal frame or take the glass out and store glass and metal frame apart? Expert Advice (provided by Stephanie Call): Given the date of marriage (1855) and the embossed “Cutting’s Patent…1854” on the reverse, this appears to be an ambrotype (James Cutting patented the process). Ambrotypes were a wet plate collodion process similar to daguerreotypes, but less expensive to produce. Image plates and a cover glass were typically encased in a brass mat, then usually in a leather or thermoplastic case. However, they were also often placed in ornate frames, which I think is what I see here. Ambrotypes are less reflective than daguerreotypes, which is one way to tell them apart. Handling: Ambrotypes should be handled after you have washed your hands with soap and water; do not use hand sanitizer or apply lotion after. When handling the ambrotype, you want to keep it flat on a table, or if the frame is sturdy, hold firmly, but gently, on the edges of the frame. Storage: Ambrotypes would typically be stored in cases that helped protect them from dirt, debris, air, and handling. Based on your photo, it does not look like your ambrotype was in a case but is in its original frame. You are on the right track for storage. To store this photograph, I recommend continuing to keep it wrapped in alkaline buffered tissue, stored flat in a shallow drawer or flat archival document box. It helps to keep the photograph stored with the image facedown, which will protect the image from any possible deterioration of the glass (which is called “weeping.”) You also want to ensure that your storage location has stable relative humidity and temperature. Two places to get archival quality supplies are Gaylord Archival and Hollinger Metal Edge. To answer your question, you should keep the photo with frame intact, unless you have concerns about the frame impacting the image. If you do, it is best to contact a professional photograph conservator for advice. The American Institute for Conservators has a helpful "Find a Conservator" resource that can help you find a local conservator: https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator.
Leather Civil War Ammunition case
Submitted by: Sally Why is this item important to you?: It is a physical connection to my relative, Luke Emerson Bicknell, who fought in the Civil War. We have extensive information about him and his personal accounts of his participation with the Andrews Sharpshooters (of Massachusetts). Expert Advice (provided by Chloe Jones): The ammunition case seems to be in very good shape. The case appears to be sleeked (which is a process that occurs after leather is tanned to allow it to be repaired), and was likely tanned with oak bark if it was provided as soldiers’ gear to your ancestor by the Federal War Department. This tanning and sleeking process has helped to prevent rot. Antique sleeked leather tends to crack if used frequently or if preserved improperly. We recommend that this case should be handled infrequently to avoid cracking, and should only be handled while wearing cotton or nitrile gloves, which prevent the oil and dirt on our hands from damaging the leather. Be sure to place the artifact on a clean, flat surface when handling. Regarding the storage of this item, we recommend keeping it in a place that does not get direct sunlight, and the temperature can be controlled to be kept below 70 degrees. Warm temperatures can dry out leather, causing it to crack and crumble. Direct sunlight can also cause fading, and further aid the cracking process. Another important factor to consider is humidity. If the humidity is low, it can also cause cracking, but if it is too high, it can cause mold growth. To prevent this, we suggest that this item is not stored in environments such as an attic, garage, or basement, but rather at or above ground level, perhaps in a shelf in a closet. For direct storage, we recommend that you purchase acid-free archival quality tissue paper and an archival box, custom fit for your ammunition case. Places to purchase these supplies include Gaylord Archival Supply, Hollinger Metal Edge, or University Products.
Ambrotype of Julia Browning, ca. 1870
Submitted by: Louise Why is this item important to you?: This is of my paternal grandmother, Julia Browning who was born in 1868. I never knew her, but would like this to be kept for generations to come and so I want to know the best way to preserve it. Expert Advice (provided by Lindsay Murphy): Although this certainly looks like a daguerreotype, your photograph appears to be an ambrotype. Ambrotypes and daguerreotypes are often confused as they both came in about the same sizes and were both housed in cases or frames. There are a few clues hinting that this is an ambrotype. First, the date—by the late 1860s, ambrotypes were much more in use than daguerreotypes. Furthermore, I also could not see the classic mirror effect you see in daguerreotypes. With all that said, your ambrotype seems to be in great condition! I do not see any of the typical issues ambrotypes tend to develop over time. As far as storage, I suggest first you no longer keep the ambrotype in the box it is in—though you definitely want to keep the box and note, since they identify and date the photograph. You should wrap the entire case in alkaline buffered tissues and then place it flat in a shallow drawer or flat archival document box that just fits the case. The box should not be too big that the photograph is moving around, but not too small that you cannot remove it from the box should you want to. You can find buffered tissue paper and a variety sizes of archival boxes through supply companies like Gaylord Archival and Hollinger Metal Edge. The photograph should be stored in an area that does not experience large temperature and humidity fluctuations—so no basements, attics, and garages—and also should be stored areas without direct exposure to light sources. When handling the photograph, you should wear soft cotton gloves and be very careful—the glass is very fragile and can break easily!