As conservation professionals at the Preservation Lab, we get to see and work with our fair share of historic, rare, and just plain interesting artifacts. I recently had the pleasure of becoming familiar with an item that is all 3 of these, and just so happens to be one of The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s (CHPL) most prized possessions: the Fontayne and Porter 1848 Cincinnati Panorama Daguerreotype.
Cincinnati Daguerreotype Panorama by C. Fontayne and W. Porter, 1848
For those who are unfamiliar, a daguerreotype is the very first photographic process, utilizing iodine-sensitized silver plates and mercury vapors, often offering stunning detail and resolution. Currently on display in the downtown Main Library’s Cincinnati Room, the Cincinnati Panorama is no exception, and is considered one of the most detailed and vivid examples of daguerreotype photography currently in existence.
CHPL panorama plate 5 detail
CHPL panorama plate 4 detail
CHPL panorama plate 2 detail
Daguerreotype photography is not without its challenges, however. Most significant of these (at least which concerns us in the conservation field) is that daguerreotypes are extremely delicate. They scratch easily and can degrade with simple exposure to oxygen, atmospheric pollutants, and moisture. These attributes bring up a difficult question: how does one display an item like this, while also ensuring its preservation for generations to come?
Enter Ralph Wiegandt. Wiegandt is a Photograph Research Conservator who designed and installed the 1848 Cincinnati Panorama’s enclosure and display case in 2008. He routinely has performed on-site follow-up consultations in 2012, ’14, ’16, and most recently this past June with Genealogy and Local History and Preservation Lab staff. My fellow lab mate, Hyacinth, and I had the good fortune to also meet with Wiegandt on this recent visit to attend a presentation on his uniquely designed enclosure. Although the primary purpose of the visit was to discuss the enclosure, Ralph shared no shortage of information about daguerreotype plates, the photographers (Fontayne and Porter), the conditions surrounding the panorama, and much more.
Ralph Wiegandt, photo by Hyacinth Tucker
It was clear from speaking with Wiegandt that this project was one he was deeply passionate about, referring to it as “a seminal object in my career.” He spoke with excitement about the unique attributes the Cincinnati Panorama showcases, chief among them: the stunning detail and clarity. According to Wiegandt, this image is so detailed that it can be magnified up to 30x before experiencing any resolution loss. This allowed for intense digital imaging to be performed during the initial conservation of the daguerreotype in 2008. In this process, digital photos were taken from different degrees of closeness to the original image and then stitched together, creating one large interactive digital display, viewable here.
Wiegandt informed us that the 1848 Cincinnati Panorama was not the first attempt at such a picture. Just several months prior, W.S. Porter had taken another daguerreotype panorama of the Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia.
Fairmount Water Works Daguerreotype Panorama by W.S. Porter, 1848
The detail of this image, however, is not as impressive as the Cincinnati Panorama. What can be gleaned from this fact, according to Wiegandt, is that the Philadelphia capture was a successful learning experience for Porter, and that his skills and techniques were able to improve dramatically by the time he attempted the Cincinnati Panorama with C. Fontayne.
At the time of the Cincinnati Panorama, daguerreotype photography had only existed for 9 years. Equally as remarkable as the detail these images were able to capture is the inception of this technology. Wiegandt explained how Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre experimented with plates of silver sensitized with iodine fumes. The idea was that the sensitized silver would be reduced as it was exposed to light (i.e., the shutters on a camera opening and allowing light from the image field to hit the plates), thus creating latent images in the silver. Although this proved to be successful, a viewable image was not detectable until a chance happening, which Wiegandt describes as “a miracle.” Legend has it that one of Daguerre’s exposed plates was stored in a cabinet, sharing this space with one other singular item: a broken instrument that utilizes mercury (such as a thermometer, barometer, etc.). Upon examining this plate, Daguerre realized the latent image was now detectable, correctly deducing that the mercury fumes had developed the film. The fumes had caused the light-exposed areas on the silver plate to form small bumps, roughly 1 micron in size, creating an instant high-resolution image. The microscopic size of these bumps means that, according to Wiegandt, daguerreotype images are an early example of what we would today call nanotechnology. (Ralph also notes the actual circumstances of its discovery are unclear since any notes from Daguerre’s studio would have been lost during a fire shortly afterwards.)
Much like the Fontayne and Porter Cincinnati Daguerreotype, the current display case is quite unique as well. As mentioned before, daguerreotypes are incredibly delicate. To successfully prevent further degradation and preserve this object for generations to come, its exposure to oxygen and other reactive gases must be severely limited. The solution that Wiegandt produced was a specialized inert gas case, similar in concept to how the Declaration of Independence is housed. The goal of this case is “to maintain a slightly elevated pressure of a non-reactive gas such that it will not put excessive strain on the seals yet will be above the potentially highest barometric pressure” (Wiegandt, 2006), thus preventing any atmospheric air from coming in contact with the sensitive daguerreotype plates.
Wiegandt’s sealed encasement design sketch provided in treatment documentation
Wiegandt chose argon to pressurize the case with as it has a better diffusion rate and is more inert than other gases such as nitrogen, all while being cost effective.
Wiegandt informed us on his most recent visit that the case is doing its job: the panorama has experienced no detectable degradation since its installation. However, this was likely his final visit to the Cincinnati Library, as he is retiring from the field. I should add that a further and perhaps more important purpose for this visit was to advise and inform CHPL (and Preservation Lab) staff to be successful in monitoring and caring for the object in his absence. Fortunately, Wiegandt was able to leave us with a wealth of information and resources that will aid in the continued preservation of this amazing artifact. With an updated preservation plan, knowledgeable staff in both the Genealogy & Local History and Preservation Lab departments, and a commitment to preserving cultural property, we can be confident the Cincinnati daguerreotype panorama will be enjoyed by library visitors for many generations to come.
I recently had the privilege of sitting down for a talk with the newest member of the lab staff, Matt McCoy. Matt is a CPHL employee who comes to us from…well, I’ll just let him tell it.
[edited for clarity]
Hyacinth: Alright, so first off, how did you come to be here in the lab?
Matt: I became aware of the lab at an open house; I think it was 2017 or 2018. I was working in Materials Retrieval downtown. I did the tour here, and I knew Cat [Catarina Figueirinhas, Assistant Conservator in the lab] because she used to work in my department. My boss picked a couple of people to go to the open house, and I got to check it out.
It was really cool, and I thought, ‘this would be a cool place to work someday.’ At the time, libraries were sort of just a side job for me. They’ve become more of a focus, especially over the pandemic. I started an MLIS but decided not to continue with it after getting a taste for the public librarianship. I guess I wouldn’t say I’ll never pick it back up again, but who knows?
I’ve always kept an eye on job postings, and I saw this one, I think it was over winter break. At that pont I had been working as a customer service substitute for CHPL for about a year. Then I saw the job posting and it just it sort of was like they have an opening there; I feel like that was the first time I had ever seen an opening pop up when I was here.
H: Yeah, it doesn’t happen often.
M: So I was like, you know what, I’m just going to apply for that. I was a little worried I’d missed my shot because I think it had been posted for a month or so. I had a friend who was staying with me over the holidays, and I applied for it the first day he was out, just kind of on a whim. Things just sort of fell into place from there, and here I am.
H: Well, you’ve been with us for nearly three weeks [at the time of the interview.] How are you liking it?
M: I love it so far. Even just the general collection stuff I’m doing so far, it’s very interesting. There are hand skills, but since I’m starting on general collections, it hasn’t been super stressful. The days fly by really quickly. I really like improving skill sets, so just getting to go through the training and practice different things and assessing how’d it go, what can I do better or what do I need more work on, that’s been fun and satisfying to do. I’m really liking that.
You guys have all been great so far, real good staff to have around. Everybody’s been really helpful and friendly. I’ve felt very welcomed here from the start and it’s been cool just getting to see all the stuff you guys have been working on, both at the open house but also the…I guess the pre-return meeting? That’s what it was, right?
H: Yeah. [nods]
M: Yeah, that was really cool to see too, and just get a feel for how things work with the special collection stuff, and how the process goes from an item first arriving, to you guys doing treatment on it, and then sending it on its way.
H: It’s a whole thing. We have a flow chart.
M: [laughs] I’ve noticed that a couple of times, as I’ve been leaving for the day, and think that I need to read that and then forget, and then I’ll walk by it again.
H: It’s a lot of flow chart. I mean, you get the hang of it, but it’s a lot of flow chart.
M: And the flow of my life has been really nice since starting this job. It’s a short commute, and the fact that the days go by quick. I feel like I never have enough time to…I’ll get into something and then I’ll hear the [closing] announcements go on. I’m like, ‘shoot, I was just getting into this!’ I was also a little worried, I wondered how much energy I’d have at the end of the day, to work on music and whatnot, but it hasn’t really been an issue so far.
It’s cool being on a college campus too. It’s sort of lively. I know it’s going to get more lively as we go along, but it’s a lively place to work. And I like being around people, so that’s been cool. It’s also nice that it’s not the place where I went to college. I don’t feel like ‘oh, shoot, back here again.’
H: So what’s the most fun or interesting or fascinating thing you’ve done in your training so far. I know it’s going along really quick.
M: I really like the – and I feel like it’s probably the thing I’ve had to work at the most – I like the hinge-in, doing hinge repairs. They’re just very satisfying. It’s either, you know, pages have fallen out of a book, or it’s structurally compromised and then all of a sudden, oh look how nice! It’s all nice and sturdy now, putting it back together, so I really like those. I enjoy any sewing I’ve done so far too. Once it’s all nice and tight and looking prim and proper, that’s been pretty gratifying.
H: It is very gratifying. And Jessica [Ebert, Sr. Conservation Specialist] is a good person to learn it from.
M: Absolutely! She’s been a great teacher.
H: Her sewing is fantastic. You’ll never be as fast as her.
M: She really does just fly by!
H: Even I’m not as fast as she is.
M: Yeah! And then I also like the tear repairs too. Those are nice, once everything’s all dry and put together, it’s like there we go, that looks nice.
H: What are you looking forward to learning?
M: Definitely down the road, but I’m looking forward to getting into some of the special collection stuff. Getting to have a project. I mean, I have had a couple of projects that I’ll start and finish up the next day, but I haven’t had any long-term things. And I’m sure it’s different for every item, like I’m not sure how long each of you spends on a particular treatment, but I’m sure that there’s some where there’s a lot of different steps, seeing something throughout the whole process on a broad scale, that sort of thing. I think it’d be neat to work on something like pieces of artwork or maps. I’m also excited to get into any kind of bookbinding stuff, like the models you guys have made of different types of books. The more complex things like making a cover or something like…I forget what it was, the sermon that Jessica worked on.
H: The split-board binding.
M: I think that looks really cool, yeah. I always enjoy a well put-together book and that is a nice one.
H: Well, I have found that there are two kinds of library people. There’s the kind that’s born and raised in the stacks – that was me, my family was into libraries from the time I was really little – or people who kind of stumble in one day and realize that it’s great, and then they just never leave. Which kind are you?
M: I did go a little bit as a kid, sort of here and there. I remember would do summer reading. But then I got into my teenage years and early adulthood and didn’t really utilize them that much. I think it was later in college that I started going to the downtown library because they had – this was before I got into the streaming music services – they had such a good jazz CD collection. I think it had been donated by a radio station that used to play a lot of jazz stuff, the Oscar Treadwell jazz collection. That’s what got me into it. Then I thought this might be a cool place to work, and that’s what led me here.
H: What sort of things do you like to read, and what are you reading right now?
M: Mostly fiction. Although I’d like to read more nonfiction, I think sometimes reading is a nice sort of escape from reality. So I like reading fictional stories. I’m reading this Cormac McCarthy book right now. It’s the third part of a trilogy he has called the Border Trilogy.
H: Cormac McCarthy is so bleak!
M: Oh I know, that was the exact same reaction Holly [Prochaska, Preservation Librarian] had!
H: Oh he’s a wonderful writer. Just bleak.
M: Yeah, he’s great, one of my favorites. His prose is so beautiful, but the actual contents of the story is so dark and depressing sometimes.
H: You read it and you gotta take a break.
M: Yeah, so I’ve been chipping away at this one and afterward I’m going to take a break. I’ve also gone through phases where I’m really into science fiction and kind of fantasy stuff sometimes. I think maybe when I get done with [the Cormac McCarthy], I’ve been wanting to maybe start Dune.
H: I’ve tried Dune like three times. It’s so dense.
M: That’s what I hear.
H: It has a glossary.
M: I’m wondering if I can get into it or not because I was really into Tolkien. I did The Silmarillion a few years ago, and that was the only book where I’ve had a little sheet that just had notes on it.
H: Then you’ll probably be fine. I had an ex who read it. He loved it, but it was a lot.
M: Some other favorite authors…I like [Kazuo] Ishiguro a lot, probably one of my favorites, and Vonnegut.
H: Vonnegut’s great.
M: I really like his sense of humor, it’s very much up my alley. I also don’t think I mentioned the name of the book that I’m reading, the McCarthy one, it’s called Cities of the Plain. The most famous of the trilogy is the first one, All the Pretty Horses, and then The Crossing, and this is the third one.
H: Do you have a favorite book?
M: Let me think…I really love the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I could pick out a favorite of the movies, but not the books. I also liked Blood Meridian; I read Song of Solomon, a beautifully written book. I also enjoyed Never Let Me Go. That was Ishiguro, a really sad one, very beautiful.
H: That was adapted into a film.
M: I haven’t seen the movie yet, and I think I started it one night but then…I think I got worried. The story has such a high place in my head, it might live up to it. Sometimes for that reason if there’s a movie version I’ll watch it first and then read the book. But yes, those are a few of my favorites.
H: So you are a jazz musician. What led you to that?
M: That’s a good question and kind of similar to what you’re saying about how there’s like kind of two types of people who get led into libraries. I found there’s sort of like two kinds of a paths that lead people into jazz, and I was kind of in the middle of it. It’s usually either band kids in high school –
H: [raises hand] I was a band kid.
M: – they get into it, but then also it’s also people that like the hippie Grateful Dead sort of jam bands.
H: I like those too.
M: That’s how they get into it, more improvised music.
H: It’s very technical.
M: Yeah, so that kind of start it for me. I started playing electric bass when I was probably 14 or 15. I got really into it, I wanted to learn everything I could about it. And then I started learning about all these jazz musicians and hearing some good bass players. You check a record out and that led me down that path. I had a lesson teacher, and he pitched the idea of going to school for music. There’s a couple of programs where you can do what they call commercial music, if you want to study music in college, a jazz or classical degree. I thought, ‘Oh yeah, I wouldn’t mind going to school for a jazz degree’. Through that I got really immersed in the jazz world and fell in love with it and have been doing that ever since.
H: So not the Miles Davis route, starting with classical and hanging out in jazz clubs?
M: Yeah, there’s a lot of people who do that, it’s funny. I feel like a lot of the famous acts were classical musicians who kind of got into jazz, which is also cool.
H: What other musical genres do you listen to?
M: It’s kind of all over the place. I like a lot of hip-hop, the current modern stuff and some more classic stuff too. I like folk music and I play in a folk band, although we’re kind of losing momentum right now. Everybody in the band other than me keeps having kids, which make rehearsing a little difficult. But I grew up in the time where the pop punk emo thing was real big, so I will always have a soft spot for that in my catalog. Usually if I like something, I’ll just save it. I was listening to Bob Marley recently; I mean, everybody knows he’s great, but I couldn’t remember the last time I just sat down and listened to him. So, a pretty wide range of stuff, but there’s a few things I gravitate towards. I will end up listening to indie rock and folk more than other genres.
H: Is there a piece of music that you’re obsessed with at the moment?
M: That’s a good question. Let me look here and see if something stands out. [He flips through his phone briefly.] There is a Gregory Allen song called Dark Dark Dark that I really like. I’m going to go with that one.
H: Do you have any other hobbies?
M: I like going to the gym, although I can sometimes kind of slack on that. I feel like lately my life has just been a lot of music stuff and this job and I haven’t been doing too much else, but I really do like being outside, just hiking and stuff. I want to go camping more.
H: We’ve had good weather for it.
M: Absolutely! I also like traveling. I mean, everybody does, but you know, I like getting out to see stuff. Other than that, I’m somewhat into movies, TV shows, nothing super wild at the moment though. I have a bunch of hobbies that I’ve been meaning to get to, that I want to give a shot. I just never seem to find the time for it.
H: I know you’re a coffee guy, you come in with one every morning.
M: [laughs] Yeah.
H: So instead, Coke or Pepsi?
M: I would say Coke over Pepsi. Not that I have anything against Pepsi! In terms of cherry cola I used to like Wild Cherry Pepsi better, although I feel like I never see it around anymore. But yeah, I would say Coke.
H: Do you have a favorite movie or movie genre?
M: I really like science fiction movies. That’s maybe my favorite genre. And I’m going to Cormac McCarthy again, but I really like No Country For Old Men. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, that Wes Anderson movie, that’s up there. As far as sci-fi goes, I liked Arrival; it really stood out to me.
H: What is your favorite time of year?
M: Fall, especially living around here. We have all the leaves changing, and the temperature is nice and not too humid. You can still go outside and do stuff.
H: Do you have any pets?
M: I have a dog named Baby Redbone. He’s a rescue. A significant other and I found him living on the street. We lived in Northside at the time and we used to take our other dogs out together. There was a school that has since been turned into apartment complex, it was abandoned at the time and we used to run with the dogs and wear them out real quick. One day he was just sort of back there. We initially weren’t going to keep him. She mentioned that he was just a baby, so we were calling him Baby. We thought maybe he was a Redbone coonhound because he’s got this real reddish coat, like he’s definitely part pitbull. So the name just kind of stuck. When we parted ways, she kept the other dogs, and I kept him. We weren’t having any luck finding anyone to take him from us. People don’t like having dogs sprung on them! He’s a decent-sized dog, 63 pounds or so.
H: Yeah, we have a pit/rot mix and he’s like 100 and he’s so much dog, but just the sweetest thing I’ve ever met.
M: Oh goodness, yeah. They’re so sweet. My theory is [pits] are very trainable and receptive to things, so if somebody has bad intentions with them, they can get them to be mean, and if someone has good intentions, they can get them to be sweet too.
H: I find that they often work best when they’re mixed with something.
M: Yeah, totally. You’ll have to show me pictures of your dog at some point.
H: And finally, can you leave us with a random fun fact about yourself?
M: I haven’t tried this in a while, but I feel like I could still do it, but when I was in elementary school we had an after school program, a unicycle club where our gym teacher trained us all up to ride unicycles, and we rode in parades and stuff. So I guess my fun fact would be that I can ride a unicycle!
H: That is a very fun fact.
M: It’s been a little bit since I’ve tried it. Somebody had one at a party awhile ago and I tried. It still worked. I feel like my body would remember how to balance like just sort of like a bike.
H: Very cool. Thank you!
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Matt as much as I did!
We’re excited to announce that the Madisonville branch is in its final stages to re-open their newly renovated space! Please join the library for the opening eventMarch 18th! At the event, the Genealogy and Local History Department staff member, Chris Smith will talk about Madisonville’s history from 3:30 pm – 4 pm.
During the event, the Madisonville scrapbook will be on view for festivities March 18th.
Because this material is HUGE and considered a rare irreplaceable item, both the book and cradle were hand delivered from one building to another by Preservation Lab and Madisonville staff. Below are “behind the scenes” images showing the delivery of these oversized materials.
View of book in its prior home location, recently cleared of books:
Scrapbook & cradle in room empty of booksCradle in prior locationScrapbook coverB
For transport, the oversized book was stored in a lightweight (but strong!) custom enclosure:
Two flaps of foam were first sandwiched under a flap of boardChris Voynovich closes all flapsFlaps were secured with integrated cloth ties
The custom enclosure consists of multiple light-weight layers and flaps of foam, all tied together with cotton ties, as shown in Chris’ schematic. This enclosure will be used both for transport and for long-term storage.
Once packaged, both the book and cradle were hand delivered to their new home next door:
Cradle hand delivered next door by Terry Barnum and Chris VoynovichBottom view of cradleBook strapped to dollyBook is oriented spine edge down for safe transport
The book now awaits the re-opening event while staff continue unpacking the rest of collections!
Boxes being unpacked in new spaceChildren’s area is coming together!
We hope to see you there!
Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer [CHPL] – Rare book and paper conservator
To read about the conservation of the scrapbook and construction of the book’s cradle, please see the treatment documentation and a prior blog article titled, Madisonville Scrapbook.
As a bonus, to celebrate the completion of the oversized treatment, Chris created a comic you can fold from an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. Check out the printable file below! Instructions on how to fold can be found on the Preservation Lab’s YouTube channel video titled Preserving Scrapbooks beginning at the 10:42 time stamp.
The Preservation Lab, a partnership to preserve and conserve the collections of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and the University of Cincinnati Libraries, seeks applicants for a Conservation Specialist position.
The Conservation Specialist is a technician level position with on-the-job training that may appeal to emerging conservation professionals. This position will join a collaborative team of 7 full-time staff members, including conservators, a preservation librarian, technicians, student workers and volunteers to preserve collections from both institutions. The Preservation Lab staff consists of both Cincinnati Public Library and the University Library members. This position is a Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library position but is stationed at the University of Cincinnati West campus.
The Public Library’s Main downtown branch will complete renovations to include a Story Center, with estimated completion fall of 2023. The Story Center will work closely with the special collections Genealogy department at the Public Library, Digital Services, and the Preservation Lab to collect, curate and preserve the experiences, histories and stories of communities, with a focus on communities of color and historically marginalized groups. Collaboration with members of Genealogy, Digital Services, and Story Center staff are an essential component of this position. The successful candidate will also demonstrate an interest in working directly with the public.
Founded in 1853, the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library today is one of the busiest and most highly acclaimed library systems in the United States, providing service to over 800,000 residents through a network of 40 branch libraries, a major downtown Main Library, and a Distribution Center. CHPL holds one of the largest genealogical collections in the United States and many other specialized collections, most of which are housed in the Main library.
Pay rate begins at $17.85/hour. The pay range is $37,128 – $51,979. The position will remain open until filled.
While there are many fine art applications, this book is used in the field of paper conservation when describing papers in an examination report. The reason for this is to establish a visual standard since descriptors can be quite subjective. Cream, beige and light brown to one person could be perceived as opposites to another. However, using this booklet, a large range of colors, textures and thicknesses are definitive and straightforward to select when comparing the samples to the object in person.
I first gained experience using the reference in graduate school and thought it could be a valuable resource for the Preservation Lab, especially for staff and students learning to examine objects for the first time. However, I was under the impression it was out of print because the booklet was created by the Print Council of America a few decades ago and contains a limited number of hand cut paper samples. With the lab’s newly found historic paper samples in mind, I emailed the Print Council Of America to seek permission to create a facsimile. Lo and behold, I was thrilled to learn the books were still for sale and no boot-legging necessary!
Ours arrived just this week and I’m excited to share the tri-fold booklet below! Paper colors are defined on the left, thicknesses outlined in the center, and textures displayed on the right.
How to use:
When describing a paper object (or text block) in the description section of the treatment report, I will now reference this booklet to describe the color, texture and thickness using this terminology. Colors include: Light blue, blued white (which looks gray to me!), bright white, white, cream (1), cream (2), cream (3), beige (2), and brown. There are seven types of thickness and nine types of textures to select for comparison ranging from very smooth to rough (3). The accompanying pamphlet has great information to further define the terms, including a measurement chart for the paper thickness (should you prefer using a micrometer), and provenance of all the sample papers.
Let’s use the booklet to describe a handwritten note by Abraham Lincoln from 1864, owned by the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library:
During treatment, the note is removed from the matting system
Before having my hands on the booklet, I would have described the object as follows: The manuscript is handwritten with brown iron gall ink on a light beige handmade laid paper. Comparing the object to the Print Council of America sample book, the manuscript could be better described as:
…a manuscript handwritten in brown iron gall ink on a cream (1)…
…a manuscript handwritten in brown iron gall ink on a cream (1), medium (2) thick…
… a manuscript handwritten in brown iron gall ink on a cream (1), medium (2) thick, smooth, handmade laid paper.
Much improved from my initial description that indicated the color was light beige!
When using this booklet as a reference for reports or surveys, at the bottom of the report, I’ll begin adding a footnote that says, “[1] All paper descriptions by comparison with Print Council of America’s Paper Sample Book (Roy Perkinson and Elizabeth Lunning, 1996). This will allow other conservators and practitioners familiar with the book to have a point of reference when reading my report, even on the other side of the country! In the future, this can also help in identifying shifts in paper tone caused by aging paper.
Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer – Lab Co-Manager, Rare Book and Paper Conservator
In celebration of ALA’s annual Preservation Week (April 24th-30th), Preservation Lab staff will be offering live demos and show & tells this week and next, both at UC Libraries and the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library:
Each session will be unique, with different staff members showing off different aspects of preservation and conservation!
As mentioned in a previous blog post, Andrew and Naomi from Case Western Reserve came to the lab in late February to demo the MISHA portable multispectral imaging system, made possible by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Research Grant awarded to the Rochester Institute of Technology. In total, Naomi and Andrew imaged five objects from the Public Library, UC Libraries, and one of our third-party institutional clients. Imaged books included, one Otto Ege item, two Book of Hours, one undated Latin music manuscript, and a Pentateuch volume from Hebrew Union College. In all, thirteen separate capture sessions were carried out for the five objects. Afterwards, the raw data from the capture sessions was shared with the Lab via OSF (Open Science Framework) so that I could process the data in the NEH grant supported open access RCHIVE (Rochester Cultural Heritage Image processing and Visualization Environment) software.
RGB representationBand 5 with the MNF (Maximum Noise Fraction) algorithm applied and the Gaussian enhancement appliedA false color representation
The image gallery above shows the recto of leaf 32 from the Public Library’s copy of Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI century, by Otto Ege.
While each of the capture sessions took only two minutes to complete, I found that processing the raw data took me a bit longer to figure out. Processing the data felt very similar to using CHI’s RTI Builder and Viewer software. However, in this situation I did not have a week-long training opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the software and its functions. For the Spectral Analysis App, I had only a couple of brief documents to refer to, so the learning curve was a little steeper. I also experienced some issues with the software while processing the data with the flatfield files provided from the capture session. But in the end, the processed files seemed fine without the flatfield data, so it all worked out.
RGB representationBand 3 with the MNF (Maximum Noise Fraction) algorithm appliedA false color representation
The above image gallery depicts a leaf from Hebrew Union College’s Pentateuch Ms. 1 with adhesive staining, tape, and prior repairs.
What I discovered through processing all the MISHA data and then comparing it to the existing specialized imaging done in the Lab was that the suite of imaging we do in the Lab is very well rounded and, in general, suits our needs and our clientele quite well. In many cases, our results were at least comparable, if not better (specifically within the UV wavelengths) than the results accomplished using the MISHA. And, especially with our UV workflow, though our current capture time might be slightly longer than that of MISHA, the data processing time is significantly shorter and, in the case of UV especially, the side-by-side results of the accurate normal illumination next to the full color UV image(s) is ideal for our purposes.
RGB representationand 2 using the Maximum Noise Fraction (MNF) algorithm with the brightness adjusted
The images above show an example of scraped text on parchment from UC Libraries Hours of the Virgin from 1475, currently in the Lab for treatment. Compare these MISHA generated images to the documentation performed by Catarina Figueirinhas and myself using the Lab’s equipment and processes below.
Normal illuminationUV image (using our old setup without the UV Innovations target)
That said, I am fully aware that not everyone has access to the equipment/training that I have been fortunate to curate/experience over the last five plus years. Also, not everyone uses their finished data exactly how we do. For instance, the needs and expectations of a conservation lab and cultural heritage institutions can be very different. Even within the conservation field, how we use the data provided by specialized imaging in our hybrid book and paper lab is quite different from the kind of data needed by a fine arts conservation lab. Ultimately, I think the core audience for a system like the MISHA system is an organization looking to expand their suite of imaging services, or an institution with no multispectral imaging infrastructure interested in imaging collections in a quick and easy manner. Though for the latter, I would say that there is a big learning curve in manipulating and processing the data, but if greater focus is put into making the software and processing steps user-friendly, especially to novice users, it is completely manageable. And if this step is taken, I think the system could help a lot of institutions dive deeper into the materiality and history of their collections.
RGB representationBand 5 with the PCA (Principal Component Analysis) algorithm applied, inverted with brightness adjustedA false color representation
The images above depict another example of faded, scraped text. This flyleaf is from an undated Latin music manuscript that is part of the Public Library’s collection. The images below represent imaging done by the Lab, both normal illumination and UV radiation, with the goal to increase the legibility of the inscription.
Normal illuminationUV radiation image using our current, standardized workflow that has been further enhanced to bring out the text.
In the end, multispectral imaging is just plain FUN! So, the idea of making it more accessible to a wider audience is extremely exciting and I think the work that NEH, RIT, and colleagues like Andrew and Naomi are doing to share the power and wonder of multispectral imaging is amazing. The idea of a portable multispectral imaging system with free processing software that does not take a PhD to use is boundary-breaking, and it gives us a glimpse into a future of accessible and exciting imaging, which thus allows us to see and understand more of the past. I will always be an advocate for that kind of imaging!
I love matting projects! Matting is an elegant way to present images and documentation for exhibition. We received a collection of letters and images from Abraham Lincoln in the lab from the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) for preservation and conservation. After our conservator Ashleigh Schieszer completed the preliminary work of removing the artifacts from all the acidic and harmful elements they were previously in contact with, we collaborated on the matting choices. One cool thing I just love about this job is the opportunity to make tiny models of our intended work. Obviously, we can iron out some of the bugs and problem solve unforeseen obstacles with models, but making a tiny representation of my work is not only great to have as a future reference but is just really cool.
Matting model on left, original objects on right
So, for one of the previously matted compilations the curator suggested retaining the beautiful custom mat for the finished system. This presented a problem because of the acidity in the original mat. The solution we came up with was to create an archival buffer mat between the original mat and the artifacts. Easy-peezy.
To mount overlapping objects, we decided to secure them to different mat board layers. For example, the document on top will be attached to the back of the archival buffer with a polyester sling while the letter and portrait will be mounted to the backing board with edge strips or photo corners.
The archival buffer mat is hinged below the opened original mat.
View of the artifacts below the archival buffer mat. Parts are mounted to different layers in the model.
We also added a custom portfolio for transportation and long term housing.
Yesterday we had the pleasure of a visit from Case Western Reserve University Library staff, Andrew Mancuso, Preservation Officer, and Naomi Langer, Digitization Technician.
They are currently winding up a whirl-wind month-long tour, traveling around the state to test a portable (and affordable!) multi-spectral imaging system as part of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Andrew and Naomi unpack MISHA
Detailed setup instructions
This unique system is called MISHA, which stands for Multi-spectral Imaging System for the Humanities and Archives. The imaging system and software can be used to recover obscured and illegible text on historical documents, such as scraped-away writing:
Lost manuscript writing on a CHPL Book of Hours is a good candidate for multi-spectral imaging
If you’re familiar with multi-spectral imaging systems, you might be wondering, “How much is ‘cheap’?” Roughly, the entire system cost under $5,000 to create – with the monochrome camera and light boards making up the bulk of the price tag.
Monochrome camera fits in palm of hand
LED light boards built by RIT Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science
Copy stand consists of T-slot aluminum framing and black painted wood board base
As you can see, the black Coroplast, duct tape, felt, and binder clips make up a very small portion of the budget, however, they are instrumental for using the system in a room that cannot be fully darkened. We also observed that the lights were extremely bright, and the light shield made it easier on our eyes.
Felt is clipped with binder’s clips to keep out light
To test the portable system, Ohio institutions with medieval parchment documents from Otto Ege collections were asked if their manuscript leaves could be imaged on-site with this equipment. With the entire glamour shot studio fitting into a 40-pound rolling suitcase, Andrew and Naomi traveled to various cities from Cleveland to Cincinnati, making our photographic imaging dreams come true!
This tightly fitting suitcase has packing instructions to protect all the parts.
Since the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) own multiple Ege collections and a variety of other worthy imaging candidates, the Preservation Lab was fortunate enough to participate. In the CHPL collection, manuscript 32 (of Fifty original leaves from medieval manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI century) was thought to be the most promising to reveal hidden information.
Naomi demos the imaging procedures to lab staff
Images are captured at 16 different wavelength bands ranging between 365 nm – 940 nm
A white MA CLP2036 99% reflectance disk is placed in every image to aid in image processing later
CHPL music manuscript is cradled for imaging by an adaptable book conservation support (ABCS)
Now that the photographic capture is complete, we’re looking forward to processing the images next with the open access software called Hoku, provided by the Rochester Cultural Heritage Imaging, Visualization, and Education (R-Chive) community.
We were thrilled to see how easy this equipment was to set up in person. And special thanks to Andrew who brought his handy adaptable book conservation support (ABCS) to cradle our bound collections. Everyone should have one!
In 2017, an Indian religious text known as a Kalpa-sūtra entered the lab in desperate need for improved storage. Being unfamiliar with this type of religious manuscript I jotted down notes in preparation for housing the item and came up with a basic housing solution. I briefly familiarized myself with terminology, format, and condition needs. This is a summary of those findings with links to resources.
Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library sent their Kalpa-sūtra to the Preservation Lab to receive improved storage. The original storage enclosure was not archival and did not properly fit the manuscript. This left the manuscript vulnerable to damage.
Kalpa-sūtra
Kalpa-sūtra translates to “the Book of Ritual” that was meant to be read daily. It follows a 3-part textural structure. The first part consists of the ‘Lives of the Jinas (an enlightened human being)’ and describes the lives of well-known figures. The second section, known as the ‘String of Elders’ celebrates early teachers of Jainism. And the final section, referred to as the ‘Right Monastic Conduct,’ provides rules to follow during the rainy time of year. The ‘rainy season,’ as it is often referred to, is a time of year when the festival of Paryusan is celebrated and the Kalpa-sutra is heavily used.
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that shares similarities to Buddhism and Hinduism, but is regarded as a separate religion. It’s believed to have originated in the 7th – 5th century BCE in the Ganges basin of Eastern India. Jains believe in karma, reincarnation and practicing non-violence to all living creatures. While learning more, I appreciated this article that described the Jain’s thoughtful practice of non-violence by explaining how Jains eat above-ground veggies but avoid eating roots of vegetables so as not to kill the plant.
Format
Earlier Kalpa-sūtra were written on palm leaves and stored in between decorated wooden covers. They were bound with rope or cord through holes punched in the center of the leaves and are read by flipping the leaves up, from bottom to top. To see an example of a palm leaf book, check out this one housed by the Preservation Lab in 2016.
Later Kalpa-sūtra, such as this one owned and digitized by the Public Library, were written on paper beginning in the 14th century but still follow the same horizontal single-sheet format of the palm leaf. Often they were hand colored, illuminated in gold, and written in a black ink calligraphic style on laid handmade paper. Like many others, the Public Library’s manuscript contains 135 individual loose leaves that have never been bound. The leaves, also referred to as folios, were traditionally written on both sides with seven lines of text.
To learn more about formats of Jain manuscripts please refer to Jainpedia.org.
Decorative Themes
The Public Library’s manuscript is a good example of a traditional paper Kalpa-sūtra manuscript. Its decoration consists of left and right margin lines, and decorative diamond-shaped marks that interrupt the text. The diamonds (often found as circles in other manuscripts) descend directly from the tradition of punching holes in palm leaf books for binding. They are located in similar locations to palm leaf holes and are predetermined when the text is written. On the recto of leaves there are three gold decorative diamonds, one located in the center and one each along the right and left margins. (The V&A refers to these decorations as “central and marginal string holes that are not pierced.”) The verso of leaves contain only one decorative diamond in the center. The religious manuscript is paginated on the recto in both calligraphy and graphite.
The three diamond shaped decorations descend from the tradition of punching holes in palm leaf books for binding. Palm leaf books were bound with strands of cord.
Public Library illuminations consist of red and blue opaque watercolor and gold illumination. The very base of the paintings are a thin open weave cloth attached directly to the handmade paper. On some leaves, you can see where this thin cloth is folded over onto the other side of the leaf.
Purple arrows point to a cloth that is wrapped around from the front of the manuscript folio.
In my research, I tried to understand how paper Kalpa-sūtra were traditionally stored. It is noted on Jainpedia.org that Jain manuscripts appear to have been stored within decorated covers of paper, cloth, and wood.
From what I can gather by surveying a collection of digitized manuscripts, loose sheets appear to have been stored within chemise-like covers, sometimes with multiple flaps, such as this one from the British Library (Or. 13950) andGamma 453 where a loose manuscript is stored within a cloth cover:
I also discovered some Kalpa-sūtra that had been treated in western traditions. Below are a few examples that include where one is tipped along the bottom edge and bound into a western style half leather binding. Another, MS 22393, appears to be bound along the top edge at the British Library. A third yet, MS 34, at the Royal Asiatic Society is bound in half leather with marbled paper:
Others found online have been inlaid into larger sheets of paper, such as the one below from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Manuscripts heavily illuminated and likely suffering from pigment corrosion have been encapsulated between sheets of plastic or glass, such as these from the British Library (Or. 14262 and Or. 13950). One manuscript has been both inlaid into paper and encapsulated:
There does not appear to be a conservation standard for storing Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts.
Storage solutions vary widely and are specific to how they will be displayed or handled.
While I appreciate the western tradition of binding loose pages to prevent them from becoming lost, I knew the Public Library preferred to house the manuscript with as little reformatting as possible in order to preserve cultural traditions.
While I came across a few examples that appear to be stored unbound within covers, it was unclear as to the date of the covers, when they were added, and how they might have been formatted. No images were provided of the sides of the covers.
Even though heavier than plastic, glass was likely used for encapsulation to protect the flaking and corroding illuminations from the static charge of plastic.
Conclusion
The housing solution selected at the lab is one of many options and provides a stop-gap until a more traditional format can be explored.
The most severely corroded leaves at the front and back of the text were encapsulated between glass while the rest of the leaves were left loose. This allowed the most vulnerable leaves to be protected from humidity while avoiding the weight of encapsulating the entirety of the manuscript.
The encapsulated and loose manuscript leaves were then stored together (the outer encapsulated leaves helped serve as de facto covers). An Asian four-flap enclosure with bone clasps was custom made to provide structure and stability, as well as perhaps provide a format more sympathetic in style to a Jain holder than a European style enclosure.
Damaged outer leaves are encapsulated while inner leaves are stored in a two-flap paper chemise
Further Research
There is much ripe for future study:
I hope to experience a historic Jain manuscript cover in person to learn the format and structure.
There are downsides to using glass that should be reconsidered in the future: 1. Glass is heavy and breakable. If the glass breaks, it could cause tears in the fragile paper. 2. Glass deteriorates in humid conditions. The alkali will eventually leach out and could cause staining in the paper. This storage solution should be considered a temporary solution until the pigments can be studied and safely consolidated.
Since there is a pigment contributing to corrosion and paper drop-out in the manuscript, it is likely that pigments in the Public Library manuscript contain copper. I would be interested in developing a plan to analyze the pigments to better understand their composition.
As a library book and paper conservator, I am less familiar with fine art painting traditions on paper, particularly Indian painting. This was my first experience with observing an open weave cloth used as a base for illuminated manuscripts. This initial research has me captivated to learn more about the traditions of Indian miniature painting and how they are connected with early stylized Kalpa-sūtra paintings, and if their implications for inherent condition issues can be extrapolated.
The word ‘sutra’ is literally interpreted as “thread” in Sanskrit. Different manuscripts contain the word “sutra” in their title, such as the Indian Kama Sutra, or Asian Buddhist sutras which are not to be confused with the Kalpa-sūtra. Is it possible that because these manuscripts were historically bound with cords or wrapped with ties give rise to the word sutra?
Interesting Side Note
I learned that The Diamond Sutra owned by the British Library is considered the oldest block printed book in existence AND it has been analyzed to find the scroll’s yellow plant dye extract, Berberine, is toxic. It’s possible the toxin can be absorbed through the skin (so those handling should wear gloves!) as mentioned in the Vol. 21, Number 4, Nov. 1997 Abbey Newsletter under the heading Peril in Old Paper.
