THE EXAMINATION AND TREATMENT OF AN EARLY TWENTIETH

Article: THE EXAMINATION AND TREATMENT OF AN EARLY TWENTIETH
CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLAGE
Author(s): Niccolo Caldararo
Topics in Photographic Preservation, Volume 5.
Pages: 153-164
Compiler: Robin E. Siegel
© 1993, Photographic Materials Group of the American Institute for Conservation of
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Papers presented in Topics in Photographic Preservation, Vol. 5, have not undergone a
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not necessarily represent the AIC policy or opinions.
THE EXAMINATION ANT) TREATMENT OF A N
EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLAGE
BY
Niccolo Caldararo
Conservation Art Service
893 Folsom St.
S.F., Ca. 9410'7
Abstra.ct: Two wedding photographs mounted
onto a sheet of paper and wrapped onto a
metal plats were sealed in a plastic coating
in Cuba sometime at the beginnifig of this
century. The paper component of this artifact
had suffered severe deterioration. Testing
indicated the coating to be a cellulose acetate
material- The several elements of the collage
were separated, cleaned, repaired and re-aesembled-
Introduction
A client brought a bag filled with a mounted photo-collage
and various fragments into our laboratory one day i.n t h e summer
of 1991(see Figzre 1). The object was a composite structure of a
metal base covered with a wood pulp paper support wi.th a printed
design laminated onto the pulp core. I n t o this paper cover two
oval holes had been cut with a d i e allowing for t h e insertion of
two phatographic images. The edges of the photographs were
outlined with a gold leaf paint and the surface of t h e rosepatterned design laminate paper mount was also speckled w i t h
g o l d , This paper sheet was then forced onto and-around t h e metal
base which is the shape of a hubcap- The whole u n i t was then
153
The t . i E f c ? c * h r,f c
a - c r c i t i ray c l n r l t h c : gsrbd s p c ~ c k i r ? : ; rncn:s;i; htivc:
b e a m q u i t e attractive when t h e object was first created. When we
:it-tW t.h i 5 ob j a r < * t in1 ULar 1 cabc.,rutory, howevc!r,
t h e photographs w e r e
ddr-k d n d the paper w d s very brittle, impossible to manipulate
wi i t h o u t c~rbni*8tEniycjr f l a k i n g , 1 l-navc o n i y sec?n c r n ~othc?r' o b j c x t
o f this type before and it was not cracked or torn, but the image
l t;i? dppc?arc..tl
i e w h a t okzscurcd irsy c\ darkened cxxti ng . The ~ W ~ C P Y '
at first w a n t e d to know if the photographs could be removed
WithCPUt Ilamdyc?, t , u t h a d a t s s t h c a p For arny k i n d of restoration of
the collage. I assumed that the rust on the metal base did not
i rid i c::itc w a k c r dam-tge a n d thcllt the ddeLer iorat Ion of t h c paper
support had resuLted in both the aging of the coating and the
p u l p o f t h e p(-1per. Our c,hernic:.aP tc-ists showed that the coating
was soluble in acetone, ethyl acetate and ethanol, and partly
soi ub1 t: i n amyl ac:c:tdte , diskhyl henzeric: (softens) arid
xylene(becornes sticky), it was ignited at low heat before softeni n g ( Figure 3 )
Testi rig was ncqmtivc? Lor nitrate w i th test f o r
ammonia using magnesium sulfate and camphor and also neyative for
a i l t r o y e n of NO^ w i t h F'es04( I
Janowski 's T e s t for nitrate w a s
also neyative(2). Testing for acetate was positive using 18M
s u l luric. acid a d d i n g ethyl alcohol, mixirag arid heating in a
boiling water bath(1). The paper support had a pH of less than
4
The c o a t i n g w a s severely abraded ira addition to its obvious
cracking, tearing and resultant losses. The most effective
solvent system on samples of the coating was a mixture of acetone
and ethyl acetate 1:1 and then 10% addition of amyl acetate.
Although the use C P F these solvents was varied in the process of
removal o E the coating and the segments of the artifact assenblaye. This may have been duc to differential aging of the
coating.
ExaminatLon of the photographic image under 3 0 power magnification indicated a gelatin silver print structure(3), although
this was made difficult by the degree of darkening of the coating
film. Microscopic examination also lead to the possibility that
t h e images had been tinted or colored in some way. Treatment
would depend on the stability of these pigments or dyes in any
solvent system. Since the structure of the photographic paper
used in these images is less porous than those reported in other
studies(4), we were unsure both of the effects of treatment on
the stability of the pigments and the effects of the pigments on
the photographic image. O u r tests indicated, fortunately, that
the solvents proposed in the treatment would have little if any
adverse effect on the pigments.
tf
-
Treatment
It was apparent that the surface coating was both obscuring
154
p h o t >;jr3gh I c qu,i 1 it i e s of t t ~ ep ~ t > t < >aqprh , i n < 3 : i d I t I 0:: ti]
darkening t h e inage, a n d thdt its increasi m3 e n b r i i c ~~rnc..nt
l
was
contri buting C:P t h e cvera?l damilyc t h e rrciunt h a d :;ut f e.i--c<~
- hc:;c:
ccnciitiont; ar3s‘ed strongly for r e m o v a i af the c o ~ ~ t i n ~ .
T h e CJOS1‘iqt? f. raymenEs W ~ Z F ? ?-emo\~c?df i”Om the m t 2 t a I b
nec3an ic a 1 I y ‘ i f t e r sot ten i n g the edges j n aceztlne I’ E qur-c 4 - ‘l’1iC.t
p h o t o g r a p h ic . m a g e s were tested wi t i ? the solvcr:ts wh ck: d i s s c > l v e d
the coating t c : determine a n y a d v e r s e effects. ‘ P h i s was cxecwCed
with a thin ?CP u s h a n d R c o t t r r r i swab under 3 0 power m c j : ~i f : c : i c i c r : .
Examination or the v e r s o of the c o f l a y e indicated that-, application of s o l v e i l t a l o n g t h e edges iaf the sttachment of t h e p h o t a s
and zhe paper mount m i g h t f r e e the photographs as he p h o t o q r a p h s
a ~ p e a r e dto bc s e t ir: without a c m n t i nucxis b a c k i n g
Sep~irat:icm
of the photographs was accomplished i n this way usirs.q mic:roplpet
d e l i v e r y of s c l v e n t controlled w i t h a c o t t o n swab. Elemoval a f
t h e coating f i o m the photographs was begun u s i n g s w a b s alternating acetone ar-d e t h y l acetate. The c o a t i n g w a s r-emcaved f r o m t h e
paper support u s i n g a b a t h of the same solvents i n a 1 I I !rat5 o .
The resulting c l e a n e d major f r a y m c m t s a r e shown .In P i g t i r e 5 .
irdc?
w e r e aware that seme printing inks contained shellac a t tnc Psirr.~
of t h e fabrication of this objec:t(\) and t h a t scme r;wellirry m i g h t
occur in the Fatterned design d u r i n g t r e a t m e n t . No swelling or
o t h e r s i g n s of change c o u l d be n o t e d i n tests a n d n o s e w a s 05-
t h c f i I;O
I
served during creatmcnt.
C r i c e cleaned, the poss i hi 1i t y of t a n e d or hand-pa i n t e d
coloring was proven with color i n the faces and background. The
images appeared in fairly good shape a n d initial appraisal of
s u r f a c e damage due to abrasion were only horn act on one(see
right image Fn Figure 6). The r e m a i n i n g fragments of t h e m o u n t
were de-acidified in a bath of 2% Ca(OH)2 and washed i n de-ionized water before and a f t e r de-acidification. The mount fragments and the photographs were assembled(Figure 7) a n d then
mounted onto a sheet of Japanese S e k i s h u t i s s u e ( F ’ i g u r e s 8 & 9).
Areas of l o s s were inpainted with watercolors. The base was
cleaned using isopropanol(70% grade) a n d then swabbed over w i t h a
1% solution of oxalic acid in water(6), this reduced the rust
areas and the oxalic acid acted as a chelatinq agent as well(7),
The base was then coated with B - 6 6 in a s p r a y application(8) and
a hollow circle of acid-free corrugated board w a s cut and mounted
onto the base using a 5 % solution of €3-72 in toluene(9) as an
adhesive(see Figure 1.0). The re-constructed photocollaqe could
then be attached to a circular back mat with Japanese paper
hinges and wheat starch paste. This could be placed on t h e top
of the corruyated board. The owner could then have a circular
frame made €or the piece. We recommended a circular top mat be
made of acid-free mat board.
Ccsnclusion
The described treatment achieved the original goal of s a v i n g
the photographic images and was also able to retain some of the
155
o r i g i n a l form of the artifact they were a part. The ethical
question here is whether the new reconstructed assemblage still
carries the authentic character o f the original. The di€ferences
are both subtle and striking: the new format is flat and not
formed onto the metal base. This is a change in the intent of
construction which the craftsman fashioned. The new format
a p p e a r s without the g l o s s y coating of the original. This was the
decision of the owner and also our recommendation that although a
ccatinq c o u l d be applied which would simulate that of the o r i y i n a l , we felt it was best not to do so. I feel that these decis i o n s a r e i n concert with the d i s c u s s i o n s presented at the 1981
3rd International Restorer Seminar on Prablems of ComDletion,
E t h i c s & Scientific Investisation i
xRestoration. Concern over
the retention and alteration of original photographic enclosures
is an i m p o r t a n t current i s s u e ( 4,lQ ,11) arid deserves €urther discussi on.
We would be v e r y interested in any information on these
photocmliages, especially background on their history and manufdcture.
We would a l s a like to hear from o t h e r conservators who
have treated similar objects. Perhaps an expanded article could
be fd s h i o n e d by several treatment approaches that could provide
m o r e perspective.
Re f e ce n c e s
1 . S o r u m , c.H., U t r o d u c t i o a
Semimicro Qualitative AndlYSiS,
Second Edition, Prentice Hall, Englewoocl Cliffs, 1953. The
a c e t d t e test is Q rather subjective procedure but as Hildebrand &
Powell(Frjncip1eS- of Chemistry, 1964) note, this part of the
ttsrnelI-o-metr-ictt bank of methods has had wide practical applica-
tion.
-
2
Henede~Li-Picklcr, A . A . ,
Identification of Material 5 : Via
P 3 v s i c : a l P r o p e r t i e s ,. Chemical Tests and Microscopy, SpringerVerlay, W i e n , 1965.
3
S i l I , Arthur T . I l t P h c t o y r a p h i c processes, a glossary and a
chart for recognition", Museum Association Information Sheet,
Museum Associi3t.j on Lcndon, 197'78 :1-10 ; Hendricks, K l a u s B.
"The
Conservation of Photographic Materials", Picturescope, Spring,
1 0 8 % : 4 - 2 1 ; K e r n p e l I Siefyried, ftT'he Care of Black a n d Nhitc Photographic Collections: Identification of Processest1,'Bchnical
Bulletin O ; , Canadian Conservation Institute, Nov. 1979;Keefe,
Jr., L a u r e n c e E. & Inch, Dennis, Life _of a Photoqr-aDh, Focal
r-'ress, N . Y . ,
~ 9 ~ 3 ~ 3 .
I
I
-
Hendriks, K l d i . i S 3. & Dobrusskin, S e b a s t - i a n , r'The Consen-ation
of Painted Photographstt
, 9th Triennid3 Meeti rig of ICOM Committee
f o r C o n s e r v d t i o n , Dresden, 1 9 9 0 : 2 4 9 - 2 5 4 .
4
5. T'uttlc,
I).
E,
&
Hoagland, St.ewart, llAni.lj.nert,
Print, v. 7,
#5,
6. Pienderlcith, 14. J, & Werner, A . E . A . , T@s Conser._v3zv~n 0-fAntiquities and Works of m , 2nd E d . , Oxford U. Press, London,
1371.
They recommend a 9% solution, but 1% is quite e f f e c t i v e i n
my experience and, in light of the toxicity of this agent, prudent.
?. B u r g e s s , H e l e n , *tThe use o f c h c l a t i n g agents ir; conservation
treatments", The Paper Conservator, v. 15, 1 9 9 1 : 3 6 - 4 4 and also,
Richey , w.CJ , "Chelating agents : R revi ewff -p-geg~ri9t-sof &bz
-___
Contributions t
o the Stockholm Conuress: Conservation
Archaeo l o x ~and
~ the ~ J - L c ~ &gig_, I l l , 1 9 7 7 : 2 2 9 - 2 3 4 .
I
a
8 , B-66 is the acryloid thermoplastic resin component in many of
t h e Krylon crystal c i e a r s p r a y products according to K r y l o n
Scientist, John Anderson(Fersona1 Communication, 2 3 9 3 ) . E'ormulat i o n of Krylon p r o d u c t s seen to n a v e varied over t h e y e a r s , f o r
example, Debra Dafy in her A . Investigation into Lfg use of
~
Severah
~ - - - Subslcanc-ecxs f o r W0d-q o f &xt i - r ~Pastel, Master's Thesis,
Queen's University Canada, 1 9 7 8 , states that Krylon was B-72
a c x o r d i n g to a Rohm h Haas 1961. geportc~xg(v, 1.9, # Z ) notice. Hut
Kohm & Haas sold components to 13orden for separate manufacturing
in the intervening years a n d R o h m & Haas scientist, '~'eresas i m s
told me that records were not available to t e l l . when the change
to 13-60 occurred. Rohm .& Fiaas Scientic;t P a u l Pierson noted t h a t
Borden s o l d Krylon in the 1 9 8 0 ' s and that much of the data on
K r y l o i t formulations were n o t at Hohx s: Waas or H c r d e n but t h a t he
couldn't recall. when 8 - 7 2 had been used, i.f ever.
B-hG is soluble in ketones, cR1oriinted h y d r o c a r m n s a n d
other organic solvents<MSDS, Kohm & H a a s ; ) . It is a copolymer of
metby! methacrylate a n d n-butyl methacrylate according to ~tohrn ti
Haas and the Canadian Conservation Institute Analytical Research
Services confirm this in their analysis cf K r y l o n C r y s t a l Clear
#L303(ARS l6lt
ARS tests of Krylon 1 3 0 3 in 1979 w e r e repeated
f o r KryLon 41':C.3 i n 198'/ and t h e c m p c n e n t s were f o u n d to be the
same(AKS 2651.2). While n-butyl methacrylate has a q x e a t e r tend-e n c y to cr3ss- [ i nk i n rasponse to carbon-arc fadeorneter expo.;ur-F?
than MMA(fellc~-,39S9/1985), t h e mix%ure apparently mitigates this
effect. I h,aT,,i> f o u n d N-6G soluble after 5 y e a r s on painte.3,
canvas test scrfaces and an works of art t h a t the a r t i s t s told me
W ~ S
KryPcan C r y : . t a l clear a n d had been a p p l i e d over :?(? ycar:;
prior. of course, 1 cannot t e l l i f the particular f o r m l a t i o n
w a s B-66 or n c t in r e t r o s p e c t .
Krylon p r o d u c t s a r e u s e d csmmorily
by artists as a fixative €or pastels and charcoals 3s well as on
paintings 2s i- tinal coating.
used icrylon Crystal c.:icar in tnis
c a s e as f3-66 j : , recommended f o r metals by Rchm & H a a s ( I 9 8 6 I n d u s tricrl Coating 'i'echnic:a4. k a f i e t ) . I n 3 recent s t u d y J a n e D o w n s ,
a scientist at the Canadian Conservaticn Institute, found tnat ~j-.
6 6 yellowed in i i g b t a g i n g i n a r e l a t i v e l y s m r t time, b u t thar-.
little change d a s n o t e d i n samples k e p t in t h e diirk(!!owns, Per(.
157
sans1 Commnicatian, 1993). Since iy application of Xrylon was
on the part of the artifact which will remain in the dark- and is
no longer in contact with the phctographic image or collage- we
night might assume little crosslinking or yellowing w i l l take
place in the coating on t h e metal plate,
-
Stephen P., "The: use of Paraloid B-72 as an adhesive:
its application for archaeological ceramics and other materialsn,
Studies
Conservation, 31, 1986:7-14,
9 . Koob,
10. Donnjthorne, Alan, V h e conservation of historical photographs at t h e British Museum",
PaDer Conservator, v. 12,
198%:72-9.
11, MOOX, Ian & Moor, Angela, "Physical conservation and restoratior, of photographsaa,T h e Paper Conservator, v. 12, 1988:86-92.
158
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