Tinsel prints

The Folger recently received a donation of 50 tinsel prints from the
mid 19th century; cut-outs composed of a variety of materials such
as metal foils, fabric,feathers and other organic materials applied
to a backing board. The prints depict various figures in
Shakespeare's plays. Most of the prints were reframed in the mid
1940's with highly acidic material which augmented the acidity
buildup.

We found two articles :

    Fiona Butterfield and Linda Eaton.
    "Paper Textiles The Common Ground,"
    The Scottish Society for Conservation and Restoration, 1991.

    Johan Hermans and Patricia Mahoney-Philips.
    "An Introduction to the Conservation of Three-Dimensional Paper
    Objects,"
    IPC conference papers, London 1997.

Both articles analyze and identify via XRF analysis the makeup of
these objects and convey the complexity of the materials applied.

I would be interested to know if anyone actually treated and housed
such objects. Our chief concern is to find a method for deacidifying
these objects, which are I presume water/solvent sensitive due to
the thin colored metal foils with applied lacquers and the dyed
fabric.

Rhea Baier, Senior Paper Conservator
Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol St., SE
Washington DC 20003
202-675-0332
Fax: 202-675-0317


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:61
                 Distributed: Wednesday, April 16, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-16-61-025
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