This New York Times article covers some of the cleaning methods used in Victorian England, including using bread to clean wallpaper. Stone floors were also cleaned with skim milk, and laundry with fresh urine (cringing here!). It is interesting…
The Office for International Academic Projects is offering a great course on the history of black inks & their various formulations, including iron gall, sepia, bistre and logwood inks. This class will also cover chemical composition, manufacture and conservation…
Repairing and restoring diplomas and certificates is a familiar task in my conservation practice. Diplomas come in a wide variety of sizes and formats. They may be made of parchment or paper, and the inks used vary from printing inks to…
This is a wonderfully informative video on the process of making vellum/parchment, which dates back to 2450 B.C. Jesse Meyer has revived this craft and distilled it down to an art! The process of making parchment involves soaking animal…
I recently completed treatment of a severely stained, discolored and brittle color lithograph of a military encampment at Camp Robinson in Ashland, Virginia. This treatment was performed for the Ashland Museum. Treating this lithograph posed some challenges, as it…
It is rare to get the opportunity to gather with other conservators in a large group, especially these days. This week I am attending the annual Southeastern Regional Conservation Association’s annual meeting online via Zoom. There have been a…
An interesting article about creativity and the way the human mind works. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/boundless/201907/the-psychology-creativity…
A helpful video created by the North Carolina State Archives on caring for paper-based documents and ephemera.…