TREATMENT REPORT
--> TREATMENT PHOTOGRAPHS

TEMPORARY ID # 03-138
Date: 9/6/03

Owner/Custodian: Center for American History
Address: Sid Richardson Hall, The University of Texas at Austin
Curator: Brenda Gunn
Telephone: 475-4385
Owner/Custodian Call No.: Virginia – McComas, William – BC LOB 1833
Title/Subject/Description: Proclamation of Sam Houston, Commander in Chief of the Army of Texas
Creator: [Printed by Baker and Bordenw, San Felpe de Austin
Date of Production: [1824]
Place of Production: [Houston, Texas]
Approximate Dimensions (hxw): 15.3” x 9.55” (X x X 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 and brittle broadside.

Description
The broadside is a letterpress printing of a Samuel Houston speech. Its most prominent feature is a strong type impression.

Media
Black printing ink:
The broadside is letterpress printed black ink on recto only. Overall, the ink was evenly applied, but printed quickly as evidenced by misshapen letters and light print at the center of bold faced letters. There is a prominent type impression.
Iron gall ink:
Annotations in iron gall ink appear on the recto (amending the date and first paragraph) and in five areas on the verso of the broadside.
Graphite:
A cataloguing annotation noting the Streeter number and date (St 86 1835) is located in the top right corner of the verso; an annotation detailing provenance is located at the center of the verso, and an 1824 date annotation is present at the bottom right corner

Primary Support
The broadside is printed on rough machine made paper with evenly distributed but heterogenous fibers [A screen impression is visible but there are no laid or chain lines, nor are the fibers enevenly distributed with a preference towards the perimeter]. The thickness of the broadside varies from .007 to .009 inches along the perimeter and was off-white in colorHousing
The broadside is housed in a mylar encapsulation adhered by double sided tape and inside a 10 point folder.

Condition
The broadside is in fair condition, with prominent stains, tears, and wrinkling.

Media
Black printing ink
The black printing ink appears to be in good condition with no signs of abrasion or flaking.
Iron gall ink
Iron gall ink annotations on the recto of the broadside are very light, possibly due to fading; it is not visible on the verso. The annotations on the verso of the broadside are of different shades of brown; two (“Proclamation of Law, Houston 1836” and “Miscellaneous Papers, Letters, documents 06”) are dark brown iron gall ink with the former visible on the recto of the broadside and the latter haloing. The “Invoiced” annotation is light brown, as is the “E.W.” annotation. The “Sunday Prototype of S.H. Austin” is light brown and visible on the recto.
Graphite
The graphite annotations on the verso appear to be in good condition with no signs of abrasion.

Primary Support
The broadside is acidic as evidenced by a yellowing discoloration. The paper is flexible with a fairly long grain that runs vertically. Five of the six major tears and losses are also vertical and extend within the text.
The broadside was stored for some period time folded horizontally and vertically, and this form of storage is responsible for some of the major creases
The center horizontal fold is the site of two major losses and 6 stains (liquid formed) which are light brown in color. On the verso, it is apparent that one of those stains has black ink at the center. Surface dirt stains are also apparent on the verso, just above the horizontal central line, and a small red stain appears on the major vertical crease at the bottom right of the verso.

TREATMENT PROPOSAL
1. Test for media solubility (15 minutes)
2. Clean as media allows – dry clean surface with vinyl eraser crumbs; wash and alkalinize if possible. Flatten. (1 hour)
3. Mend and fill areas of loss (30 minutes)
4. House in 20 point lig-free folder
Total Treatment time: 1:45

TREATMENT PROCEDURE
1. Removed broadside from Mylar encapsulation. (5 minutes)
2. Tested black printing ink, iron gall ink, and graphite annotations for media stability; tested stains for tidelines. (20 minutes)
3. Surfaced cleaned with vinyl eraser bits. (10 minutes)
4. Washed and alkalinized in bath. (30 minutes)
5. Solvated stains with acetone (10 minutes).
6. Air dried on Hollytex on screen to preserve strong type impression.
7. Flattened by spot humidification and weights and blotters. (1 hour).
8. Humidified with Preservation Pencil (ultrasonic humidifier), flattened gently under blotters and weights. (1 hour)
9. Air dried overnight.
10. Mended with lens tissue and wheat starch paste. (30 minutes).
11. Rehoused in acid-free folder.
Total treatment time: 3:45

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Print Version