Category: Humidification

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Map of France – Project

I am currently repairing this giant great map of France. Interestingly it has the same picture on both sides, the recto with text, the verso without.

As you can see there is a stonking great hole at the bottom to be filled in (I have the bit) and a substantial amount of staining to try and shift… All this would be a lot more fun if the blasted thing didn’t take up the whole hut.

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The Reverend Samuel Parr L.L.D – Project

The Reverence Samuel Parr L.L.D
c. 1811
Machine printed on wove handmade paper
343x504x53 (WHD)

  • Before
  • Some foxing on the verso

CONDITION

This dashing man was the Rev. Samuel Parr, and is dated 1811. The media is machine printed, so not at risk from washing. The paper is a very nice wove handmade paper – at the time of the print, paper making machines were in use, but were still not making the majority of paper, this was still handmade. You can see from both sides that it is quite discolored and has a lot of reddish spots, known as foxing (this is believed to be iron content within the paper that rusts and bleeds out to the surface).

TREATMENT

  • Humidifyed and ready for the bath
  • The Rev having a bath
  • Surface cleaning using a chemical sponge.
  • Humidification using a water spray as photographed
  • Washed in a bath of tap water for approximately 20 minutes.
  • Left to dry somewhat on a drying rack.
  • Pressed recto up on a blotter under a weight, allowing any excess dirt to be drawn out through the verso onto the blotter – very clever!
  • Before
  • After