Conservation Treatment of the Gould Collection
Conservation Treatment of Volumes, Drawings, and Lithography Stones:
Inclusive dates of work: June 30, 2011 – August 15, 2013
Part 1: Treatment of bound volumes
Description: Sixty-one volumes were assessed for damage and treated before digital scanning. Common treatments included mending pages, reattaching scuffed leather on spine and boards, and reinforcing loose text-to-cover attachments. One volume required extensive treatment.
Representative images of simple treatments:
Truck of volumes.
Mending tear.
Scuffed leather along fore-edge.
Representative images of volume with extensive treatment needs:
Before treatment: Split textblock.
After treatment.
Part 2A: Simple treatment of drawings
Description: 1782 drawings with minor issues, such as simple tears, small losses, cellophane/gummed tape, creases, and friable surfaces. Typical treatments included mending tears and losses, removing tape, relaxing creases, and interleaving with silicone release paper to protect friable drawing surfaces.
Representative images of simple treatments:
Before treatment: Torn corner (Gould 842).
After treatment: Corner repaired (Gould 842).
Representative image of mending drawings.
Part 2B: Treatment of tracing-paper drawings
Description: 595 drawings on thin, tracing paper with extensive creases required special humidification and flattening, as developed by Hildegard Homburger. Drawings were humidified in a Gore-Tex sandwich for 30 seconds to 5 minutes, then pressed in a hard-soft sandwich for one month, under heavy weight. Some tissues required more than one humidification/flattening cycle. Tears were mended with toned Japanese tissue and isinglass adhesive.
Representative images of tissue drawing treatments:
Before treatment (Gould 1973).
After treatment (Gould 1973). Note: Even after two humidification/flattening cycles, item not planar. Still, more of the image is viewable.
Before treatment (Gould 1591).
After treatment (Gould 1591).
Part 3: Treatment of lithography stones
Description: Twelve stones were vacuumed before scanning and fitted with custom-fit covers and slip-boards after scanning.
Representative images of lithography stones:
Vacuum near surface of litho stone, not touching stone itself.
Custom-fit covers constructed out of silicone release paper, secured with thread tackets at corners.
Stones back on shelves, each with custom-sized Coroplast slip sheet to. aid in safe removal.