Washing and Lining a 19th Century Broadside

     The Robert C. Hansen Performing Arts Collection contains programs, heralds, guidebooks, periodicals, playbooks, sheet music, songbooks, correspondence,  autographs, original costume designs, scenery designs, posters, photographs, scrapbooks, and other visual materials and memorabilia. Each of these items help document the history of the performing arts, mainly theatre, in many countries though mainly in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Items date from 100 to 2012, with the bulk of the items dating to the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection is named for Dr. Bob Hansen, an Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Theatre at UNCG, who has generously donated the entire collection (and continues to donate additions).

19th century broadside advertisement of
Caius Gracchus, a tragedy by J. S. Knowles

      This broadside from the Hansen Performing Arts Collection advertises a 19th century theatre production entitled Caius Gracchus, a tragedy written by James Sheridan Knowles, that was performed around 1823 at the New Theatre Royal on Drury-Lane in London. The broadside arrived in Preservation Services to be stabilized and to have a protective enclosure created for it. It was discolored due to age, impurities in the paper, and environmental exposure. One corner was detached and the edges had small tears, losses, or folds.

Detail images of the broadside prior to treatment

      Due to the discoloration, the broadside was washed. (We wrote about washing documents in an earlier post. Click HERE if you want to read more about that process.) The first step of the process was to ensure the ink was not soluble in water. It was tested by adding a very small drop of water, allowing it to absorb for a few seconds, and then blotting it dry. If any ink transfers to the blotter, the ink is likely soluble in water and washing the broadside would be a bad idea. However, this test proved the ink was stable. 

Testing the ink to ensure it is not soluble in water.
Note the drop of water on the "A" in the center.

      The broadside was sandwiched between two layers of Reemay, a spun polyester fabric that can be used to support documents during the washing process. It makes it easier to handle the wet document. The broadside was submerged in water in a large, flat tray. The water was exchanged several times until it was mostly clear after soaking the document. This process helps to reduce discoloration and also serves to strengthen the paper as it removes some of the impurities and rehydrates the paper fibers.

Broadside as it is being washed

      The paper was relatively thin, so an overall lining of Japanese paper was attached to the back to provide extra support as well as to fill in the losses at the edges. (Unfortunately, there are no pictures of this phase of the project.) While the broadside was still damp, it was laid face down on a piece of Mylar, which helps keep it flat with surface tension. The crumpled edges were flattened out and the detached corner was laid in its original place. A slightly oversized piece of Japanese paper, close in tone to the original broadside, was pasted out with rice starch paste. The broadside, while being supported with Mylar, was then laid down on the Japanese paper. The Mylar was removed and the broadside and Japanese paper were sandwiched between dry Reemay. This allowed for gently burnishing the back of the Japanese paper lining to ensure it had good contact with the broadside.

Before and after treatment

      Once burnished, the lined broadside in its Reemay layers, was placed between cotton blotters to dry. It was restraint dried--placed under a board with heavy weights--to prevent warping. Once it was completely dry the following day, the excess Japanese paper was trimmed away. The broadside was placed in a Mylar sleeve and a portfolio enclosure was created for storage and protection. The portfolio provides the support needed to more easily handle the broadside as it is pulled for researchers or classes that visit the Robert C. Hansen Performing Arts Collection at Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives.

The broadside in its portfolio enclosure

Too Much Mending, Too Little Time

L: Bound cello music score, R: Detail of damaged cover

This 1917 volume of bound scores, from the collection of Luigi Silva (1903-1961), is part of the Cello Music Collection in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives at UNC Greensboro. It is part of a set of several works bound together under the handwritten title Pezzi repertorio II (Repertoire Pieces II). This volume contains parts for a violin or violoncello and piano. The score also contains handwritten performance notes by Luigi Silva. Silva was a renowned musician as well as a teacher and scholar of the violoncello. To learn more about Luigi Silva, please visit the Luigi Silva Musical Score Collection and Personal Papers.

Damage to the cover on left and to the pages on right

Often, when we receive a damaged item in Preservation Services, we do not know the exact cause of the damage. This score is one such example. The front cover had been punctured by a sharp object, which caused damage through the cover and into the first 20-25 pages of the bound score. Because so many pages had been damaged, it was going to be a time-consuming task to mend the same hole or loss on all of the 20 or so damaged pages. 

Mending this type of damage requires careful consideration of materials. Though the score is unlikely to be used in performance any longer, it was necessary to ensure that the mend would remain flexible as the pages are turned by researchers or perhaps when the book is shared with a class. Mending tissues are often selected based on the type, age, and condition of the paper being mended. For example, a very brittle paper mended with a thick piece of Japanese paper would simply break again next to the mend, as the mend would be stronger than the paper itself.

L: Hole as it appears on one of the first pages, vs.
R: Hole as it appears on the last damaged page

The paper in this score was relatively stable in condition, so brittleness was not a concern. However, adding a Japanese tissue mend to each of the 20 or so damaged pages would quickly build up thickness in that one area that could be problematic in the function of the book. For that reason, a thin Japanese paper was used along with rice starch paste to mend each of the holes.

Another consideration in completing this type of mending is how much time is involved. Often in Preservation Services, we are able to go beyond basic repair and even restore a damaged item to close to its original condition. However, we must balance how and how often the item will be used in the future with how much time we can invest in its repair. Not every item warrants a full restoration.

L: The hole being repaired, R: Applying pasted tissue to the hole

In this case, the item may be used in the future by researchers, in a class, or in an exhibition, so it was necessary to spend more time in the conservation process rather than simply providing a protective enclosure for storage. To that end, in projects such as this one it becomes necessary to save time whenever possible as there are so many conservation projects in the queue. Not only do we conserve items in Special Collections and University Archives, but we are also tasked with preserving materials in the general circulating collections of Jackson Library as well as those in the Harold Schiffman Music Library on campus.

When time and space are not as much of a concern, or when working on a flat item such as a letterpress printed broadside, it would be common to allow each mend to dry under blotter and weight while working on another project at the same time. In the case of repairing this bound score, a quicker method was employed. A small travel iron on a very low heat setting was used to quickly dry each mend before moving on to the next one. So, mending more than 20 pages took a fraction of the time it might have. Applying heat is not always ideal, so the conservator must consider the type of materials being mended and what impact heat may have on the item.

L: Ironing mend to dry it quickly, R: Finished mend

For each mend, a substrate is placed under the page being mended. It consists of a piece of release paper (like parchment paper you might use in baking), which is layered over a cotton blotter on top of a scrap of book board. Rice starch paste is applied to a thin piece of Japanese paper torn to size and applied to the area of the page needing repair. A Teflon folder is used to press and smooth the tissue onto the paper being mended. Then, another piece of release paper is layered on top of the mend and the iron is used to apply heat to quickly dry the paste. The blotter underneath helps to absorb the moisture from the paste. In this way, 20 or more pages can be mended in a fraction of the time. Likewise, because a very thin tissue was used, the "stack" of mends did not build up into a thickness that might have impeded the cover from closing completely. So, the problem of too many mends and too little time was easily resolved.

As you see pictured below, the cover was also mended with a black Japanese paper. Two years ago, we posted another blog entry about mending the corner of a cello music score much like this one. Please click HERE to read about that repair.

Detail of repaired cover