Galveston Log, 1840

Before Treatment

Ambient Light

Raking Light

During Treatment

After Treatment

Ambient Light

Raking Light

TREATMENT PROPOSAL/AUTHORIZATION FOR TREATMENT

AUTHORIZATION

The undersigned requests and authorizes the Kilgarlin Center at the University of Texas-Austin, to undertake conservation treatment of the artifact described in the attached Condition Report according to the procedures outlined in the appended Treatment Proposal.  In the event that the Owner/Custodian authorizes the Kilgarlin Center to proceed with the treatment recommended in the proposal such authorization shall be deemed to include acceptance by the depositor of the terms and conditions appearing in the original Authorization for Examination and Treatment.
Signature of responsible officer for owner/custodian:_____________________________
Date: ____________________________________

TREATMENT OBJECTIVE

The goal of this treatment is to remove newspaper clippings from the pages of the book so that the Customs House information is revealed.  The clippings will be lined and saved.  Only 11 folios and 3 leaves will be treated, as the book is an ongoing project.

DESCRIPTION

Approximate Dimensions (H x W): 43 cm x 27.3 cm, 16 15/16” x 10 ¾” (folio)

General
After use as a ledger book, the volume was used as a scrapbook for newspaper clippings.  The clippings are adhered to the recto and verso of each leaf and obscure the ledger information.

Media
The media on the newspaper clippings are a variety of black printers inks. The clippings date from the 1830s to the 1870s, but specific dates have not been determined. The ledger pages were printed using several colors: the top of each page is printed in black printers ink, and the remainder of each page has horizontal lines printed in gray and vertical lines in red. The ledger pages have been filled out in a variety of manuscript hands in iron gall ink.

Primary Support
The main paper is heavy weight, handmade wove, cream colored and uncoated. In previous treatments there was evidence of an eagle watermark and countermark.  Determination of the grain direction, running head to tail, was made after attachments had been removed.  The newspaper clippings are from a variety of different sources and are therefore of differing sizes, types of paper, and colors of paper, with differing discoloration. The clippings are adhered to the ledger page in a consistent manner, usually arranged in four columns, and tend to fill the page almost completely.

CONDITION

Media
The black printers ink of the newspaper clippings is in good condition.  There is little fading although some offset from oil in the ink is seen in places. The ledger manuscript written in iron gall ink is largely obscured, although it seems to be in good condition.  There is some sinking through and some sporadic feathering of the ink throughout the ledger.

 

Primary Support
The volume was previously disbound, and fragments of sewing and tapes are still attached to the gathering.  The leaves of the textblock are intact, with little tearing and few losses. The leaves as well as the newspaper clippings are yellowed throughout and are stiff and somewhat inflexible. There are numerous liquid and adhesive stains, many of which are adjacent to the newspaper attachments.  Some mold damage is associated with this staining. There is an overall cockling, particularly along the fore edge, probably as a result of water damage. All sections have been paginated in graphite during the treatment process.

Housing
The Galveston log is housed in a folder stock four-flap enclosure with ties.

PHOTODOCUMENTATION

Digital images before and after treatment, front and back.  Overview and detail for ambient and raking light.

TESTING

No testing was done before treating the section due to extensive testing done previously by conservation students in 1996.  Results from prior testing are as follows:

• Paper was tested by lightly abrading the surface with a dry cotton swab.  There was minimal fiber disruption of both the ledger book and the newspaper clippings. When the paper was tested with moist chromatography paper or brush, neither displayed a color change and there was only minimal new cockling of the ledger paper.
• The media of the ledger linings was tested with moist chromatography paper and water applied by brush. Neither the gray nor the red were immediately soluble. The iron gall ink was also insoluble using the same technique, as was the black newspaper printing ink.
• The adhesive is readily soluble in water.
  

TREATMENT PROPOSAL

1) Number ledger pages in graphite
2) Wash in deionized water
3) Remove clippings from both sides of ledger
5) Line newspaper clippings with lens tissue
6) Remove remaining adhesive from ledger pages
7) Dry and flatten ledger pages and newspaper clippings separately
 

TREATMENT PERFORMED

1) Numbered ledger pages in graphite (10 min)
2) Washed folios in deionized water baths for approximately two hours, changing baths every 20 minutes and adding increasing amounts of warm water (6 hrs)
3) Removed from bath (5 min)
4) Lifted newsprint up and off both sides of ledger pages using hollytex (4 hrs)
5) Lined newspaper clippings with lens tissue using wheat starch paste (2.5 hrs)
6) Re-immersed ledger pages in de-ionized water and brushed the surfaces with a soft brush to remove remaining adhesive (30 min)
7) Dried and flattened ledger pages and newspaper clippings separately (2 hrs)
8) Trimmed excess lens tissue at edges of lined clipping pages (30 min)
9) Numbered pages of lined clipping in graphite (15 min)

Total treatment time: 15.5 hrs.