Tag Archives: Ashleigh Schieszer

Archeological Textile Discovery in the Stacks: The Research

This is the first post of a four part series.

Discovery in the Stacks

When a collection of Egyptian mummy bandage fragments at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library was found in an area used to store uncatalogued flat materials, the lab was asked to play a role in providing better stewardship.  

Discovered in the stacks: A mounted collection of six Egyptian textile fragments that date to the Ptolemaic Period (around 300-30 BCE), recto

Mummy bandage wrappings are rare finds in public libraries, and discovering that the materials where uncatalogued was not terribly surprising; having the specialized knowledge to catalog such a unique object may not have been available at the Public Library at the time of the acquisition.  With no identifying marks, and mounted to an aged board, the provenance of these objects are unfortunately unknown.

Collection suffered from a lack of storage housing without identifying information, found by staff performing a collections inventory, verso

Concerned about their overall safety of the fragments, as they were attached to a brittle board that could potentially chip and break if mishandled, it was clear that a solution for long-storage was needed.  Therefore, the items were brought to the lab for a comprehensive examination.

As a book and paper conservator with little knowledge of archeological textiles, the first step towards selecting a preservation solution was to better understand the fragments and conduct research on how to care for them. Because of the age and fragility of the items, my goal became to find a storage solution that could facilitate access while limiting handling of the actual objects themselves.

Examination

In order to conduct research, the condition of the individual fragments were fully examined with a variety of illumination techniques to better understand their composition. The collection was photographed with a DSLR camera in normal illumination, raking light, infrared, and ultraviolet fluorescence. The images revealed valuable information such as the possible types of adhesives used in mounting, the degree of linen loss, as well as the type of pigment applied to the linen. 

Creating the photographic documentation also allowed me to reach out to other scholars, to inquire about their history, while providing high quality images.

Types of Photography Performed During Examination

  • Normal Illumination – General reference image
  • Raking Illumination – Shows losses in linen, brown paper linings, and breaks in board
  • Infrared Imaging – Reveals inscriptions hidden along stains
  • Ultraviolet Fluorescence – Exposes differing types of adhesives
  • Normal Illumination – Overall images were taken of both the front and back of the mounting board. Normal illumination images serve as general reference photographs, representing how we perceive the object in normal room lighting.
  • Raking Illumination – Reveals the surface topography, showing breaks, tears, and losses in both the linen fragments and the mounting board.
  • Infrared Imaging – A modified DSLR camera and specialized filters remove visible light and capture longer wavelengths than the human eye can see, revealing the carbon-based writing while allowing the stains to disappear, making the writing more legible.
  • Ultraviolet Radiation– Ultraviolet radiation produces a fluorescence that readily shows the two differing types of adhesives used to adhere the fragments onto the backings. The first adhesive used to adhere the fragments to a brown paper backing does not fluoresce, while an adhesive that is smeared onto the face of the backing board does fluoresce.  This indicates that the fragments were adhered at different times to the two different substrates, first being adhered overall to a paper backing, then later mounted onto the board.

Research

Using the high-quality images described above, I reached out to experts in Egyptology and papyrology at the University of Cincinnati Classics Library and the University of Michigan to learn about the history of the objects. Right away, I was given extremely detailed information by generous colleagues.

One of the first surprising things I learned is that two of the fragments were oriented upside down.  So in their mounted format, they were not properly represented. Perhaps even more exciting was the discovery that three fragments were able to be attributed to a priest named Wennofer! (There will be more about the history of the pieces in the second part of the series, stay tuned.)

Of Parts and Pieces

It was serendipitous that during my research one of the contacts I was put in touch with was Dr. Ann-Katrin Gill from the University of Leipzig.  Dr. Gill happened to be in the midst of a larger project titled: Of parts and pieces: unearthing, reassembling, and documenting papyri and linen objects in US libraries.  As you can imagine, she was thrilled to receive the treatment documentation of the Public Library’s fragments to add to the collection.  We have hopes that should any other fragments belonging to these be discovered, perhaps they could become reunited.

Materiality

The Egyptian mummy bandage fragments, or cloth shrouds, are also referred to as archaeological linen textile fragments. I learned the following about the materiality of the fragments.

Inscriptions

Fragments contain either formal hieroglyphs (using pictorial characters) or cursive hieratic script (which is a later Egyptian shorthand writing system used by scribes). It was determined that the fragments likely date to the Ptolemaic Period (around 300-30 BCE) based on the writing style used during that time period. 

Inscriptions are written in black ink with a reed or rush pen, referred to as rush ink.  The ink appears to be typical of the time period, most likely carbon-based with a gum binder. The fragments when viewed though infrared imaging (see slide show above) shows the carbon in the ink absorbing infrared radiation, making the ink appear dark black in infrared images, while the organic staining drops out of the image .

20th Century Alterations

Lined with Brown Paper

At some point in the fragments’ history, the textiles were lined on the back in an acidic machine-made brown paper (reminiscent of brown craft paper tape).  If you look carefully in the raking light image (see slide show above), you might notice the brown lining paper poking through losses in the textiles as a slightly darker shade of brown than the board support.  Under UV fluorescence (see slide show above), the adhesive used in conjunction with the brown paper lining does not fluoresce. This adhesive was found to be readily water soluble and possibly a gum-based adhesive.

Trimmed Edges

You might notice the fragments are cut into odd shapes, likely they were trimmed to remove frayed ends and damaged parts.  There’s no way to know if the fragments were trimmed before or after they were lined with the brown paper lining, however the edges are fairly consistent with one another. One could make the case they were trimmed at the same time.

Mounted to a Board

After lining, these fragments would have then been mounted to a board, with two identified as upside down (oops)! Faint patterns on the back of the paper board resemble off-setting from wood, likely caused by a wooden backing board in a frame. If these assumptions are correct, it’s my guess that the fragments were mounted then framed for the tourist trade, with the frame now lost. 

Condition

Being mounted on an aged, unsupported, brittle board put the fragments at risk of breaking along with the board. Since the board already contained cracks and breaks along the edges, this concern felt urgent.

Despite the precarious storage and concerns surrounding the fragments being exposed to the elements, the textiles themselves appeared in fairly good condition for being over 2,000 years old! Viewing the fragments in raking light (see slide show above) reveals a considerable amount of linen loss throughout the textiles. However, it doesn’t appear that these losses were a recent incident in the past half century.  The losses were likely present when the fragments were lined with brown paper backing.

Next Steps

Next steps were to prepare the objects for safe keeping in long-term storage. To do so, required research on possible treatment options to safely store the items in their proper orientations. Also, knowing that not all fragments belonged in context with each other was further justification to split the collection into separate parts. Read on for more discoveries in this preservation journey!

To learn more, check out the other three posts in the series. (Links will be made live as the installments are released.):

  • History – Historical information provided about the Egyptian inscriptions
  • Treatment – How the materials were treated after learning about their content
  • Storage Solutions – Individual solutions for separated fragments as well as storage as a collection

Acknowledgements

  • Katherine Davis, Lecturer in Egyptology in the Department of Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan
  • Suzanne Davis, the Associate Curator and Head of Conservation at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan
  • Dr. Ann-Katril Gill at the University of Leipzig
  • Marieka Kaye, Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, Head, Conservation & Book Repair, University of Michigan Library
  • Obie Linn, Textile Conservator at the Cincinnati Art Museum
  • Ann Wuertemberger, Catalog Librarian at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
  • Meredith Montague, Textile Conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer – Special Collections Conservator and Co-Lab Manager [CHPL]

Otto Ege: Villain or Hero?

Introduction

Otto Ege (1888-1951) was a real-life figure known for his involvement in the dispersal of medieval manuscripts. Whether he is considered a villain or a hero depends on the perspective and context in which his actions are viewed.

Ege was a book dealer and collector who gained notoriety for breaking apart medieval manuscripts and selling individual leaves or pages to collectors and institutions. He would disassemble bound illuminated manuscripts and sell them as separate pieces or as a collection of works, thereby dispersing the original works.

Original portfolio case
Leaf from 12th century manuscript bible
Leaf from 12th century Armenian bible

This is one of four Otto F. Ege collections owned by the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library before treatment.  It is titled Original Leaves from Famous Bibles, Nine Centuries 1121-1935 AD (call number R090 ffB582).  It came to the lab for better long term storage.

Villain

From the perspective of some scholars and conservators, Ege’s actions are viewed as unethical today. By breaking up unique historic manuscripts, he caused irreparable damage to the cultural, historical, and scholarly heritage they represented. The dispersal of these manuscripts makes it challenging for researchers to study them as cohesive and complete works, leading to a loss of valuable historical information and artistic context.

Hero

On the other hand, some might argue that Ege’s actions had positive effects. By selling individual leaves, he made rare and exquisite artworks more accessible to a broader audience, including institutions and collectors who might not have been able to afford an entire manuscript. This enabled more people to appreciate the beauty and artistry of these ancient texts.

Conclusion

Otto Ege’s legacy is a complex one, and opinions about him vary widely. However, it is essential to note that Ege’s actions occurred in a different time when the appreciation for medieval manuscripts as complete works of art was not as prevalent as it is today. Modern views on preservation and the importance of maintaining cultural heritage have evolved significantly. Ultimately, his actions highlight the ethical and moral dilemmas surrounding cultural heritage and the need for responsible stewardship of historically significant artifacts.

Treatment and Storage of the Public Library’s Collections

The Public Library owns four collections by Ege. Each have been receiving treatment to better improve their long-term storage. After the smaller collections received successful treatment, this larger collection followed suite.

Treatment

In their original format, the manuscript leaves were hinged to floppy paper folders with windows cut out for viewing. The original hinges were thick cloth, and in many cases, no longer functioning as the hinges became stuck in place. This prevented viewing the backs of the materials. The flexible folders overtime became U-shaped and were in need of supports to keep materials planar, especially during handling.

Individual leaves were unmounted from the original paper folders and re-hinged with kozo tissue and wheat starch paste onto archival 2 ply mat board supports. The mat board supports were then placed within the paper folders. Unbuffered interleaving tissue was then added between the manuscript and the folder window for long term storage to prevent the edges of the window from catching or rubbing onto the objects.

Armenian manuscript hinged to 2ply mat board support, stored within the original paper folder
The backs are now viewable!
Interleaving tissue protects the face of the manuscripts from rubbing along the edges of the windows

Storage

While other collections were retained within their original enclosures with a protective chemise, this portfolio was acidic and deformed with broken ties, so two new corrugated banker’s boxes were created to retain the original enclosure and store the manuscripts separately.

Additional Resources

The Public Library also owns Ege collections titled Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscript Western Europe: XII‐XVI century (call number R096.1 ffF469), Fifteen original oriental manuscript leaves of six centuries (call number 096.1 ffF469f), and Original Leaves from Famous Books, Eight Centuries 1240 A.D. – 1923 A.D. (call number R094 ff069).

The collection Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts is digitized and is available online in the digital library.

There are also multiple copies of the printed pamphlet by Otto Ege titled Pre‐Alphabet days. Interestingly, Genealogy and Local History own two copies in different formats. One copy is a cased‐in hardback with a single sewn gathering while the other copy is a single gathering pamphlet sewn into a paper case. Both pamphlets are original formats that would have been offered to buyers at different price points!

If you’re interested in further treatment details, check out our treatment reports on the Digital Resource Commons by searching for Otto Ege.

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer [CHPL] – Special Collections Conservator, Lab Manager

Preservation Week Panel Discussion on Public Digital Collections of Conservation Treatment Documentation

For Preservation Week 2024, Duke University Libraries will host a virtual panel discussion about Public Digital Collections of Conservation Treatment Documentation on Thursday May 2 at 11 am EDT. Conservation representatives from four institutions (The British Museum, The Preservation Lab (Cincinnati, Ohio), Duke University Libraries, and Stanford Libraries) will share their experiences in building and sharing their institutions’ digital collections of conservation treatment documentation. Panelists will introduce their collections and discuss topics such as digital preservation of treatment records, metadata creation, linking to catalog records and finding aids, and potential privacy and copyright issues. 

The free webinar will take place at 11 am Eastern Daylight Time (8 am Pacific Daylight Time/ 4 pm British Summer Time) and will last 60-70 minutes. The panel will be recorded and the video will be shared with registered attendees upon request.

A recording of the webinar and available resources is now available in this shared folder.

Additional information

Host

Beth Doyle, Preservation Officer; Leona B. Carpenter Senior Conservator; and Head, Conservation Services Department (she/her)

Panelists

  • Louisa Burden, Head of Conservation, British Museum
  • Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer, Book and Paper Conservator, Co-Lab Manager, (she/her)
  • Erin Hammeke, Senior Conservator for Special Collections, Duke University Libraries (she/they)
  • Ryan Lieu, Conservation Operations Coordinator, Stanford Libraries (he/him)

Collection Links

British Museum

Duke University Libraries

Preservation Lab

Stanford Libraries

Click the image above to see the Preservation Lab’s online documentation repository

Further Info

If you’re attending the American Institute for Conservation’s annual meeting, either virtually or in-person, be sure to attend the talk Demystifying our Metadata: Making Conservation Documentation Accessible in The Digital Library at the University of Illinois where I look forward to hearing about their solutions for similar challenges we faced when beginning our collection in 2015!

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer, Conservator [CHPL]

Fish gelatin: Spreading the word about a book conservator’s new friend

Last year around this time, the lab was fortunate to bring in book conservator and toolmaker, Jeff Peachey for a week-long intensive workshop to learn leather rebacking. While I always expect to walk away with new anticipated skills as advertised by the workshop, I’m ALSO always pleasantly surprised by the tangential tips and tricks shared along the way.  In the case of Peachey’s workshop, there were many! One of my favorites was his use of a fish gelatin.

Introduction to Cold Fish Gelatin

While adhering spine linings to our text blocks, Peachey pulled out a small baggie of fish gelatin he brought with him to the workshop.  He poured the dry flaky powder into a small jar, added room temperature cold water, and mixed it until a liquid-y consistency.  He then added strained wheat starch paste to the gelatin and mixed with water until he was happy with the consistency.  He estimated it was a 40:60 ratio of gelatin to paste. 

Jeff Peachey taught a workshop at the Preservation Lab in Oct. 2022 where he first introduced us to a low-bloom fish gelatin for book conservation that didn’t require heat for use

If you’ve ever used gelatin before, you might be wondering – how is it possible to mix the gelatin without heating?  That’s the beauty of this product – it has a high molecular weight with low bloom strength and is produced from cold water fish which gives it this ability.  It might not be the strongest of the films with a 0-bloom strength, but for a book conservator doing paper repairs that need to be reversible yet strong, this combo still had an amazing tack when dry!

Peachey explained he first heard about the gelatin on a lab tour at the Weissman Center. He recalled Alan Puglia might have been the one who originally investigated the adhesive for pigment consolidation of hundreds of manuscripts for a show. The mention of a high molecular weight Norland fish gelatin was shared during a talk given at the American Institute for Conservation’s 44th annual meeting.  The talk was titled, The Challenge of Scale: Treatment of 160 Illuminated Manuscripts for Exhibition,” by Debora D. Mayer and Alan Puglia.

Peachey also doesn’t take credit for mixing the gelatin with wheat starch paste. He notes that even in Rene Matin Dudin’s 18th century manual, it discusses the “union” of paste and glue in the last paragraph below.

Peachey shares an excerpt by Rene Matin Dudin descripting his 18th century historic use of gelatin mixed with paste.

By the end of the week-long workshop, I had fallen in love with the properties of how well it adhered.  By itself, the fish gelatin had a long working time and didn’t stick until it was nearly dry – but when mixed with wheat starch paste, it combined the best of both worlds.  There was both the initial tack from the paste and a strong adhesion from the gelatin after dry.  I wasted no time in ordering my own sample supply.

Treatments Testing the HMW Fish Gelatin

Over the past year, I’ve slowly incorporated the fish gelatin in treatments and testing more applications. 

  • I first successfully used it to hinge-in heavy encapsulated sleeves into an album containing lung cross sections. After ultrasonically welding a paper hinge into an encapsulated sleeve, I applied the mix of wheat starch paste and fish gelatin to adhere the hinge to the scrapbook stubbing and had wonderful success.  I was able to adhere with confidence that the encapsulation would stay in place and was able to avoid disbinding and resewing.  At one point during treatment, I found I needed to reposition a hinge.  I am happy to report the mixture was as easily reversible as wheat starch paste alone!

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer uses the 40:60 mixture of fish gelatin and wheat starch paste to hinge encapsulations into an album, ensuring the heavy encapsulations with paper hinges stay adhered.

  • Most recently, I played around with using it for photographic emulsion consolidation. I used it first as a barrier layer before inpainting, and then to add sheen to in-painted photograph regions that were originally matte in comparison to the surrounding gelatin coating. It seemed extremely easy to apply and clean up was less messy than other photographic gelatins I’ve used in the past.  The sheen was just the right amount of gloss I needed without being overly shiny.  And, best of all, no heat required.
Before in-painting emulsion losses
After in-painting emulsion

Examples of photographic condition issues where the fish gelatin was tested: flaking emulsion was consolidated and a barrier layer was applied before inpainting

  • We’ve also used the gelatin to stabilze breaks in a wooden box originally used to house a Richter’s architecture game from the early 20th century.
Before Treatment
Inserting fish gelatin with syringe
Clamping box during the curing process
  • Jeff Peachey’ main use is to line spines. He’s found it not only has better adhesion than straight paste, but makes the spine feel slightly more solid and resistant to torsional forces
Applying fish gelatin to adhere spine linings
  • In the future, I imagine this gelatin would have excellent potential in media consolidation.

In all these uses, I couldn’t be more thrilled to not have to pull out my baby bottle warmer to set a beaker of gelatin on.  As a result, there was no fuss in worrying about how long the gelatin was heated and if it was losing its properties due to heat.

Example of using a baby bottle or coffee warmer to re-heat pre-made gelatin during typical use

In terms of shelf life, the dried granules can be kept indefinitely like unmixed wheat starch paste.  Once mixed, Jeff suggests that he’s found the adhesive properties hold up for about a week in the fridge; however, it does begin to smell fishy after just a day. So unlike wheat starch paste, if you’re adverse to the fishy odor, you’ll only want to make up as much as you’re planning to use for one day. 

Supplier Info

Interested in getting your hands on some?

I found the product used at Weisman is no longer supplied by Norland – but I was able to track down what appears to be the same product through AJINOMOTO NORTH AMERICA, INC.  If you’re interested in trying a sample, message Henry Havey, the Business Development Manager of Collagen & Gelatin at haveyh@ajiusa.com to request a sample of High Molecular Weight (HMW) dried fish gelatin. 

Fish gelatin sample acquired by the lab in a 500 gram sample bag

They provided me with a 500- gram sample at no cost and confirmed it was a Type A fish gelatin with a 0-bloom strength. Henry Harvey can also provide a pricing quote should you be interested in ordering a full supply which comes in 25 kg packs. They also provided the following product data info sheets:

HMWD-Tech-SheetDownload

While I still covet my isinglass cast films I created from boiling dried fish bladders, as well as our mammalian photographic grade type B gelatin, this HMW fish gelatin is a welcome addition I’ve added to my tool kit.

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer [CHPL] – Special Collections Conservator, Co-Lab Manager

Bibliography:

Challenge of a Millennia: How to Store an Oversized Clay Tablet?

The University of Cincinnati’s Archives and Rare Books Library owns a few cuneiform tablets that date around the 1st century BCE.  Most are small enough to fit within the palm of your hand.  However, the clay tablet in question measures 14 inches (W) by 14 inches (T) x 4.5 inches (D) and weighs roughly 40-50 lbs.

Assyrian cornerstone during surface cleaning

More accurately, it is thought to be an Assyrian cornerstone that dates between 860 and 824 BCE.  It is described in the catalog record to be from the ruins of Calah (near Ninevah) on the Tigris River.  It is likely the cornerstone of a temple or palace erected by Salmanser III, king of Assyria. The provenance of how the University acquired the tablet is uncertain.

A translation of the cuneiform writing reads, ““Salmaneser, the great king, the mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Asurnaserpal, the great king, the mighty king, the king of Assyria, son of Tukulbi-Ninib, king of the universe, king of Assyria, and indeed builder of the temple-tower of the city of Calah.”

  • Front, Raking Illumination with Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) by Jessica Ebert
  • Front, Normal Illumination by Jessica Ebert
  • Back, Raking Illumination by Jessica Ebert
  • Back, Normal Illumination by Jessica Ebert

After surface cleaning and digitizing the cornerstone, finding suitable storage for an Assyrian cornerstone tablet seemed like a straightforward task in the beginning.  I thought, “Let’s get it off the floor, house it, and protect it from dust!”  No problem, right?

But once we got the item back in the lab, the weight of the object combined with its fragility proved more of a challenge after Chris, Holly and I began thinking about how the object would be retrieved from storage and how it would be handled.  Rather than being stored in specialty shelving (such as items might be in a museum), this item was a library item.  We needed to fit the tablet amongst archival book shelving.  We were also faced with the prospect of transporting the cornerstone up and down a flight of stairs from the secure rare book storage. There is no easy elevator access!  And finally, once it was put in an enclosure, how would a librarian get it out to show researchers and students?

We decided on an industrial case with wheels that could be transported and stored anywhere. I knew I wanted a device with handles to pull the object in and out of the case, but immediately decided against the idea of ratchet straps. The threat of fracturing would be too great if the ratchet straps were over-tightened.

After careful thought (and the creation of mock up solutions!) the following custom design was created in five stages:

1. A waterproof, shock-proof rolling Nanuk 950 case (similar to a Pelican case) was purchased.  

Nanuk case open
Nanuk case closed
Labeled Nanuk case

2. The interior was customized with foam and supports.

Tyvek covered base
Bottom foam cutouts
Upper foam cutouts

3. The lid was fashioned with a Tyvek pillow screwed to the top with an interior Coroplast sheet.

Marking screw holes
Coroplast screwed to lid inside pillowcase
Sealing pillow filled with polyester

4. The cornerstone was wrapped around all sides in a foam sheet with four flaps.

Foam flaps secured with Velcro
Unfolded flas

5. A cloth wrapper with custom handles was sewn to support the tablet during insertion into and retrieval from the case.

Sewing cloth wrapper
During creation of handles
Completed wrapper

In addition, life-size surrogate photographs were printed by Jessica Ebert and stored in a polyester sleeve within the case.  These images may prove even more useful during exhibition or teaching than seeing the actual tablet as they were captured with raking light that beautifully highlights the cuneiform writing.  They could even be used as an alternative to handling the heavy tablet.

To help guide future librarians on how to handle the cuneiform tablet in the future, handling instructions were provided, a handling video was created, and a QR code of the video was pasted onto the case. Check out the video below.

I was appreciative to have been able to hearken back to my object’s conservation experience working at the Musical Instrument Museum. My prior experience helped guide me to dust the tablet and store surface cleaning samples, however, this was a project that took me out of my library conservation comfort zone.  The knowledge required to house such an object (and the amount of textile sewing used to create the cloth wrapper!) gave me even more appreciation for the work objects and textile conservators do to preserve our oversized and heavy materials – especially when transporting and taking them on and off display!

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer [CHPL] – Rare book and paper conservator

Video by Jessica Ebert

Poisonous Book Project

In the Victorian era, textiles were colored with a green copper aceto-arsentite, used from 1814 to the late 1800’s.  (Side note: this green is sometimes referred to as Paris green or emerald green and was widely used by impressionist painters.)  And since books were bound in textiles, it’s no surprise that these vivid green cloths were used to bind publisher’s bindings.  Therefore, it’s entirely possible that these copper arsenic covers are lurking within our library collections dating to the 19th century.  In 1855, Viridian green was invented which eventually replaced Paris Green; therefore, green cloth bindings from the 20th century to today are of likely no concern.

So how do we know if a binding is poisonous?  Until recently, there hasn’t been a lot of published research on the subject.  The ability to perform scientific analysis testing is required, such as the use of XRF (x-ray fluorescence elemental analysis). See this article for more info: https://theconversation.com/how-we-discovered-three-poisonous-books-in-our-university-library-98358.

When faced with the question of how to ID these textiles in the past, I’ve referred researchers to textile conservators who may be more familiar with this subject – as well as paintings conservators since they deal with pigments on a regular basis.  The best resource on the subject I could track down was an adjacently-related conservation study on Navajo Textiles, titled, Coping With Arsenic-Based Pesticides on Textile Collections by Jae R. Anderson, Nancy Odegaard, Martina Dawley, Delana Joy Farley, and Werner Zimmt from the American Institute for Conservation ‘s Objects Specialty Group Postprints, Volume 21, 2014.

However, new research being conducted by Melissa Tedone and researchers at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library shines new light on the subject. They provide helpful recommendations on ID, handling, and storage.  Please see https://www.iiconservation.org/content/poison-book-project to learn about the Poisonous Book Project being performed by Winterthur Library.

https://www.iiconservation.org/content/poison-book-project

While our lab does not currently perform x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to confirm whether a book is poisonous, there are some visual clues to be aware of.  When handling a copy of Rustic Adornments for Homes and Taste (1857) Melissa Tedone notes how “the bright green colorant flakes readily from the bookcloth with even the gentlest touch of my porcupine quill.”  This pigment seems to be impregnated into the cloth rather than dyed, and therefore prone to brittleness and flaking.

Recommendations to those without the ability to ID pigments: If you suspect that your book may be bound within the Victorian era of the 19th century, treat the book as though it may contain arsenic.

  • Place it in a polyester or polypropylene jacket and house it inside an enclosure.
  • Handle it with gloves that are disposable or are washable
  • When handling, lay it out on a table with paper liner that can be disposed of after use (or clean the table after use)
  • If you are in need of a box for storage, University Products and Talas are great resources for purchasing archival housing supplies.

Additional recommendations for libraries by Melissa Tedone and the Winterthur crew include:

  • Digitize bindings to provide researchers a non-toxic option of handling these texts
  • Identify and store these books together in one location within collections storage.  If these materials are affected in a potential flood or disaster, this will help to streamline handling and containment of these dangerous materials. 

Curious to know if there are specific titles of books that have tested positive for “poison?” Check out this link for a table of books identified by the Poisonous Book project and compare against duplicate titles in your collection:

See http://wiki.winterthur.org/wiki/Poison_Book_Project

Screenshot of the http://wiki.winterthur.org/wiki/Poison_Book_Project
http://wiki.winterthur.org/wiki/Poison_Book_Project#Arsenical_Books_List

Since testing continues, the Winterthur research team has created a color swatch bookmark to assist with identifying potentially arsenical green bookcloth.  The library asks for the consideration of of $5 or more to help cover printing and mailing costs. Email reference@wintherthur.org for more information.

To learn more, check out the 2023 Connecting to Collections (C2C) Care Webinar The Poison Book Project.

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer (CHPL) – Rare Book and Paper Conservator, Lab Co-Manager

List of Resources:

https://www.iiconservation.org/content/poison-book-project

http://wiki.winterthur.org/wiki/Poison_Book_Project

https://www.iiconservation.org/content/news-conservation-issue-77-april-may-2020

https://theconversation.com/how-we-discovered-three-poisonous-books-in-our-university-library-98358

https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/issue/arsenic-and-old-books

http://resources.culturalheritage.org/osg-postprints/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2015/03/osg021-08.pdf

Sharing Our Work With The Public

Happy Preservation Week 2020 – Day 3!

Working in the basement of Langsam Library, we’re not often afforded many opportunities to connect directly with the general public. As Catarina mentioned yesterday, therefore, our usual “go-to” is to host an open house once a year during Preservation Week. Since we’re all hunkered down at home, we’d like to invite you check out some of the work we do, DIGITALLY.

If you’re curious about what we’re working on at home, be sure to check out this prior blog post.

This Friday, May 1st, 2020 at noon:

Please join Special Collections Conservator, Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer on Facebook Live to talk about scrapbooks.

Facebook Live with the Public Library, May 1st, 2020

Designed as a family event, there’s a little something for all ages:

  • During the session, we’ll fold a One-Page Wonder coloring book comic strip (created by Senior Conservation Technician, Christopher Voynovich) that highlights treatment of a 3 x 4 foot oversized scrapbook!
  • We’ll also talk about typical condition issues found in historic scrapbooks, such as those owned by the Public Library
  • As well as answer any questions you might have about preserving your own at home.

If you were unable to join, you can still check out the FB Live archived event here.

You can also download and print Chris’ comic and check out this video on how to fold a One-Page Wonder:

Airing after May 2nd:

Be on the lookout for the Lab’s 30-minute segment with Cincinnati’s Waycross Government TV station, or watch below.

This video highlights the collaborative nature of the Lab’s work that spans a variety of preservation and library-related activities. Meet conservation staff and hear stories from each staff member about some of their favorite projects, including the treatment of an iron gall ink manuscript, as well as where you can check out the lab’s online treatment documentation.

Stay tuned for more Preservation Week updates tomorrow, and don’t forget to check out ALA’s Preservation Week resources: http://www.ala.org/alcts/preservationweek. Take advantage of free webinars, information on preserving oral history, and more!

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer [PLCH] – Lab Manager, Conservator

Exhibition Prep for Upcoming Show: Real Art for Young Artists

Join us September 15th, 2019 at 2pm as the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County unveils the newly acquired pen and India ink illustrations from Rosemary Well’s Noisy Nora in the beloved nook in the Children’s Library.  The illustrations are richly hand colored in watercolor, colored pencils, acrylic ink and gauche pigments.  With so much detail, they are a treat to see in person!
Acclaimed author and illustrator, Rosemary Wells, has written many endearing children’s books, including Noisy Nora (a story about a mischievous young mouse) and an entire series about the bunnies Max and Ruby.  As part of Ms. Well’s initiative, Real Art for Young Artists, Rosemary Wells has generously offered the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County the opportunity to exhibit more than a dozen original drawings for long-term display in the Children’s Library located in the Main building downtown.

Since the spring of 2018, the Preservation Lab has been collaborating with colleagues in the Public Library’s Programming, Digital Services, Cataloging, and Facilities departments, as well as the artist herself, on an exhibition of Wells’ Noisy Nora illustrations.  To prepare the materials for long-term exhibition each department lent their expertise to ensure a balance between preservation standards, viewer’s needs, and the artist’s vision.   This blog post highlights some behind the scenes activities leading up to the exhibition.

Above is an image of the nook in the Children’s Library selected as the exhibition space for the illustrations.  The nook is a perfect spot where the light can be controlled, preventing the artwork from fading overtime and it’s a great place to showcase the art at a height children can easily interact.  Facilities updated the nook with new paint and wall decals where the artwork will be hung.  In addition, to inspire young generations to create their own artwork, seating and tables for crafts will replace the current audio visual shelving and television.

At the Lab, approximately 16 pen and ink drawings and one booklet were received directly from the artist as a group within a folder. Many drawings were attached to illustration boards with translucent overlays wrapped around from behind, taped into place, giving the feeling as though they were just recently mocked up for production.    Graphite notes to publishers were written on the transparent papers to inform the size the images should be enlarged or reduced for printing.  While not exhibition ready, seeing the artwork in this preproduction state is a rare glimpse into the creative process of the artist!

After the drawings were carefully removed from the illustration boards, using conservation tape removal techniques, some unique features were discovered on the verso of two illustrations.  The drawings were digitized to document their condition prior to exhibition.  Digitized images of the backs of two illustrations are shown below.

Left: Verso of “And then she dropped her sister’s marbles on the floor” showing an impression of a Windsor and Newton watermark. Right: verso of “No Nora in the Mailbox, No Nora in the Shrub” with a prior sketch crossed out on the back.


To visualize how the illustrations would look in their frames, mock up window mats were created to experiment with how the drawings and captions should be arranged.  Below, the frame on the left centers both the artwork and the caption with a small margin around the art; whereas the frame on the right centers mostly the artwork with a much larger margin around the art.  Ultimately, our aesthetic preference was the extra margin around the art since the artwork itself was not square.  We also decided that no matter what option we chose, we wanted the bottom of the caption to line up throughout all of the frames, whether there was a single or double line of text.

Next, the artwork was measured to estimate material costs for matting and framing.  Following exhibition preservation standards, Rising rag museum mat board, UV filtered glazing, and wood frames were selected by the Preservation Lab.  We choose using glass over Plexiglas glazing so there would be less concern of harming the glazing surface with cleaners.  Because the artwork will be displayed a children’s height level, we also took into account how the artwork will be hung.  With the aid of security locking devices, the frames are not removable from the wall by the public, therefore there will be no danger of the frames falling.
To mimic how the artwork was mounted on the original presentation boards (preserving the artist’s intent), the work was matted with captions from the children’s book added below the art.  The artwork was mounted with Kozo (mulberry) tissue v-hinges that were pasted to the back of the artwork and then adhered to the back mat with with Zen Shofu wheat starch paste.  To maintain a 45% relative humidity environment, the matted artwork was housed within a sealed archival framing package.

Kozo hinges were adhered to the verso of the drawings with Zen Shofu wheat starch paste.


The hand colored drawings were then attached to the back mat using the kozo v-hinges, also adhered with wheat starch paste. The hinges were lightly pressed under weight to dry using pressing stacks.


Landscape window mats were hinged along the top edge with P90 Filmoplast tape.


View of the v-hinges after they are dry.


Drawings are float mounted so the rough cut edges of the drawings are visible.


Recto of sealed framing package.


Verso of sealed framing package.


The framing package contains:

  1. UV filtered Tru View Museum glass (purchased from our local art supply framing store).
  2. Float mounted artwork with two Usu gami hinges applied with wheat starch paste inside matting system. Window mat hinged to the left edge of back mat with P90 filmoplast tape.
  3. Blue corrugated cardboard used as a backing board to the matting package.
  4. Conservation note loosely set into place for future reference on the back of the corrugated backing board.
  5. Sheet of Polyester film added behind the corrugated board as a moisture proof barrier.
  6. To fully seal the entire package, the edges of all the materials were first sealed with pressure sensitive P90 filmoplast tape. A second foil backed framing tape from University Products (part of the Perma/Seal label line) was applied as a barrier to prevent moisture and gas exchange.
  7. A Dove Gray dust cover was attached to the back of the frames with 3M 415 double stick tape. Barcode labels and an additional conservation note were added to the dust cover.
  8. Lastly, Three security hangers were attached to the back of the frames; two at the top and one at the bottom.

With the exception of one frame, the original metal prongs were reused to secure the matting packages within the frame.  The one exception includes the booklet mounted with a sink mat, this thicker package required nailing brads secured to the inside of the frame rabbet to hold the matting package in place.

Booklet was mounted within a sink mat to account for the thickness of the object.


Before exhibit prep:During exhibition preparation:

After installation (the art is hung at children’s height!):

During Will Hillenbrand and Rosemary Wells visit on Sept. 15th, they discussed inspiration for books such and Max and Ruby (who are modeled after Ms. Well’s own children!) and delved into the subject of creating a “noisy” book. Mrs. Wells explained her process of conveying sound through illustrations – which by nature are a silent, quiet experience.

You can view the treatment report and treatment documentation for this original artwork on the Preservation Lab’s Digital Resource Commons site here.
Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer (PLCH) – Book and Paper Conservator
Photographic Documentation by Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer, Jessica Ebert & Sidney Gao

The Protective Power of Interleaving

You might know the importance of a protective enclosure, but how often to you consider the quality of storage materials?  In fact, the composition of storage materials plays a significant role in the preservation of archival collections.  But how?
Since storage plays a passive role, the positive and negative interactions of storage materials may not be readily apparent.  Chemical reactions that occur between library and storage materials are often a slow process, spanning over a number of months or years before a visual change occurs.  Without the gratification of seeing immediate effects, many may not realize how some storage materials can be problematic, let alone the ramifications for using non-archival materials.

 
To illustrate some of the effects, I thought I’d share a vivid example of protection from acidic materials during storage. The following photograph shows the positive effects of archival buffering paper (also known as interleaving), as well as the danger of using non-archival boards and tapes – even when they are not in direct contact with the object!
The protected object is a 17th century printed broadside.  It’s a single sheet of paper with printed black text on the front.  The broadside was stored for many years in a green cloth-covered portfolio.

Within the portfolio, the broadside was secured beneath with folded sheets of plastic film with a blank sheet of paper.  You can see the plastic film is attached to the portfolio around the edges with green tape.


This image shows the front of the blank sheet of paper stored side the plastic film, below the broadside. The plastic has yellowed overtime.


Here, the blank sheet is removed, revealing yellowish-brown discoloration around the top and right edge. This discoloration aligns perfectly with the green tape that is adhered on top of the plastic –located on the top and right side of the plastic.


When you flip the paper over, the back of the blank sheet shows even more discoloration. In fact, the discoloration is a mirror image of the materials below the plastic! This has occurred because the plastic is “breathable.” The materials below are all acidic, except for the white fragments of paper, which protected a portion of the paper from turning brown.


The interleaving paper served two purposes here:

  1. Acts as a support for the broadside when handled.
  2. The interleaving served as a sacrificial barrier that absorbed the bulk of acidic off-gassing from the non-archival paper and tape.

In summary, this enclosure is an excellent example of how different materials can interact with one another in nuanced ways, and how plastic is actually a permeable barrier to gasses overtime!
General storage tips:

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer (PLCH) —- Book and Paper Conservator

Upcoming OPC workshop

Our conservator Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer will be assisting paper conservator Jamye Jamison in an upcoming Ohio Preservation Council workshop.  Seats are still available!  prints in mylar sleeves and backing paper
Workshop description: This course is for archivists, librarians, or anyone who is interested in caring for their family documents, print collections, or other ephemera. The class will begin with a short discussion of materials and what to look for when making archival enclosures for flat paper objects. Each participant will then make a small portfolio of reference samples of various enclosures for paper materials, including a simple four-flap, polyester sleeve, paper envelope and a “back and wrap” enclosure, which can be used for display. Each participant is asked to bring four objects no larger than 4 x 6 inches (roughly postcard size) that can be used to make the reference samples. No previous experience necessary.
Learn more and register at —-  http://opc.wildapricot.org/event-3357153