Danila Narcisi

This chromolithograph, owned by the Mander and Mitchenson Collection, advertises the pantomime “The Babes in the Wood” that took place at the Aldwych Theatre in 1915. Within the same collection I managed to find, with the help of Kristy Davies, Archives Officer, a program of the play confirming the year of the production.

The poster, designed by Arnold Mello and printed by Alf Cooke Ltd, measure 739 mm in height and 500,6 mm in width.

When I had the poster to be conserved it was entirely glued on a hardboard sheet, thick 1,70 µm. The colours were in quite good condition although they were slightly darkened by surface dirt. The paper was brittle, showing many small missing areas and several tears along the edges.  Some of the tears spanned from the edge to the centre. The brighter area at the top was more fragile and showed abrasions, acidic discoloration and tidelines.

The objectives of the conservation treatments were to:

1. Stabilise the degradation process, caused by both the type of paper (mechanical softwood pulp paper) and the acidic hardboard, a source of chemical deterioration, on which the poster is adhered.
2. Reinforce and support the poster by the means of an appropriate lining.
3. Improve the overall appearance by mending the tears and infilling the losses.

CONSERVATION TREATMENT

Treatment testing and analysis

The following tests and analysis were been carried out before the conservation treatment:

• pH test: the pH was measured in twelve points across the borders and the central area, using a pH meter “Kent EIL 7020”. The resulting values range from 4.2 (borders) to 4.6 (centre). The pH of the board, measured in six points, varies from 3,1 (borders) and 3,9 (centre)
• Starch test: negative to iodine solution
• Iron test: negative to hydrochloric acid + ammonium thiocynate
• Lignin test: negative to phloroglucinol
• Ink test: the resistance of the different inks was tested with a drop of distilled water and blotting paper. All the colours were not indicated as being fugitive in water
• Absorbency of the paper: the absorbency of the paper was tested using distilled water. A small drop of the liquid was applied with a brush and the length of time in which it sits on the substrate was observed. After 15 seconds the drop of water sat on the paper. After 30 seconds the drop of water started to be absorbed. The only area where the drop remained unabsorbed on the surface was in correspondence with the red colour. The application of water in the same spot was repeated four times and at the third application the water was absorbed more easily
• Fibre analysis: The fibres of the primary support, examined using an Olympus CX40 Compound Microscopy, were classified as softwood. There were traces of cotton fibre, but they could be an impurity or contaminant. Possibly some fragments of bast fibres such as linen were present. The fibres had very short lengths indicating that the paper was very degraded.

The paper thickness, measured using a Messmer micrometer, is in the region of 16 µm.

Discussion of the treatment

Surface cleaning: Dry cleaning was carried out with soft large Japanese Hake brushes.

Temporary repairs: before starting the backing removal all the tears were lined from the recto using Japanese Tengujo tissue (11 gsm) and wheat starch paste in the proportion of 10 grams of starch diluted in 200ml of water.

Backing removal: the hardboard was removed layer by layer, pared down in horizontal stripes, from left to right. The last layer was removed with the aid of some water, brushed on top of the board residue.

Washing: The poster was first relaxed for two hours in a cedar wood chamber, on a support of dampened capillary matting, roofing felt and bondina. After that, it was laid face up on a bondina sheet and then on the suction table, and it was sprayed with tap water using a Dahlia sprayer. At the beginning the water was not absorbed evenly, but after approximately ten minutes the entire surface was absorbing water. The washing was carried out for 30 minutes.

Lining: The poster was lined on Tengujo paper (11 gsm, pH 6.7) using wheat starch paste (10 grams of starch diluted in 200 ml of water, cooked for 30 minutes). Then, it was pressed between layers of bondina, blotters and board for 15 minutes. Finally, the blotters were changed and the poster pressed again for 30 minutes.

Once the poster was perfectly dried, all the repairs on the recto were removed on the vaacum table with the aid of a small brush without metal bindings and a little water.

Infilling of the losses: the missing area was infilled using the pulp infilling method (see: Buchanan Alan. 2008. A methodical Visual System to Create Matching Infills for Missing Areas in Works of Art on Paper by Dyeing Cotton Rag Papermaking Pulp Different Shades of Yellow, Red and Blue. The Quarterly, No. 65). After many trials, a colour matching the background of the areas to be infilled was selected using the colour chart in the 4% depths of shade. The combination of the dyed cotton Linters pulp was 5 Yellow, 1 Red and 4 Blue. The final colour match was then achieved darkening the infilling with a Windsor & Newton Lamp black watercolour, colour index name PBk7, PBk6. Index number 77266. Permanence rating: AA.

1. Close-up of a missing area
2. Swatches for colour matching
3. Selected colour
4. Missing area pulp-infilled
5. Infilling toned with watercolour (lamp black w & n)

Once completed all the treatments, the lining was trimmed to be the same size of the poster.

Treatment Evaluation

All the steps planned were followed without encountering any particular surprise: dry surface cleaning, temporary tear repairs, backing removal, washing, lining and infilling.

The board removal was expected to be challenging but, albeit time-consuming, it has been executed without any major problem. The board skinning was made easier by the identification of the hardboard grain direction.

On the contrary, the infilling was more difficult than expected. Finding the right colour match took a number of trials and several hours of work. The darker shades had a strong blue component and, as a result, the infilling was too evident in spite of the relatively small size of the areas. The solution of combining a lighter pulp shade (matching the background colour) with black watercolour used as dry retouching allowed me to complete the conservation treatment.

All the performed treatments are considered to be appropriate.

The poster is now in a more stable physical and chemical condition.