Spring Tryout

Title

Spring Tryout

Creator

Thomas Hart Benton
American, 1889-1975

Date

1943

Description

Not all paper is created equal. This lithograph by Thomas Hart Benton suffered from all of the problems that had once inflicted the drypoint by Mary Cassatt (Palmer Museum of Art, 2004.56), though not by any means with the same severity. It was sent to a paper conservator in 2009, where it too was bathed and bleached, but with less success. The mat burn, caused by acidic material leaking from the edges of the cuts that were made for the mat window, is here still readily visible. The difference in the result stems entirely from the quality of the paper. The Cassatt sheet is made from 100 percent cotton rag. The Benton sheet contains a fair proportion of wood pulp, which makes for a paper that damages more readily, and is far more resistant to treatment.

Contributor

Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, Gift of Betty and Edward Mattil

Identifier

91.180

Rights

This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.

Format

Lithograph; plate: 9-3/8 x 13-5/8 in. (24.9 x 34.7 cm)