Paper Conservation: Decisions & Compromises

Fig. 1: Poster ‚Do Broni‘ after reconstructive
restoration 1994
Fig. 2: Poster ‚Do Broni‘ after the additions were removed
the historical significance of the object, rather
it only approached the artifact’s aesthetic value,
impaired due to parts of its design missing. The
conservators agreed that a “deconstruction” of
this restoration would be necessary.
There were also some structural questions
with this restoration treatment. The poster
became stiff and inflexible because of the illmatched
thickness of backing paper used for
lining it. Large losses were made disturbingly
obtrusive by the in-fills which were made a few
tones too light and mismatched color used for
the reconstruction of the lettering.
Deconstruction started with the removal of the
backing paper. The artifact was humidified in a
Gore-Tex and spun polyester ‘sandwich’ to allow
for a slow introduction of moisture. The backing
paper was carefully peeled off and the added repairs
were removed with various spatulas and locally
applied moisture. The adhesive was reduced
mechanically.
The poor condition of the original paper support
was revealed and it showed that only three
fourths of the paper support had survived (Fig.
2). The paper support was structurally weakened
and stained by mold and other degradation factors.
The artifact suffered extensive losses to
both lower corners and along its sides. Several
loose fragments had to be reconnected with the
main section of the poster with small paper tabs
to keep them in place. Most tears and abrasions
within the ink layer ran through the center fold
line and had signs of direct retouching. In some
places the color matching was off significantly,
especially in the red ink areas where pinkish
over paint became evident.
To remove the surface grime and dust, the
front was gently dry-cleaned with eraser crumbs
and a soft brush. The back was cleaned with
small wads of cotton wool and deionized water
to remove any residual adhesive. The object was
then humidified gently and blotter washed.
The large losses posed a problem; in-fills were
prepared from Japanese paper of an appropriate
weight but their color had to be toned down. The
toning became a complicated trial and error exercise
but with the help of ‘hellion textile dyes’
some even tones of warm beige and tan colors
were obtained. Unfortunately several sheets of
toned tissue were needed to fill all the losses, and
not all of them turned the identical shade of tan.
The poster was then lined with a large sheet
of kozo paper and wheat starch paste adhesive
mixed with some thin methyl cellulose to extend
the working time. The lining process was
ICOM-CC Graphic Documents Working Group Interim Meeting | Vienna 17 – 19 April 2013
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