4 SUMMARY

Frakturs represent both the old and new worlds of folk art. They mark the cultural transition of generations and are also a window to the past. Their continued conservation and care are important. I have attempted to illustrate one approach toward their continued survival. As with any other artifact, frakturs exist in many forms of disrepair. There are a myriad of conservation treatment methods that can be used to preserve them. A conservator must thought-fully choose treatment methods and techniques according to the specific characteristics and condition as dictated by an individual object.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author would like to thank Michele Hamill, Doris Hamburg, Lynn Kidder, and Bernard Reilly of the Library of Congress, and Anne Downey of the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts for their help in critiquing this article.