Subject: Octagonal work order labels
We occasionally find octagonal paper labels on the backs of the stretchers and frames of canvas paintings. The labels consist of a paper rectangle with the corners cut off. They are handwritten and have the letters 'W.O.', which I have always assumed stands for 'Work Order'. There is usually a string of numbers and sometimes a date. Only the last two digits of the year appear on the labels, but the dates are mostly twentieth century, as far as I know--they are sometimes written in ball-point pen. I believe that these labels are probably associated with one of the larger picture restoration companies active at that time. Another possibility is that they are associated with a firm of dealers who commissioned restoration work, although I have seen one on a painting that I know has never been bought and sold (although it has been restored several times) since it was brought to this country in the seventeenth century. Can anyone tell me who used these labels? If you would like to see a photograph of a typical example, you can contact me direct at ruth<-a t->ruthbubb< . >co< . >uk Ruth Bubb ACR Ruth Bubb Ltd 63 Main Road Middleton Cheney Banbury OX17 2LU UK *** Conservation DistList Instance 28:13 Distributed: Friday, August 29, 2014 Message Id: cdl-28-13-016 ***Received on Saturday, 9 August, 2014