My latest newsletter – the last one for 2012 – is now available on the page, ‘Newsletters’ or by clicking this link: October 2012 Newsletter – Zoe Finlay Paper Conservation
I hope you enjoy it and find the article on sellotape very useful. Don’t forget to email me if you’d like a copy of my leaflet, ‘Recommended Alternatives to Sellotape and other Stationary’.
I’m currently working away on my October newsletter which is due out on Friday 19th October. As always, just in time to read over your final morning coffee of the week!
I always enjoy writing the newsletters and it makes it even more exciting to know that they are read and enjoyed so much by everyone.
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Yes, incredibly, we are nearing the end of the year already and the final Tynemouth Second Hand and Antiquarian Book Fair will be held as usual on Sunday 21st October, 10am-4pm on the platform of Tynemouth station.
The October fair is usually bustling and as always, there’s a really relaxed and fun atmosphere. The true bibliophile tends to arrive before 10 to snap up some of the older, more rare books and maps.
Bring along photos of any paper items or book text blocks you are concerned about or just stop and say hello!
Although not yet confirmed, I’m usually on stall number 1, near the stairs. Hope to see you there.
Here is a fascinating video of Jack Kerouac’s continuous manuscript scroll for ‘On The Road’ being given a very rare unrolling by its conservator, Jim Carey.
Jack Kerouac’s scroll rolls into London
The 120-feet long scroll was pieced together by Kerouac so as to avoid having to add separate pieces of paper into his typewriter and potentially interrupting his creative flow.
The scroll is on display at the British Library, London, from now until 27th December 2012.
North-east Fine Art dealers, John Nicholson and Dunelm Fine Art, recently invited me to submit an article for their new website.
As they have a particularly good collection of watercolour paintings, (in particular, many of the Northumberland coast), I decided that my article would examine how and why watercolour painting proliferated during the 19th century; and the reasons may be more interesting and diverse than you might think.
If you’d like to read the article, please follow the below link and keep checking back for another addition in the future: http://www.johnnicholsonfineart.co.uk/latestnews/
‘..got all them buckets coming out of my ears’… as Bob Dylan lamented in his song. It sprang to my mind as I watched the rain falling yet again, (where is it all coming from)?
I sincerely hope that your home is warm and dry but just in case you’ve been unfortunate enough to have a leak or flood, I’ve put together a short document on what to do with your pictures or books if they get wet. I’ve made it brief enough to help at a quick glance in an urgent situation, but feel free to contact me on 07906 334 002 should you have any questions or concerns.
In addition to the obvious rain, don’t forget that higher levels of humidity can cause condensation on walls and in picture frames so keep checking your precious items regularly.
I’ve just upgraded my old light box for a much larger version which is going to be fantastic for carrying out many of my paper repairs.
To be suitable for paper conservation light boxes need to meet several requirements such as having a firm glass surface to work with no flex; wet treatments need to be carried out in safety and daylight flourescent lights must create an even light with no hot spots which can be very damaging to the paper.
Light boxes help every crack and tear in paper to show vividly. As they emphasise the directions of the fibres within a tear, they often help a conservator to make a really accurate and unobtrusive repair.
The giant new light box, (photographed in very rare late afternoon sun)!
Examining a tear in a 19th century theatre playbill using the lightbox
During a recent trip to York, I couldn’t resist popping into ‘Duttons for Buttons’, a tiny haberdashery shop which has been there for many years and which I remember passing regularly as a small child.
I was delighted to find that recent expansion plans had uncovered a hidden 16th century range, an entire mediaeval room complete with exposed beams and struts and to my excitement, a section of Victorian wallpaper which has now been preserved behind Perspex on a stairwell.
Stairwell paper
Detail of the pattern
The paper was a typical example of the woodblock printed wall hangings which became popular with fashionable, middle class Victorians.
Predominantly green, the pigment often used to produce this colour in Victorian wallpapers was the highly toxic Emerald Green.
First recorded in 1822, the pigment contained the copper aceto-arsenite compound. As the name implies it contained quantities of arsenic, the fumes of which were released in damp conditions. It is famously reported that this pigment contributed to the death of Napolean, who had his rooms papered with a green wallpaper although no evidence exists to support this theory.
By the Victorian era, papers were frequently pasted directly the plastered walls, (as can be seen in this York example), and this certainly would have increased the papers’ contact with moisture. The proximity of fires, candles and burning oil encouraged dirt and pollutants to stick to the paper and it wasn’t long before a freshly-papered room began to deteriorate in appearance. Areas of dirt are evident on this example and with the large range just feet away, it isn’t surprising.
The staff were very welcoming to people admiring the buildings’ interior so pop into 32, Coppergate, York next time you are there for a tourist-free treat. Information sheets on the history of the building are available on the ground floor.
I went to the York National Book Fair yesterday, the largest second hand and antiquarian book fair in Europe. Despite my arrival on the second day of this two-day PFA event, there were still plenty of customers around and many beautiful maps, prints, printed books and manuscripts.
There were so many highlights it would be impossible to mention them all; however a few which stood out for me were several huge, bound Parisienne manuscripts and a tiny vellum-bound manuscript with the most delicate painting of a courting couple on the cover. A third, not a book at all, was an intricate and beautiful woodblock engraving which was attributed to Thomas Bewick but with an added note that it was more likely to be from his studio. Handling the tiny, intricately detailed engraving of two birds, carved into a small piece of boxwood less than an inch and a half square was a real privilege.
I’ve just come across this (admittedly rather old) news article which I think is really quite exciting. Sony have developed a new prototype paper-powered battery which could allow customers to use their products (including mobile phones) by using waste paper-powered batteries. Shredded paper is turned into sugar using enzymatic processing and the resulting sugars then become a source of fuel.
The full article can be read here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16288107
How great would that be, no more batteries leaking out corrosive chemicals on landfill waste sites.
Zoe Finlay Paper Conservation 