Return of the 69th Return of the 69th

Transcription

A P U B L I C A T I O N o f T h e W illia m s town A r t C on s e r v ation C e nt e r
Volu m e 5 , N u m b e r 2 • F A L L 2 0 1 0
Return
of the
69th
Williamstown Art Conservation Center | 1
Contents, Fall 2010
Art Conservator
Volume 5, Number 2 • Fall 2010
Director
Thomas J. Branchick
Editor
Timothy Cahill
Art Direction and Production
Berg Design, Albany NY
Photographer
Matthew Hamilton
Contributors
Allison McCloskey
Jennifer McGlinchey
Sandra Webber
Office Manager
Rob Conzett
Accounts Manager
Teresa Haskins
Office Assistant
Amanda Turner
Printing
Snyder Printer, Troy, NY
Williamstown
Art Conservation Center
227 South Street
Williamstown, MA 01267
www.williamstownart.org
T: 413-458-5741
F: 413-458-2314
Atlanta
6000 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30341
T: 404-733-4589
F: 678-547-1453
3 Director’s Letter
4 Return of the 69th
Unseen for decades, a monumental American painting is reconstructed
12 Unveiling Gérôme’s Splendor
By Sandra Webber
14 WACC News & Notes
New life for a rustic goddess, treating oversized bullfight posters, an American Indian
headdress, Krasner on Pollock, new photography conservator
18 Report from Atlanta
An objects curator arrives at AACC
19
Tech Notes
Simple Non-Adhesive Methods for Conservation Mounting of Photographs
By Jennifer McGlinchey
From the Director
In October, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel with the Clark Art Institute staff
and trustees to Barcelona and Madrid for two loan exhibitions. In Barcelona, the exhibit
was Picasso Looks at Degas at the Museu Picasso Barcelona, which co-organized the show
with the Clark. In Madrid, the Prado opened A Passion for Renoir. This was the first time
French impressionist pictures were exhibited at the Prado, and the crowds and press coverage
were extensive. Both events were sensational. Kudos to Clark director Michael Conforti and
his staff. My proudest moment was recognizing all the hard work of WACC conservators
in cleaning, consolidation, and glazing of the paintings and frames to allow them to travel.
True testament to world-class work shared between world-class institutions.
I also visited the Prado’s new painting conservation facility, which was recently renovated, including the
transformation of a cloister into lab space. I was bowled away to see Albrect Durer’s Adam and Eve, two of
Velazquez’s monumental Royal Horseback Portraits and a newly discovered Bruegel painting, Wine Festival, all of
which were undergoing treatment. I was, of course, also interested in how our space in Stone Hill Center compared
to the Prado’s labs, and walked away with a slight blush of arrogance. Tadao Ando really did get it right!
The WACC trustee meeting earlier this month initiated some personnel changes. Laurie Norton Moffatt will
step down as board chair effective January 1, 2011, and John Craig will depart as board secretary. Longtime board
member Joann Potter announced she will leave the board when her term is complete the first of the year. Much
heartfelt thanks to all three for their hard work and diligent governance of the Center. At the same time, I welcome
Stuart Chase, Director of the Berkshire Museum as the new board chair, and Phil McKnight as secretary to help
take WACC into the future. —Tom Branchick
All rights reserved. Text and photographs
copyright © Williamstown Art Conservation
Center (WACC), unless otherwise noted.
Art Conservator is published twice yearly
by WACC, Thomas J. Branchick, director.
Material may not be reproduced in any form
without written permission of Williamstown Art Conservation Center. WACC is a
nonprofit, multi-service conservation center
serving the needs of member museums,
nonprofit institutions and laboratories, and
the general public.
On the cover
Louis Lang, The Return of the 69th (Irish)
Regiment, N.Y.S.M., From the Seat of War,
1862-63 (detail)
Autumn turned the woods and hills around Stone Hill Center red and gold, a striking compliment to the Juan Muñoz
sculpture Piggyback with Knife, part of a Muñoz exhibit at the Clark Art Institute’s Stone Hill gallery.
2 | Art Conservator | Fall 2010
Cover Story
Return of the 69th
Unseen for decades, a monumental American painting is reconstructed
T
he Williamstown Art Conservation
Center has performed any number
of extraordinary treatments
in its history, but even on the scale of
extraordinary few things equaled the
challenge presented by the New-York
Historical Society’s monumental The Return
of the 69th. T‌he seven by eleven-and-a-half
foot picture arrived at WACC literally in
pieces, with the request to restore it back into
a painting that will be a centerpiece of the
Historical Society’s reopening next year.
T‌he task enlisted the labors of seven
WACC paintings conservators at various
times over the course of a year, and
called upon nearly every aspect of the
conservator’s art. [See sidebar on pages
6-7 for photographs and description of the
reconstructive process.] T‌he great puzzle was
rebuilt section by section and bit by bit, until
the painting, unseen by anyone in some two
generations, once again revealed the sweep
of its historical narrative. T‌he photographs
in this issue of Art Conservator represent the
first time the picture has been reproduced in
color.
T‌he painting is a marvel of its kind.
Painted by Louis Lang in 1862-63, during the
height of the Civil War, it captures a moment
of jubilation after what was actually a
disorienting early defeat for Union forces. T‌he
Return of the 69th (Irish) Regiment, N.Y.S.M.,
From the Seat of War, the picture’s full title,
is a panorama of patriotism, sentiment, and
Louis Lang’s 1862-63 Return of the 69th
(Irish) Regiment, N.Y.S.M., from the Seat
of War, pieced together at the New-York
Historical Society. Note the tape measure
along the left edge and fragments of paint.
Courtesy New-York Historical Society.
(continued on page 10)
Reconstructing the 69th
The Return of the 69th arrived at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center in extremely
fragile condition, in numerous fragmented pieces with tears and holes, creases and
extensive paint losses. The unlined canvas was brittle and friable. Opposite, upper left,
associate paintings conservator Mary Catherine Betz inspects the fragments as they
arrived in Williamstown and consolidates loose areas of paint with synthetic adhesive.
Upper right, a detail of one of the larger fragments, and beneath it several smaller bits
that required reincorporating back into the canvas. Below, a view of one of the tear
mends where a number of pieces converged at a single point and were held in place with
adhesive and Japanese tissue paper. At bottom, assistant conservator Matt Cushman
realigns the canvas on the lab’s large vacuum hot table.
After reconstruction, the painting showed numerous losses where both ground layer
and paint layer were missing. On this page, at top, a detail of the paint surface shows the
condition before fills and inpainting. Below, Betz uses a scalpel to remove excess adhesive
from the surface in preparation for further treatment. The painting was given a secondary
canvas lining on the vacuum hot table (below), then further reinforced and protected with
an aluminum-skinned solid support lining. Final inpainting and varnish completed the
treatment.
The Return of the 69th after reconstruction, cleaning, and inpainting.
Detail from the picture’s upper right corner, showing damage
and losses in the sky.
comic tableaux that combines reportage, historical portraiture,
genre scenes, landscape painting, and docudrama. Depicting
the hero’s welcome of the so-called “Irish Regiment” of the
New York State Militia in New York City, it presents a scene
modern audiences have come to expect in the cinema rather
than a painting, with multiple points of action both poignant
and funny played out by a cast of colorful characters. T‌he large
canvas offers the eye the spectacle of unfolding episodes and the
time to linger over each encounter and emotion.
Lang (c.1814-1893) is largely remembered for sweetly
plaintive pictures of children and maids weaving baskets,
gathering strawberries, or otherwise engaged in homespun
activities amid pastoral settings. He was, over the course of
his career, also an accomplished portraitist and produced
several estimable history paintings. He was born and trained
in Germany, where his father was also a painter, and studied
in France and Italy before finally settling in New York City. A
member of the National Academy of Design, Lang was well
known in art circles during his lifetime.
For its imagination, variety, and sheer scale, Return of the
69th is by far Lang’s most ambitious and successful work.
He was moved to paint his masterpiece in response to the
homecoming, on July 27, 1861, of the New York State Militia’s
69th Regiment. Nicknamed the Irish Brigade because it
was made up predominantly of sons of Erin, the regiment’s
homecoming turned out throngs of the city’s Irish working
class and resulted in a parade across the southern end of
Manhattan. T‌he 69th’s return came just months after the
start of the Civil War, following a ninety-day deployment in
Virginia. T‌he regiment had been one of the first to answer
President Lincoln’s call for troops to protect Washington, D.C.
after the April 1861 attack on Fort Sumter. A week before the
scene in the painting, the Army of the Potomac had suffered a
sobering defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run, during which
the 69th had distinguished itself for bravery defending its
position during the Union retreat.
T‌he soldiers and officers of the 69th were thus greeted as
national, hometown, and ethnic heroes, which perhaps may
have inspired Lang to undertake his picture. He seems to have
painted it for himself rather than on commission, synthesizing
all his training and skills onto a single canvas. As a history
painting, it captures the joy and tumult of the event, showing
the return of the soldiers and the view of New York Harbor at
Pier 1 on the Hudson River, now buried beneath Battery Park
City. It comprises numerous episodes, from tearful embraces to
care of the wounded to public drinking, each of which would
make a compelling genre painting in its own right.
Across the canvas, Lang employed his talents as a portraitist
with photographically accurate likenesses of several of the
members of the 69th, from the drummer boys to the regiment
priest to the company officers. Captain T‌homas Meagher, who
had escaped execution in Ireland for anti-British activity and
became a hero in America, is present on horseback waving
his hat, as is regiment commander Brigadier General Michael
Corcoran, despite being in a Confederate prison during the
homecoming. T‌hat’s Corcoran on the broadside sold by the
newsboy in the lower right.
T‌he painting was first exhibited at Goupil’s Gallery in
1862. In 1886, Lang, a member of the New-York Historical
Society, gifted the painting to N-YHS, which has owned it
since. According to a chronology supplied by N-YHS Senior
Historian (and former Museum Director) Linda Ferber, Return
of the 69th can be documented on public display until 1945;
at some point after that, it was placed in storage. Sometime
during the next three decades the painting sustained damage,
and in 1977, the fragments were removed from the stretcher
and placed between cardboard. In 1989, a conservation team
humidified the pieces to flatten them and protected them on
museum board covered with glassine, which is how they arrived
in Williamstown in 2009.
“T‌he challenge was to get the painting back into as good
shape as can be, given the fact of its condition,” said WACC
director and paintings head T‌homas Branchick. “T‌here were
two issues. T‌he first was topographical, aligning the pieces of
the torn fabric without revealing the seams. T‌he second was
cosmetic, cleaning off old grime and varnish, then inpainting
the damaged and lost paint.” T‌his process was particularly
painstaking in the broad expanse of sky that fills the center top
of the picture, where a subtle blend of blues, yellows, pinks and
grays create an overall flat chromatic field where repairs were
challenging to mask.
T‌he second return of the 69th to New York City will take
place next year, when the New-York Historical Society will
unveil Lang’s great painting on Veteran’s Day—11/11/11—as
part of the exhibition Making American Taste: Narrative Art
for a New Democracy. T‌he exhibition will mark both the
sesquicentennial of the Civil War and the reopening of the
N-YHS after eighteen months of renovation.
“For us the painting is phoenix-like,” said N-YHS’s Ferber.
“It’s an art history event and a history event, and it is symbolic
of the resurrection of this institution.”
For WACC director Branchick, the return of Lang’s
painting to public view is a testament of his staff’s excellence.
“T‌his was a monumental act of teamwork,” he said. “It is
gratifying to see Lang’s masterpiece made whole again.”
Tom Branchick, WACC director and head paintings conservator, inpaints areas of sky along the top of the inverted painting.
Feature
Detail of Jean-Léon Gérôme’s The Slave Market, after cleaning. Inset, the full painting before treatment.
Unveiling Gérôme’s splendor
French painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) took his first trip to Egypt and the Middle East
in 1856, and returned to the region known then as the Orient a half-dozen times during the next
quarter century. The paintings inspired by these travels are among the most fascinating of his
oeuvre, not only among museum-goers but with art scholars as well. T‌hey prompt considerable
discussion for their exotic and often erotic subjects, and are mined by contemporary historians
for the stereotypes and prejudices they suggest about Gérôme’s wealthy French patrons. While
often praised for their technical excellence, the paintings are just as frequently criticized for
historic and ethnographic inaccuracies. Gérôme was an unreliable witness to the facts of the
Orient, often constructing a scene with a pastiche of
details from several countries and cultures.
For all that, Gérôme never fails to fascinate the
eye and imagination with his theatrical storytelling
and wealth of vivid detail. T‌he acuity of the artist’s
draftsmanship is one of the permanent pleasures of
viewing a Gérôme in person. Recently, T‌he Slave
Market (1867), one of three world-class Gérômes
owned by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art
Institute, was brought to the Williamstown Art
Conservation Center for cleaning. T‌he cosmetic
treatment, done in preparation for the picture’s
inclusion in an international retrospective, was
required to address yellowed varnish that had
discolored the image. T‌he Clark’s previously cleaned
Gérôme masterpieces, Snake Charmer and Fellah Women Drawing Water, made the yellow veil
of T‌he Slave Market all the more pronounced.
Treatment began by removing an upper synthetic resin layer which had been applied more
than thirty years ago. Removal of this top layer allowed for a more-controlled reduction of the
very discolored natural resin varnish layers below. T‌he discovery of small repairs to the painting
beneath the varnish revealed the coatings were not original. Extrapolating from existing
records, the painting was probably last cleaned and varnished when it was glue-lined in 1942.
Careful thinning of the varnish gradually revealed a sharply nuanced picture whose palette
had been flattened by its protective layers. In traditional painting, distant objects are often
painted in cooler tones which become neutralized by the warming effect of the yellow varnish.
Cleaning returns the proper spatial distance to the image. In this scene, Gérôme made his
central figures more pronounced by painting the background groups in muted tones of blue and
brown, reserving a full, bright palette for the main figures. T‌he most startling tonal recovery
was the subtle-yet-brilliantly-painted flesh of the female slave as it contrasted with her white
robe and the cream-colored garment of the slave dealer. T‌he old varnish had muted these
pale-but-distinct hues so they appeared to be variants of the same color. Removal of the shiny,
thick varnish also revealed the slight but distinguishable topography of Gérôme’s brushwork.
T‌he completed treatment, with a new coat of synthetic resin varnish, affords the viewer a more
unified presentation of Gérôme’s dramatic Mediterranean light.
—Sandra Webber
WACC News & Notes
A Carved Folk Goddess Rises Again
S
knothole. That knothole lies in the
he is a rustic dryad of the North Woods, a rosy-cheeked nymph
upper corner of a conservation pledge
in a baby-blue swimsuit. First cousin to a cigar-store Indian, the
carved in rough capital letters. As the
Treatment Report
unique folk goddess was carved from a seven-foot length of log and
oath of those who sat at the Lady’s
Title: Sioux/Nakota/Yankton Headdress
adorned with the talismans of her tribe—skis, snowshoes, a rifle, deer
feet, the pledge would have been
Owner: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College
antlers, a rising mallard. At her feet, a frieze of painted songbirds,
progressive for its time (which, from
Conservator: Allison McCloskey
and a pine cone, perhaps an homage to her origins. Over her head,
the style of her two-piece bathing
a legend, “NEW HAMPSHIRE”—the Granite State, White Mountain
suit, was around World War II). Today,
Description: Circa 1900 headdress with semi-tanned
State, Mother of Rivers.
its environmental awareness seems
hide crown and decorative components. Across the
prescient:
front and sides is a line of immature golden eagle
Once, no doubt, the proud Venus of a summer camp or hunting
lodge, the wooden blonde had fallen victim to the ravages of weather,
insects, rot, and building materials. It was clear just looking at her
that she was in bad shape. There were numerous vertical splits in
the wood, and cross-grain breaks ran across her chest and legs. The
center of the log, hollow from exposure and decay, had been filled
at various times with plaster, cement, and the fiberglass resin used
in auto body shops. The weight of the interior fill was more than the
surviving wood shell could support, further compromising the statue.
The “Painted Lady,” as she came to be called, entered the
Williamstown Art Conservation Center on her back. Hugh Glover,
Conservation Pledge
I give my pledge as an American
to save and faithfully to
defend from waste the
natural resources of
my country—its soil
and minerals its
forests waters
and wildlife.
WACC’s chief conservator of furniture and wood objects, had tackled
fabric is of two types, mostly right-hand twill, the
remainder plain weave. The tips of the feathers are
adorned with white fur and dyed horsehair. Feathers
continue down the back, secured onto two fabric
panels with a split hide thong or lace. A second thong,
threaded through the vanes of the feathers and around
the shafts, allows the feathers to move as a single unit.
A one-inch band of overlay-stitched seed beading
decorates the front edge. White ermine pelts with tails
hang from each temple.
few jobs as challenging and fascinating. “Usually most of the things
Condition: Generally good. There are small losses
that come here are predictable,” he said. “This was perplexing. I really
on the perimeter of several feathers from previous pest
didn’t know what the next step was till I completed the present step.”
infestation, which does not appear active. The vanes of
To begin, Glover excavated as much loose cement and plaster as
the feathers are separated and misaligned in sections.
he could via the top and bottom openings of the log. The sculpture
Canvas lining of the back panels has several stains. Fur
was then pried apart along an existing longitudinal crack, and the
and hair ornament adhered to the tips of the feathers is
remaining fill eliminated, occasionally with the help of a drill and
missing on feathers from shoulder to knee. There is a
circular concrete saw. “It was painstaking work to carve away such
soil layer overall.
robust fill materials from such a compromised wood shell,” Glover
Ultraviolet examination: Of the red fabric types,
said. In addition to the inert material, he also found and removed
the twill shows no fluorescence while the plain weave
areas of brown rot, clumps of cotton fiber, rodent nests, and a confetti
flouresces bright orange, indicating differences in dye
of red pistachio shells. Glover was careful to leave intact any material,
and/or processing procedures.
including plaster patches, that was visible from the outside. Cement
1. Surface cleaned overall with variable-speed HEPA-
and pistachio shells gone, the Lady’s weight was decreased from two
filter vacuum.
hundred thirteen pounds to one hundred twenty five.
2. Cleaned beads with cotton swabs and a solution of
With the fill removed, Glover supported the thin wall of remaining
deionized water and ethanol.
wood with epoxy resin. At certain points during the treatment, the
Lady looked like Humpty Dumpty spread out on the work bench of
3. Groomed and realigned vanes of feathers with
the wood lab. Nevertheless, Glover put her whole again, methodically
reassembling the sections and parts, including irregular fragments of
the exterior he refitted like 3-D puzzle pieces. The secret to success:
“Not being afraid of it.”
The statue could stand upright again after an existing base was
attached by means of a wooden post extending into the cavity of
the log, and held fast by bulkable epoxy fed in through an existing
feathers with shafts wrapped in red wool fabric. The
gentle manipulation, allowing barbs to interlock.
Opposite, the large carved wooden
sculpture, aka the “Painted Lady,” after
treatment. Above, detail of the statue’s
verso, which includes carvings of deer
antlers, skis, cable car, rifle, snowshoes,
and mallard duck.
4. Made base for extant acrylic support rod, for
transport and storage.
Treatment Report is an editorial feature based on conservators’ reports. Wording may not be verbatim.
WACC News & Notes
WACC Staff
New conservators join paper department
Thomas Branchick
Director; Conservator of
Paintings/Dept. Head
Jennifer McGlinchey was recently named Assistant Paper and Photograph
Conservator at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, and her arrival in
September has augmented the paper department’s range of services with the
addition of expertise in photographic conservation. Jennifer has an MA in Art
Conservation from Buffalo State College, State University of New York, with a
concentration in paper and photograph conservation. She comes to WACC from
the photograph conservation lab at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she worked with
photograph conservator Toshiaki Koseki. As a graduate student, Jennifer completed internships
at the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Menil Collection, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Buffalo Bill
Historical Center, and the Alaska State Libraries, Archives and Museums. Prior to enrolling at
Buffalo State, she worked as an intern in photograph conservation at Paul Messier, LLC in Boston,
and also completed internships in paintings and objects conservation. Jennifer has experience
photogravures, ambrotypes, carbon prints, chromogenic prints, digital prints, and many others.
A native of the Boston area, Jennifer holds a BFA in Photography from Massachusetts College
creation. Jennifer has a particular interest in 19th-century photographs, Polaroids, face-mounted
photographs, and other contemporary prints.
third-year internship as an art conservation student at Buffalo State College.
Galleries in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she was instrumental in the completion
Bullfight Posters Highlight Capacity for Oversized Works
Spain in the early 1950s. The country was gorgeous, he recalls,
handle oversized works. Each poster was carefully unfolded and
a place of “interesting food and exciting people,” and, on hot
surface cleaned with a dry soft brush to remove soil and mold
summer Sundays, a land of pageantry and the savage thrill of the
spores. The sheer size dictated that only one poster could be
bullfight. Deeley visited bullfight arenas from Cordoba to Valencia
treated at a time. Each poster was humidified between sheets of
to Madrid, and was attracted by the oversized broadsides pasted
damp Gore-Tex in preparation for lining. The moisture from the
on the walls to advertise upcoming matches. Through friends, he
Gore-Tex relaxed the folds and creases and allowed the poster to
managed to obtain several posters in pristine condition. He folded
be pasted out face-down with starch paste. The lining required
the posters neatly into his luggage, and once home, placed them in
three conservators, two to hold the nine foot strips of heavy-weight
storage, where they remained untouched for some sixty years.
Japanese paper and a third to brush out the lining for proper
Deeley, now 91, recently brought six posters to the
were stretch-dried on custom-made panels under moderate
After six decades, they had developed pronounced creases
tension for four weeks.
and folds, slight mold and water staining, and some small tears
“Size was the most challenging aspect of the treatment,”
Leslie Paisley
Conservator of Paper/Dept.
Head
Kathleen Payne de Chavez
Assistant Conservator of
Furniture and Wood Objects
Michelle Savant
Associate Conservator of
Objects/Atlanta
Larry Shutts
Paintings/Atlanta
Krasner on Pollock An untitled 1949 oil painitng by Lee Krasner was recently brought
to WACC for examination after the owner observed what appeared to be telltale paint drips
or other losses. These condition issues prevented the bold
said paper conservator Rebecca Johnston. “Each lining was an
under Krasner’s work. X-radiography revealed an earlier, unrelated composition (right) beneath
chromolithographic images of matadors facing charging bulls from
exhausting and somewhat stressful procedure, but also hugely
the Krasner that bears a strong resemblance to work her husband, Jackson Pollock, was
being properly framed or viewed.
rewarding.” The posters are now ready for archival framing. These
creating around the same time. Krasner made no attempt to cover Pollock’s work; indeed, she
colorful and striking images can be viewed upright once again.
incorporated it into the negative spaces of her own composition.
The treatment of the eight-foot by nearly-four-foot posters
Cynthia Luk
Conservator of Paintings;
International Projects
Jennifer McGlinchey
Paper and Photographs
adhesion. After overnight drying between felts, the broadsides
Williamstown Art Conservation Center to prepare them for sale.
Montserrat Le Mense
Conservator of Paintings
Allison McCloskey
Objects and Textiles
One of six eight-foot bullfight posters after treatment by the WACC paper department; at right, posters drying on custom-made racks.
highlighted the WACC paper department’s capacity to successfully
Teresa Haskins
Accounts Manager
Henry Klein
Conservation Technician
Mary arrived in Williamstown following a summer internship at the National
Art collector Robert Deeley was in his 30s when he traveled to
Hugh Glover
Conservator of Furniture and
Wood Objects/Dept. Head
Rebecca Johnston
Conservator of Paper
Mary Broadway joined the team in the WACC paper lab in fulfillment of her
materials, books, photographs, drawings, prints, and watercolors.
John Conzett
Office Manager
Matthew Hamilton
Photography Technician
of Art and Design in Boston, where she gained a love of historical photographic process re-
Art. Mary has experience working with a range of objects, including archival
Mary Broadway
Third-year Intern/Paper
Lauren LaFlam
Objects
treating many types of photographs, including albumen prints, gelatin silver prints, cyanotypes,
of a survey of the prints and drawings collection at the Gallery of Modern
Mary Catherine Betz
Paintings
Amanda Turner
Office Assistant
Sandra Webber
Conservator of Paintings
Report from Atlanta
Tech Notes, Fall 2010
Objects treatment comes to Atlanta as AACC welcomes new conservators
A new era began at the Atlanta Art Conservation Center in July
with the arrival of husband and wife conservators Larry Shutts
glass, ceramics, wood, and leather.
The Atlanta Art Conservation Center is owned by the
and Michelle Savant. Shutts, Associate Paintings Conservator,
Williamstown Art Conservation Center and housed and
has taken over day-to-day administration of AACC, while Savant,
sponsored by the High Museum of Art. Clients include members
Associate Objects Conservator, brings to the Southeast vitally
of the AACC consortium of museums from three states in
needed services for objects care and
the Southeast, local and regional
treatment.
non-member institutions, and private
collectors. Savant said she has enjoyed
Shutts and Savant each received an
M.A., C.A.S. in Art Conservation from
the challenge of transitioning from a
Buffalo State College, State University
museum environment to a regional
of New York. The couple relocated
center that includes services for private
from Washington, D.C., where Savant
clients. “It is very different working
was a contract objects conservator for
with museum curators and collections
the Smithsonian Institution’s National
specialists,” she said, “compared to
Museum of American History, and Shutts
Larry Shutts
Michelle Savant
private individuals who may start the
conversation with ‘I have never owned
worked for Page Conservation, a private
paintings practice. The couple began work at the Center this
a piece of art before.’ Education of the public about what AACC
summer, taking over from previous husband-wife team James
can do for them is an almost-daily part of the job.”
Squires and Yasuko Ogino, who had guided the center since its
opening in 2001.
The arrival of Savant in Atlanta makes objects conservation
The couple worked together on the treatment for Wilson
Hurley’s Apollo, a recent acquisition for the Tellus Science
Museum in Cartersville, GA. Hurley (1924-2008) was a prominent
a new full-time specialty for AACC. “All our members have said
landscape painter known for his views of western vistas. This
to Larry, ‘Once people find out there is an objects conservator
painting celebrating man’s landing on the moon is a departure.
on staff, she will be inundated with work,’” Savant said. She has
The four-foot square oil-on-canvas was brought to AACC with
created object-specific protocols and acquired specialized tools
planar distortions, a yellowed varnish layer, surface scratches,
and materials to treat a variety of object types, including metals,
and light dirt and grime accumulation. The planar distortions
were removed by tensioning the stretcher with its
keys, removing the tacks near the distortions, then
restretching and retacking the canvas. A greasy residue
on the surface required a dual cleaning, once with
diammonium citrate cleared with deionized water, then
with microemulsion, also cleared with deionized water. A
final layer of Damar varnish was spray-applied to fill the
scratches.
The painting was heavily yellowed in part due to a
thick original layer of natural resin varnish, which is
yellowish in tone. The yellowed varnish could not be
removed because of the painting’s relatively recent
vintage. The work, created in 1985, is still young by oilpainting standards, and the paint hasn’t had sufficient
time to fully harden. Over time, bonds in pigment-oil
binders cross-link to make paint hard, a process that
typically takes several decades. At this stage of the
painting’s life, removal of the varnish layer most likely
would have removed the paint layer as well.
Wilson Hurley’s Apollo, 1985, after treatment.
Simple Non-Adhesive Methods for Conservation
Mounting of Photographs
By Jennifer McGlinchey
Non-adhesive methods for mounting photographs and works on paper are often preferred
because common adhesives (i.e. pressure sensitive tape, rubber cement, spray mount, glues
and many other types, even when they are labeled “archival”) can cause damage. Over time,
these adhesives can seep into the prints, discolor, and release acids that will stain, fade and
damage a photograph. Even worse, most pressure sensitive adhesives will fail as the adhesive
ages, and are not easily (or ever) removed from prints without causing damage. Even wheat
starch paste and other water-based adhesives can cause distortion or damage to sensitive
photographs.
T‌he methods outlined in this article do require adhesives, but the adhesive never comes
into contact with the artwork. Many of these methods support the corners or edges of the
print with archival paper or inert plastic, so only the constructed supports require adhesives
to secure them beneath a window mat. Below are a few examples of some of the many
techniques that can be used for mounting photographs in a window mat for exhibition or
storage. Window mats made from archival mat board (4-ply or thicker) are useful for storage
and exhibition because they keep the photograph from coming into direct contact with
glazing or other materials.
Considerations for mounting photographs
Evaluate each photograph and employ mounting methods that will provide adequate support
for the size and weight of the print. T‌he methods outlined in this article can be used for
many types of photographs, but may not be adequate for large format prints (larger than
20x24 inches), light-weight prints (such as unmounted albumen prints), prints that are
damaged, torn, or mounted. Attachment at the corners or the edges may not provide enough
support for such prints, so buckling or sagging may occur. For large or heavy prints, these
mounting systems may fail, which may allow the print to slip, causing damage.
Avoid touching the surface of the photograph during the mounting process. Hands
should be freshly washed and dried. Well-fitting medical gloves are recommended as even
clean hands can leave fingerprints that may mar the surface and cause permanent damage to
the photograph.
Add interleaving paper larger than the photograph to protect the surface of the print from
dust and abrasion. Papers described below can be used.
Materials for Non-adhesive Mounting
Selecting materials described as “archival” may not be good enough, so look for materials
that have passed the photographic activity test (PAT). T‌hese materials have undergone more
rigorous testing and have proven themselves to be safe for storage of photographic materials.
Paper and matboard should be unbuffered (neutral pH ~ 7) and free from acids, lignin,
3"
and sulfur. Alkaline buffered materials (pH ~ 8-9) may be used
for some types of photographs, but should never be used on
cyanotypes, color, digital, or other prints that may be sensitive
to a high pH. When in doubt, use unbuffered materials in direct
contact with the print. Recommended materials include:
Cut
• Use mid-weight papers for support strips or corners to provide
adequate support and prevent embossing. Use light-weight
papers for interleaving.
Photograph
Archival Paper (1 inch larger on all sides)
Figure 1. Paper pocket. Mark lines as indicated,
then remove photograph and cut.
• Only stable, acid-free adhesives should be used. T‌hese should
never come into direct contact with the print.
Fold second
Fold second
• Photo-Tex tissue (available from Archivart) is a 100%
cotton paper, which is designed exclusively for contact
with photographs. Suitable for support strips, corners and
interleaving.
• Use only inert plastics like polyester (Mylar), polyethylene, or
polypropylene.
Fold first
• Archival quality pressure sensitive adhesive tapes are available.
T‌hey are easy to use and don’t require a moistening step
(example: Filmoplast P90.)
Fold last
Figure 2. Paper Pocket after folding.
Mounting Methods
Paper Pocket
T‌his method uses a sheet of paper that is slightly larger than the
photograph. All four edges of the mounting paper are cut and
folded to support the print. [Fig. 1] T‌he long edges are then taped
in place with archival tape. [Fig. 2] T‌his is a good choice for
photographs with damaged, distorted or brittle edges.
Archival Paper
Photograph
Figure 3. Archival paper Z-fold, end view.
Z-fold edge strip
Cut
Photograph
Sling or Edge Strips
T‌his method provides excellent support for most photographs.
It uses strips of archival paper or clear polyester that have been
folded in a “Z” form. [Fig. 3] T‌he print is supported by the inner
channel created by the Z-fold and the support strips are adhered
in place at the edges. [Fig. 4] T‌his method can be used for prints
on light-weight paper or with fragile edges.
Z-fold edge strip
Archival tape
Figure 4. Photograph with Z-fold edge strips in
place. Cut vertical strips, leaving bottom fold
intact, to accommodate the horizontal strips.
1"
Step 1: Start with a strip of archival paper.
Height of strip will determine corner size.
Step 2: Fold into right triangle.
Photograph
• Gummed linen or cotton tape with a water soluble adhesive
Photograph
Z-fold edge strip
• Paper made from 100% cotton (also known as 100% rag) flax,
or alpha cellulose.
applied, or if prints are forced in and out of corners. Paper photo
corners are commercially available, but corners are simple to
make and can be tailored to the size of your print. T‌he diagrams
describe how to make and use photo corners.
Corners are best for prints that have a wide margin and/or
can be “over-matted” so the corners can secure the print to the
backing board without obscuring the image area. Commercially
made corners made from clear polyester may be used if the
corners will show, but be careful that it they are not too rigid or
have any sharp edges that may damage the print. To soften the
sharp cut edges, thin Japanese tissue inserts can be slid into the
polyester corner to create a barrier between the print and the edge
of the polyester.
Corners should be as large as can be accommodated by the
margin and the over-mat. If corners are too small, the print may
slip, causing mechanical damage. For example: a typical 8x10
gelatin silver or color print should have a corner that measures
at least 1 inch at the height of the triangle. You should increase
corner size as the print size goes up.
Photo Corners
When done correctly, photo corners can be a simple and quick
way to mount and secure photographs into window mats for
exhibition or storage. But beware: significant damage can occur if
photo corners are made from inappropriate materials, improperly
Mounting a photograph with corners
With the corners constructed, you will need a photograph with
prepared mat board and backing board, and archival tape.
Ensure that the corners are large enough to support the weight
of the print, but not so large that they obscure the image. If the
margins of the print are small, you can cut a triangular notch
into the corner (see illustration) to block less of the image while
still providing adequate support to the edges.
Place the photograph face up on a prepared backing board
and position the image in the window mat. It is helpful to secure
the print in place with a small soft weight, but place a small piece
of clean archival paper or unwoven polyester between the weight
and the print to prevent soiling and scratching the surface of
the photograph. Never put any weight on a photograph with a
sensitive or damaged surface.
Position the photo corners by carefully sliding the open
pocket of the photo corner onto each corner of the print. T‌he
solid triangle should be on the front of the image. Try not to
move the print. T‌he corners should be comfortably snug on the
print, but allow some space for the print to expand, about 1/16
inch.
Adhere the corners in place with a strip of tape placed
diagonally along the long part of the corner. Position the tape at
least 1/4 inch from the edge of the photo corner. If you have cut a
notch in the photo corner, you should place two pieces of tape on
Step 3: Flip the corner over and slide onto
photograph
Archival tape
Step 4: Tape corner in place. Tape should not
come into contact with print.
Modification: Cut notch to reveal more of the
photograph.
Members of the Consortium
the edges of the photo corner. T‌he tape should not come into
contact with the photograph. Ensure that the tape has good
contact with the photo corners and the backing board.
Print is ready for exhibition or storage. If the corners
are the adequate size, they should support the print when
displayed vertically.
print, leading to irreversible cracks and micro fissures that
will reduce the life of the print and degrade the image.
Extreme care should be taken when removing prints from
any mounting system. Improper removal or handling of
mounted prints is a common cause of damage, so it is best to
limit or eliminate the need to un-mount prints. T‌he simplest
way to remove the print from corners is to cut the tape with
a sharp blade at least 1/16 inch away from the photo corner
to prevent cutting the print. T‌his way, only the tape is
being cut, so there is less danger that you will accidentally
cut the print. Avoid flexing the corners of the print to slide
it out with the corners in place. Flexing and bending of
photographs can damage the multi-layered structure of the
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art,
Roland Gibson Gallery, State
Cornell University
University of New York
227 South Street, Williamstown,
MA 01267
—Ithaca, NY
Historic Deerfield, Inc.
Deerfield, MA
References
Lavédrine, Bertrand. A Guide to the Preventive Conservation of
Photograph Collections. Getty Conservation Institute, LA. 2003.
Removal of photo corners
Williamstown
Munro, Susan Nash. “Making Mounting Corners for
Photographs and Paper Objects.” Conserve-o-gram 14/1. National
Park Service, US Department of the Interior, July 1993.
Phibbs, Hugh. “Edge Strips and Other Hinge Alternatives
for Preservation Framing.” Supplement to Picture Framing
Addison Gallery of American Art,
Hood Museum of Art,
Phillips Academy
Dartmouth College
—Andover, MA
Albany Institute of History and Art
—Albany, NY
Alice T. Miner Colonial Collection
—Chazy, NY
The Arkell Museum
—Canajoharie, NY
Arnot Art Museum
—Elmira, NY
Art Complex Museum
Magazine, April 2001.
—Duxbury, MA
Reilly, James M. Care and Identification of 19th Century
Photographic Prints. Eastman Kodak Company, 1986.
Wilhelm, Henry. T‌he Permanence and Care of Color
Photographs. Preservation Publishing Company, 1993.
Atlanta Historical Society, Inc.
—Atlanta, GA
Bennington Museum
—Bennington, VT
Berkshire Museum
—Pittsfield, MA
Bowdoin College Museum of Art
—Brunswick, ME
Charles P. Russell Gallery,
Deerfield Academy
—Deerfield, MA
Jennifer McGlinchey was named
The Cheney Homestead of the
Assistant Paper and Photograph
Manchester Historical Society
Conservator at the Williamstown
Art Conservation Center in
September. Jennifer has an MA in
Art Conservation from Buffalo State
College, State University of New
York, with a concentration in paper
and photograph conservation. She
comes to WACC from the photograph
conservation lab at the Museum of
Fine Arts, Houston, where she worked
with photograph conservator Toshiaki
Koseki. A complete bio is on page 17.
—Manchester, CT
Colby College Museum of Art
—Waterville, ME
Connecticut Historical Society
—Hartford, CT
The Daura Gallery at Lynchburg
College
—Lynchburg, VA
Eric Carle Museum of Picture
Book Art
—Amherst, MA
The Farnsworth Art Museum
—Rockland, ME
Fort Ticonderoga
—Ticonderoga, NY
Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
Vassar College
—Poughkeepsie, NY
Frederic Remington Art Museum
—Ogdensburg, NY
Gersho n Benjamin Foundation,
—Clayton, GA
—Hanover, NH
The Hyde Collection
—Glens Falls, NY
The Lawrenceville School
—Lawrenceville, NJ
Mead Art Museum,
Amherst College
—Amherst, MA
Memorial Art Gallery,
University of Rochester
—Rochester, NY
Middlebury College Museum of Art
—Middlebury, VT
Mount Holyoke College Art Museum
—South Hadley, MA
St. Johnsbury Athenaeum
of our cultural heritage; to provide
—Northampton, MA
Springfield Library and Museums
Association
examination, treatment, consultation
and related conservation services
for member institutions, and for
—Springfield, MA
Sterling and Francine Clark Art
Institute
other non-profit organizations,
corporations and individuals; to
conduct educational programs with
—Williamstown, MA
Suzy Frelinghuysen and George L.K.
Morris Foundation
respect to the care and conservation of works of art and objects of
cultural interest; to participate in the
—Lenox, MA
training of conservators; to promote
Tioga Point Museum
the importance of conservation
—Athens, PA
and increase the awareness of the
Union College
issues pertinent to collections care;
—Schenectady, NY
and to conduct research and dis-
Vermont Historical Society
seminate knowledge to advance the
—Montpelier, VT
Alliance
—Hartford, CT
conserve and maintain the objects
Smith College Museum of Art,
Institute
he mission of the Williamstown
Art Conservation Center, a
non-profit institution, is to protect,
—St. Johnsbury, VT
Vermont Museum and Gallery
Museum of Connecticut History
T
—Potsdam, NY
Munson Williams Proctor Arts
—Utica, NY
Mission Statement
profession.
—Shelburne, VT
Williams College Museum of Art
—Williamstown, MA
Neuberger Museum,
Purchase College, State University
of New York
—Purchase, NY
New Hampshire Historical Society
—Concord, NH
New York State Office of General
Services, Empire State Plaza Art
Collection
—Albany, NY
Norman Rockwell Museum at
Stockbridge
—Stockbridge, MA
Picker Art Gallery,
Atlanta Art Conservation Center
6000 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30341
Alabama Historical Commission
—Montgomery, AL
Booth Western Art Museum
—Cartersville, GA
Brenau University
—Gainesville, GA
Columbia Museum of Art
—Columbia, SC
The Columbus Museum
Colgate University
—Columbus, GA
—Hamilton, NY
High Museum of Art
Portland Museum of Art
—Portland, ME
Preservation Society of Newport
County
—Newport, RI
Rhode Island School of Design
Museum of Art
—Atlanta, GA
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
—Montgomery, AL
Morris Museum of Art
—Augusta, GA
Telfair Museum of Art
—Savannah, GA
—Providence, RI
The Rockwell Museum of
Western Art
—Corning, NY
www . williamstownart. org
Vi s it u s O nlin e :
C h ang e S e r v ic e R e q u e st e d
W illiamstown , M A 0 1 2 6 7
2 2 7 Sout h St r e e t
C e nt e r
W illia m s town A r t C on s e r v ation
art C ons e r v ator
p e r m it # 3 7 0
ALBANY NY
PA I D
U . S . P ostage
org .
N on - p r o f it

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