The Culprit

While working on a treatment for the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, I came across a pamphlet that was especially dirty that gave me pause. This item in particular belonged to a collection of almanacs from the 1800’s. 

The pamphlet, part of a collection selected for digitization, first came to the lab in need of cleaning and stabilization for its upcoming photo-shoot. The small pamphlets, titled Jayne’s Medical Almanack, would have been heavily used, warranting some of the grime. However, on this one, I noticed an inordinate amount of insect frass staining on many of the pages.

Insect frass along edges

As I continued surface cleaning and repairing major tears … I came across a damaged and dogeared page.

Creased fold hiding the culprit

Inserting my micro-spatula, I opened to the fold to reveal the culprit!

Evidence of prior insect infestation

An ancient, dry bug!

He had obviously used this journal as his residence – coming and going – and finally gave up the ghost. I will surely provide his final resting place… my trash can.

Before treatment
After cleaning and stabilization

To learn more about almanacs and how they were stored, see Veronica’s post titled, Loopy, where she dives into the history of another popularly used almanac collection at CHPL!

Chris Voynovich, Conservation Assistant [CHPL]