<em>Protecting Paper</em> installation view
Installation view showing Mary Cassatt's, <em>Margot Wearing a Large Bonnet Seated in an Armchair</em>, before and after conservation. Thomas Hart Benton's <em>Spring Tryout</em> is hanging on the right.
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
<em>Protecting Paper</em> installation view
Installation view showing Parmigianino's <em>St. Thais</em>, before and after conservation.
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
<em>Protecting Paper</em> installation view
Installation view showing Honoré Daumier's <em>Shwell... this is what I call a shplendid job.... and for shust five chous per pound!... (Ché cha une belle chaudronnerie!... et qu'il y en a pour de l'argent cheulement à chinq chous la livre!....)</em>, as it was published in<em> L</em><em>e Charivari</em>, June 7, 1865.
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
<em>Protecting Paper</em> installation view, title area
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
<em>Protecting Paper</em> installation views
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
<em>Shwell... this is what I call a shplendid job.... and for shust five chous per pound!... (Ché cha une belle chaudronnerie!... et qu'il y en a pour de l'argent cheulement à chinq chous la livre!....)</em><em><br /></em>
<p>Not all newsprint is created equal. One of the more remarkable aspects of this page from the Parisian newspaper <em>Le Charivari</em> is how fresh it appears. Printed nearly 150 years ago, it bears very little of the yellowing that begins to occur with today’s newspapers after just a few days. One reason is because it contains little if any of the wood pulp that, just a few years after this edition of <em>Le Charivari</em> was printed, quickly became a major component of newsprint.<br /><br /></p>
Another reason why this paper has remained in relatively good condition is evident from the darker stains at either end. For quite some time, perhaps for several decades or longer, most of the sheet laid beneath a protective covering while the exposed areas gradually acquired a sooty film. The damage, though, is not severe. Just prior to its mounting for the exhibition, the museum’s senior preparator removed half the stain in both areas by gently brushing grated particles of plastic eraser across the surface. The chances are good that the remaining residue, barely visible now, will be further reduced or eliminated in its entirety when the sheet is presented to the conservator.
Honoré Daumier <br />French, 1808–1879 <br />Published in <em>Le Charivari</em>, June 7, 1865
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, Gift of Walton J. Lord Estate
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
Lithograph; 11-1/16 x 8-1/2 in. (28.1 x 21.6 cm)
86.725
Actor in the Role of a Samurai before a Shrine
<p>The principal damage in this study for a woodblock print attributed to Utagawa Kuniyoshi resides in the lower third of the sheet. The stain, typically called a tidemark, resulted from an exposure to moisture, which as it dried deposited a wave of discoloration. In drawings made by Western artists, commonly with insoluble ink, a tidemark can often be treated by simply bathing the sheet in distilled water. Japanese inks, though, are usually more aqueous in nature, and so their cleaning requires a good deal more care.</p>
When <em>Actor in the Role of a Samurai </em>arrives in the conservation studio, the conservator will first remove the drawing from its support sheet, and then test it for solubility. If the ink displays the tendency to dissolve in water, she may opt to float wash it rather than immerse it fully in a bath. This involves laying the paper on the surface of a bath so just the verso (back) comes in contact with the washing solution. The stain is thus drawn out from behind, allowing the recto (front) to remain dry.
Attributed to Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Japanese, 1798–1861
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, Gift of William E. Harkins
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
Ink on paper; 12-1/2 x 10-7/8 in. (31.8 x 27.7 cm)
97.48
Apollo, Neptune, Pluto, and Athena
<p>The coloring of this engraving by Giorgio Ghisi represents a conundrum for the museum. The painting of prints—often by artists trained specifically for the purpose—became a common and perfectly acceptable practice as early as the fifteenth century; however, in most instances of which we’re aware, the colors were added in order to further enliven the print’s imagery. We suspect that in the case of the Ghisi a former owner, possibly as early as the eighteenth century, had the areas surrounding the image toned merely as decoration, much in the way colored mats might be used today. We were thus faced with the question as to whether in this case it might be more appropriate to have the pigments removed.</p>
<p>In the end, though, any decision regarding the conservation of the print was made as soon as the paint was applied. The coloring can never be fully removed, and there is some doubt whether even most of it will come off the sheet during cleaning. Furthermore, since the pigments are likely gouache—a heavy, opaque watercolor—the risk of them migrating into the image during the bathing process necessary for their removal is quite high. The museum has thus resolved to allow the coloring to remain.</p>
<p>Note: The engraving was removed from its acidic secondary sheet some time ago. To demonstrate the full extent of the color decoration, the print has been here reattached to its backing, using four plastic corner mounts, with an acid-free paper placed immediately behind to protect it from any further damage.</p>
Giorgio Ghisi
Italian, 1520–1582
After Francesco Primaticcio
Italian, 1504–1570
c. 1560
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, Gift of Mrs. Francis E. Hyslop Jr., from her husband’s collection and given in his memory
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
Engraving; 7-1/2 x 9-7/8 in. (19 x 25 cm)
82.62
Brutus
<p>The foxing apparent in Johann Lips’ portrait of Brutus is quite similar to the staining that once compromised the John Frederick Kensett drawing, <em>Catskill Landscape</em> (Palmer Museum of Art, 98.86). Because it remains in an environment that prohibits any further mold growth, the engraving remains safe from additional damage; however, until a conservator is able to address the foxing, this will likely be the only exhibition for which its condition is appropriate.</p>
Johann Heinrich Lips
Swiss, 1758-1817
After Peter Paul Rubens
Flemish, 1577–1640
c. 1800
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, Gift of Mrs. Francis E. Hyslop Jr., from her husband's collection and given in his memory
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
Engraving; 6-1/8 x 3-7/8 in. (15.5 x 9.8 cm)
82.81
Catskill Landscape
<p>This landscape by John Kensett was sent to conservation in 2009 for the treatment of foxing, pale-orange spots and splotches caused in this instance by the growth of mold. While the mold itself had been mitigated if not completely eradicated some time ago, the staining left in its wake seriously interfered with the image’s aesthetic qualities. The problem was addressed much in the same way as are acid and light burns: by washing and then bleaching the sheet in solutions with varying pH levels. The results were remarkable; however, the stains could not be reduced entirely. Close examination will readily reveal faint, pale brown blemishes across the entire surface of the drawing, indicative of the extent of the mold’s damage.<br /><br /></p>
Mold can be doubly harmful. It not only tends to discolor the paper’s surface, as in the Kensett drawing here, but in feeding on sizing as well as on paper fibers, it can seriously threaten the sheet’s structure. Mold spores are everywhere, but they generally remain inactive until they are introduced into warm and especially damp environments. For this reason, the Palmer Museum maintains in all of its spaces a constant and low relative humidity, between 45 and 55 percent, a level at which mold is unable to grow.
John Frederick Kensett
American, 1816-1872
1849
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, Gift of Michael St. Clair
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.
Graphite on paper; 11-5/8 x 17 in. (29.5 x 43.2 cm)
98.86