Coleshill Architecture Plan: Adhesive Removal and Lining

TEMPORARY ID # 04-18
Date: 1/22/03

Owner/Custodian: Alexander Architectural Archives
Address: The University of Texas at Austin
Curator: Nancy Sparrow
Telephone: xxx-xxxx
Owner/Custodian Call No.:
Title/Subject/Description: Coleshill Architecture Plan
Creator: unknown
Date of Production: unknown
Place of Production: unknown
Approximate Dimensions (hxw): 30.5x 22 inches (77.3 x 55.8 cm)
Conservator: Holly Robertson

TREATMENT PROPOSAL

Treatment Objective
To improve the physical and chemical stability as well as to provide ease of access and a new housing for the fragile architectural drawing.

Description
General: The tracing paper drawing depicts plans for a lavatory basin and dressing table. All media is present on the verso, and includes black ink, graphite, and colored pencil.

Media
Black ink:
An architectural drafting pen was used in the drawing and annotations on the verso. The title of the drawing appears at the top left corner: “Coleshill. Details of Marble Fittings to Lavatory Basin & Dressing Table in Own Bathroom. Scale 1/8 “ F.S.”

Graphite:
Lightly printed annotations to the drawings in graphite appear throughout, and graphite lines are visible as the guidelines for the black ink annotations.

Colored Pencil
Red and pink colored pencils annotations appear on the bottom left verso corner.

Primary Support
The plan is drawn on smooth machine made paper with dandy lines that is 0.0055” thick. The paper fibers are evenly distributed. Perforations along the left edge indicate that the drawing was once attached to a folder.

Housing
The drawing is housed in a 20 point lig-free folder, accompanied by another plan from the Alexander Architecture Library.

Condition

Media
Black ink:
The black drafting ink appears to be in good condition with no signs of abrasion or flaking.

Graphite:
The graphite annotations and guidelines are faint and smeared.

Colored Pencil
The red and pink colored pencil annotations appear abraded and smeared.

Primary Support
The drafting paper is in very poor condition overall, and has yellowed and embrittled. Of the many tears and losses, three primary tears appear vertically at the middle of the drawing – three of these have been repairs by drafting paper of similar thickness and dandy lines and a thick, stiffened adhesive. The adhesive has failed on many of these repairs, and the mends are tenuously attached. Gummed stamps are also used to repair tears. Losses along the perimeter are likely the results of frequent handling or improper storage.

The broadside has been stored flat, and the adjacent drawing has abraded off on the recto of the drawing. There is surface grime overall, particularly on the recto.

TREATMENT PROPOSAL
1. Test for media solubility
2. Dry clean surface with vinyl eraser crumbs
3. Remove stamps and other previous repairs.
4. Line with heat set tissue
5. Mend and fill areas of loss
6. House in 20 point lig-free folder
Total Treatment time: 2:45