Conservation of P. T. Barnum Circus Posters, featuring Jumbo the Elephant

The variety of paper-based objects that come through the Book and Paper Conservation Services studio never ceases to amaze us! This set of P. T. Barnum Circus posters circa 1883 is one of the most unique artifacts we've worked on.

P. T. Barnum Circus posters displayed in the Elgin County Museum, before conservation treatment.

Part of the collections of the Elgin County Museum in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, the posters advertise the P. T. Barnum Circus performance in St. Thomas on July 26, 1883; notably, the posters feature Jumbo the Elephant, the famed pachyderm who would later be killed after another appearance in St. Thomas in 1885.

Anyone familiar with St. Thomas and Elgin County, Ontario, knows Jumbo's importance to the community. The story of the elephant's tragic death in a train collision is one of the greatest legends of the town, and features prominently in the area's tourism. Jumbo has inspired a life-sized monument on Talbot Street, a brand of craft beer, and of course a permanent collection of objects in the Elgin County Museum.

P.T. Barnum Circus posters featuring Jumbo the Elephant, before conservation treatment.

This set of posters was donated by a member of the community after it was found inside the structure of a building undergoing renovation in 1983; the posters were on the underside of the boards, and so were hidden until revealed by construction. The remnants of the posters were still mounted on the boards, originally a fence or barn wall, on which they were first displayed to advertise the circus's visit. However, the fragments had suffered from the ravages of time, pests, mould and dampness since being reused in the floor of the building. 

Biological damage and surface mould on the delicate paper.

The Museum felt that the historical integrity of the artifact was best served by keeping the poster fragments in place on the original boards, recalling the way the posters would have been viewed originally, while also acknowledging the unique circumstances of their preservation and discovery.  

We determined a treatment protocol that would clean and secure the delicate paper in place on the boards, as well as provide some protection from the handling and exposure that the piece will inevitably receive while on display. 

Surface cleaning the poster fragments.

Reinforcing lifted edges.

First, the paper and exposed board surfaces were gently surface cleaned to remove a thick layer of dirt, grime and biological material. The undersides of lifting paper fragments were also cleaned, where large deposits of debris had collected with time. Then, crumbling edges overhanging the edges of individual boards were reinforced with Japanese paper to provide strength and deter further damage. 

Protective coating applied to the delicate paper surface.

The coating also serves to re-saturate the printed colours and paper tone: the top half of AT has been coated, the bottom half has not.

The lifting fragments of paper were secured back down onto the boards with a strong but reversible acid-free adhesive, and the surface of the delicate paper was coated with a cellulose ether solution to strengthen and protect the delicate paper. The coating also served to re-saturate the printed colours and paper tone, bringing back more of the original vibrancy of the image.

Detail of posters before conservation.

Detail of posters after conservation.

Detail of posters before conservation.

Detail of posters after conservation.

Detail of posters before conservation.

Detail of posters after conservation.

You can see in the after treatment details that the posters have been stabilized and rejuvenated on the boards, allowing better appreciation of their historical importance. They can now be safely handled and displayed without risking further damage to the fragile materials.

The posters have been returned to the Elgin County Museum where they will be back on display shortly. 

As a testament to the enduring interest in Jumbo's story, two upcoming television programs will investigate the legend of the famous elephant, perhaps revealing new information about his life and death. David Suzuki's CBC program The Nature of Things will air an episode dedicated to Jumbo sometime in 2018; David Attenborough has also visited St. Thomas to research an upcoming feature about Jumbo.

David Suzuki explores famous elephant's life

Visit the Elgin County Museum this fall to see the restored P. T. Barnum Circus posters featuring Jumbo the Elephant, and stay tuned for the upcoming television specials. The Museum plans to mount another exhibition on Jumbo's life and legacy in St. Thomas to coincide with the renewed interest next spring!

Do you have archival materials - posters, photographs, documents, etc - that you are interested in having restored? Contact Book and Paper Conservation Services today to discuss conservation treatment of your objects, or check out our portfolio section to see other projects we've worked on.

Art Conservation: Two Paintings by Emily Carr

Emily Carr is one of Canada's most iconic artists, and her sweeping west coast landscapes are instantly recognizable. As an artist, she was concerned with representing the nature around her, and was inspired by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast. Unfortunately, like many artists of her time, the materials available to her were not always of the best quality and over time many of her works have deteriorated.

Sea and Skyscape, by Emily Carr        
Oil on paper, 57.5 x 87.9 (HxW)
Before Conservation Treatment

Shore Scene with Sunset, by Emily Carr Oil on paper, 39.5 x 58.3 (HxW) 
Before Conservation Treatment

Book and Paper Conservation Services recently had the privilege of conserving two works on paper by Emily Carr, Sea and Skyscape and Shore Scene with Sunset. The artworks were donated to the Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery (JNAAG) in Sarnia, Ontario, by benefactors Pamela B. and Ian W.E. Harris, and had never before been displayed to the public. 

The paintings were in relatively good condition, but presented a number of stability issues and had discoloured over time due to acidic materials and framing. 

Both pieces were painted by Carr in oil paint on low-grade wood-pulp paper, and had been mounted on acidic backer boards, and this had caused the papers to deteriorate and discolour severely over time. Carr's loose brushwork frequently left areas of the paper uncovered, and in these locations the paper tone shows through the paint and acts as a colour itself. Both where the paper was bare and where it showed through a thin layer of paint application, the discolouration had changed the appearance of the image dramatically from what the artist had intended. 

The conservation treatment had two goals: to restore the aesthetic integrity of the works by returning the paper tones to their original intensity, and to stabilize the materials, increasing their strength and longevity.

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SEA AND SKYSCAPE
Oil on paper
57.5 x 87.9 (HxW)

Sea and Skyscape was executed in oil paint on thin paper, and mounted on a plywood backer board. The acid in the paper and plywood had caused the artwork to darken significantly, with the exposed, bare areas of paper appearing almost crispy and burnt. There were chips and losses to the paper around the perimeter, and accretions of white paint had transferred from the original hand-painted wooden frame. In some areas, the paper had lifted from the board, and expansion and contraction had caused cracks to appear, which showed through the paint layer.

Oil on paper mounted on plywood.

Tears and losses to the edge of the paper.

The artwork was deemed too fragile to remove from the wooden support, but the paper required cleaning to brighten the tone and appearance of the image, and to remove acidic components in the materials. A capillary action cleaning technique was devised to "wash" the paper directly from the recto, withdrawing discolouration and leaving the paper brighter and more stable. 

A cleaning spot test shows improvement in paper tone.

Dramatic improvement in the image is apparent after several rounds of cleaning.

The cleaning treatment was dramatically successful in brightening the paper, returning the areas of bare paper to a more natural "manilla" brown colour instead of dark brown, and allowing the blues in the sky to brighten nearly back to their original tones.

Sea and Skyscape by Emily Carr - detail, before and after cleaning.

Sea and Skyscape by Emily Carr - detail, before and after cleaning.

Sea and Skyscape by Emily Carr - detail, before and after cleaning.

The paint accretions around the edges were removed and losses were filled and toned to match the original. Cracks in the paper were sealed and inpainted as well. The painted wood frame, likely contemporary with the piece and possibly chosen by Carr herself, was cleaned to remove years of accumulated surface dirt.

Cracks in the paper were consolidated and inpainted to disguise loss.

Losses at the edge were filled and inpainted.

The original wooden frame was cleaned to remove accumulated dirt.

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SHORE SCENE WITH SUNSET
Oil on paper
39.5 x 58.3 (HxW)

Shore Scene with Sunset was painted in oil on an acidic brown wood-pulp paper, which had yellowed with time. It was mounted loosely on a cardboard backer and had rippled severely with changes in humidity. Small tears and losses were also present around the perimeter.

Oil on paper, mounted on cardboard backer. Signature stamp is visible in lower left corner.

Raking light shows the severely rippled paper.

The first step in the conservation treatment was to remove the acidic backer board, freeing the piece from this damaging material and allowing access for washing and deacidification. The backer was removed mechanically, as was a thin loose-weave layer of fabric behind the artwork. Removal of these revealed a second stamped and inscribed signature mark on the verso.

Removing the cardboard backer.

The signature stamp revealed on verso.

After careful examination and testing to rule out any solubility issues, the painting was washed in distilled water to deacidify the paper and remove the yellow discolouration products. Significant amounts of yellow were removed with each change of the wash water, until the final rinse remained clear. 

Shore Scene with Sunset in the wash.

Successive amounts of yellow discouration removed with each change of wash water.

While the paper did not brighten overall, the yellow tone of the acidic products was eliminated, and the strength and stability of the materials were improved. After washing, the painting was flattened to remove the rippling, and the tears and losses were repaired with Japanese tissue. The original wooden frame was also cleaned to remove years of accumulated grime.

Repairing the tears and losses with Japanese tissue.

Cleaning the frame to remove surface dirt.

Shore Scene with Sunset, by Emily Carr - detail, before and after conservation treatment. The yellow tinge is removed and the brown paper is back to its original tone.

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The dramatic improvement in both of these artworks was very satisfying, and Book and Paper Conservation Services is pleased to know that we have contributed to extending the lifetime of these important works of Canadian art. Emily Carr is a perennial favourite among art collectors and enthusiasts; art conservators are privileged to spend time in close proximity to masterpieces such as these, and we take great pride and joy in our work. 

Sea and Skyscape and Shore Scene with Sunset by Emily Carr have been returned to the Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery (JNAAG) and are currently featured in the exhibition Heavy Hitters: The Group of 7 & Contemporaries, running from July 7 - August 6, 2017 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The exhibition puts the spotlight on the gallery as a caretaker of the art pieces that are received from donors, and JNAAG has put together a display highlighting the conservation undertaken on these artworks.

Jennifer Robertson, art conservator at Book and Paper Conservation Services, will be giving a presentation at the gallery describing her work and the process of restoring the Emily Carr paintings, on Thursday, July 20, 2017, at 7 pm. If you are interested in this project, we invite you to attend!

Art Restoration: Bringing Emily Carr Back to Life

Visit our portfolio section to see more of our fine art conservation projects, or get in touch to discuss restoration of your own collection.

Book Conservation: Clamshell Boxes for Rare Books

Decorative clamshell box custom made to fit a rare book.

Conservation goes hand in hand with preservation - there is no point in putting in time and effort to conserve rare materials without also taking steps to ensure their preservation going forward. In many cases, preservation means ensuring that the object will be protected with proper storage and environment in the future, so that further deterioration or damage occurs as little as possible. 

For rare books, one option is to have a protective clamshell box custom made to fit the volume.

1657 volume inside custom clamshell box.

This 1657 British law book recently came through our studio for treatment. The conservation procedures were minimal, involving a few repairs to the binding and preliminary pages; however, the client opted to have a custom clamshell box made as well. 

Repairs to leather corners.

Surface cleaning the title page.

A clamshell box is a protective enclosure that can be custom made to fit any volume. The box opens like a book, with a tray on the bottom to hold the volume, and one on the top to cover it; the cover has a drop spine allowing the box to lay flat when open. When closed and placed on a shelf, it can look like a finely bound book itself, and can be fitted with a label on the spine to identify the volume inside. 

Clamshell boxes serve to protect rare volumes from dust and light exposure, and to mitigate changes in temperature and relative humidity, all factors that can cause deterioration to the paper and leather of antiquarian books.

This particular clamshell also functioned as a presentation box, as the book was intended as a gift on a special occasion for the recipient. The label on the front cover commemorates the occasion and the rich red cloth and traditional marbled paper inside provide a luxurious accent to the volume, at the same time as protecting it.

The book fits snugly inside the box, with no room to slide or rub.

While ready-made drop-spine solander boxes can be purchased from archival supply companies in a selection of standard sizes, the beauty of a custom clamshell box is that it is made to perfectly fit the volume it holds. Antiquarian books often measure in odd dimensions and a custom box will fit the book snugly, preventing it from sliding around inside, which could cause damage to the binding.

Construction of a custom clamshell box must be very precise in order to fit the volume snugly.

Rare book libraries and special collections often construct custom boxes to protect their most valuable volumes, and the boxes can be made decorative, as in the example above, or more plainly in a conservation style box, as those shown below. 

A conservation clamshell with plainer materials protects the book from dust and light.

If you have rare books that you want to protect and preserve, consider having custom clamshell boxes made to house them. Decorative and plain styles are available in a variety of colours and materials, and presentation boxes make a great accent for gifts or special occasions. Get in touch with us today to discuss your needs, or view our rare books conservation gallery to learn more about book conservation projects by our studio.