A collaborative doll storage project · outcomes, too: increased confidence, the development of...

THE MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTE OF CONSERVATION • SEPTEMBER 2015 • ISSUE 60

A collaborative doll storage project

Also in this issue

China celebrates conservation

Pennies present a problem

A Clore course commended

ICONnews SEPTEMBER COVER 2015_01234 03/09/2015 16:12

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Get ready – Icon’s 2016 Conference is coming up!

Turn and Face the Change:Conservation in the 21st Century Looking towards future trends in conservation and discussingcurrent challenges faced by the sector.

Call for Papers out now!

OctoberDeadline for Abstracts

NovemberBooking Opens

MayBooking Closes

Icon 2016June 15–17 2016Conference Aston,Birmingham

With events at Thinktank Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

ICONnews SEPTEMBER COVER 2015_01234 03/09/2015 16:12

inside SEPTEMBER 2015 Issue 60

2 NEWSFrom the Chief Executive,Board news, the new website,Group news, a Cloreleadership course

11PEOPLE

15CELEBRATINGCONSERVATION An eye-opening trip to China

18AROUND AND ABOUTDolls, a hidden portrait and ashell grotto

23REVIEWSWorkshops from the Adaptand Evolve conference;plastics, conservation inWales, archaeologicalarchives, mountmaking,photographic conservation inScotland

33IN PRACTICEA surprise find points to futureproblems and the emergingconservator on separatingalbumen prints

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Institute of Conservation1.5, Lafone House, The Leathermarket, Weston StreetLondon SE1 3ER

T +44(0)20 3142 6799

[email protected]@icon.org.ukwww.icon.org.uk

Chief ExecutiveAlison Richmond [email protected]

Conservation Registerconservationregister@icon.org.ukwww.conservationregister.com

ISSN 1749-8988

Icon NewsEditorLynette [email protected]

Production designerMalcolm [email protected]

PrintersCalderstone Design & Print Limitedwww.calderstone.com

Design Rufus [email protected]

For recruitment and all otheradvertisingJulia Jablonska02031 426 [email protected]

Cover photo:After repacking: a project toimprove the storage of the dollcollection at The Bowes Museumhas just been completed ©TheBowes Museum. Article on page 18

Disclaimer:Whilst every effort is made to ensureaccuracy, the editors and Icon Boardof Trustees can accept noresponsibility for the contentexpressed in Icon News; it is solelythat of individual contributors

Deadlines: For the November 2015 issue

Editorial: 3 October

Adverts: 20 October

From the Editor If, like me, you tend to throw away thoseleaflets and enclosures that drop out ofmagazines without even looking at them,then please go directly to your recyclingbox and retrieve the enclosure with thisissue of Icon News. For it is our newMembership leaflet. We haven’t had one

for quite a while and we thought you would like to havea copy. Obviously, you are already a member in oneshape or form but you might know someone who couldbe a supporter or who ought to be an associate andhasn’t got round to it. So do pass it on and if you needmore copies, then contact the office.

With enough support we might one day get to the stateof national rejoicing in conservation described by JaneHenderson from her trip to China….(we can dream).And there are plenty of other stories to enjoy in thisissue, including a problem penny and delightful dolls;not to mention reports on a host of events: conservatorsare indefatigable in their CPD endeavours. And on thistopic, congratulations to the latest batch of ACRs!

Lynette Gill

ICON NEWS • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 1

Icon is registered as a Charity inEngland and Wales (Number1108380) and in Scotland (NumberSC039336) and is a CompanyLimited by Guarantee, (Number5201058)

IconNewsSEPTEMBER 2015 03/09/2015 16:27 Page 1

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From the Chief Executive

EVALUATING OURINTERNSHIPSCHEMEAlison Richmond ACR FIICon the outcome of a recentevaluation exercise The external evaluation ofIcon’s Training BursaryScheme, funded by theHeritage Lottery Fund andother funders, has given Icona great deal of very positivefeedback on the quality ofthe scheme and the impact ithas made on people’s lives.(Find it at icon.org.uk/what-is-conservation/internships)

The scheme met nearly all of its stated aims, but one remainselusive. To tackle it will require a concerted effort on the partof the whole cultural heritage sector.

Since 2006, the Scheme has provided one hundred and fortysix internships across the UK in public, private and civil-societyorganisations, covering a wide range of conservationdisciplines where training was either scarce or non-existent.The stated aims were to:

• Improve the quality of skills available to the heritage sectorby providing new entrants or existing staff with work-basedtraining opportunities

• Develop innovative, exemplar training schemes whichpromote diversity in the workforce

• Enable heritage organisations to work in partnership withother agencies; and

• Disseminate good practice.

The framework for interns to monitor their progress againstthe professional standards with the support of ACR advisors,the longer length of the internship (one year), and the ‘livingwage’ bursary enabled interns to develop into work-readyconservators and conservation scientists. The supportprovided by Icon to recruit, induct, and monitor progressthroughout and, at the end, to evaluate the internship wasrated highly.

The majority of interns felt that the internship was a key factorin developing skills and in getting a job. But there were otheroutcomes, too: increased confidence, the development ofprofessional networks and further opportunities to learn werecited by over 90%.

With a high retention rate of 98% across the scheme as awhole, we now have a generation of conservators, embeddedin the profession, who have experienced this high quality ofwork-based learning, are heading towards accreditationthemselves and are taking on their own interns. We still have

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professional updatea long list of employers wishing to take on an intern in thefuture and Icon is set up and ready to help them to find thefunding to do so.

DiversityI said that our scheme had achieved nearly all of its aims, butone still eludes us: can internships help to increase thediversity of our sector to be more representative of thedemographics of our society as a whole? Our scheme wasnotable for allocating half of internships to new entrants withtransferrable skills and it was anticipated that this would helpus reach more people who would not normally consider anacademic training route to conservation. In the end, 41% ofinterns did not hold an academic qualification in conservationbefore starting their placement, but only a few applicationscame from people from black, Asian and minority ethnic(BAME) backgrounds or with a declared disability.

Reflecting on this with our funder, we were reassured to learnthat we are not alone in finding this a big challenge; it is anissue across the cultural heritage sector but for conservation itcould be even harder. Our Conservation Labour MarketIntelligence Research 2012–13 (see icon.org.uk/what-is-conservation/ncess) tells us that, with black and minorityethnicities forming only 3% of the conservation workforce, ourprofession is far less diverse than the UK workforce as a whole(13%) and less diverse even than the wider cultural heritageworkforce (7%). Disabled people were similarly under-represented in conservation, forming 2% of the workforcecompared with 15% in the UK working age population.

Success has been achieved in cultural heritage. Notableexamples are:

• National Museums Liverpool’s Diversity Strategy and ActionPlan(www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/about/corporate/policies/equality-diversity-policy-NML.pdf)

• Museums Association’s Diversify Programme(www.museumsassociation.org/download?id=955792)

• Cultural Corporation’s Strengthening Our Common Life bynurturing heritage skills (www.culturalco-operation.org/pages/socl)

What they all have in common is positive action. We need tolearn lessons from these models for our sector.

Currently, there are a number of volunteering in conservationprojects underway that engage people previously excludedfrom education and employment opportunities, to work withprofessional conservators, gain confidence and learn newskills - many of them transferrable – that lead to real jobs andjob satisfaction. The Level 3 Conservation TechnicianQualification is another entry route into conservation forpeople already in employment and this can be offered as partof the non-graduate internship package. Right now Icon istaking part with other professions in developing theApprenticeship Trailblazer for an Historic EnvironmentPractitioner. There are quite a few entry-level opportunities inconservation, what we need more of are opportunities for



learning and employment that allow for people to developand move all the way to the top.

Icon will need to decide whether to embrace the challenge ofincreasing diversity or let conservation’s poor record ondiversity stand. If the answer is ‘yes’ to the first, we will not beable to do this alone, but will need to work with biggerpartners to make a difference.

ICON CHAIR APPOINTMENT

Icon has a new Chair!Icon had just completed a successful recruitment process ledby Iain Boyd, Chair of the Nominations Committee. Finding

the right person to take overthe Chair was never going tobe easy, but Icon Trusteesrose to the challenge ofeliciting applications frominside and outside theprofession and manyconversations were held withpotential candidates. In July,four excellent applicationswere submitted and all thecandidates were interviewedby the NominationsCommittee with AlisonRichmond observing. Thepreferred candidate wasrecommended to andunanimously accepted by the

Board of Trustees

Our new Chair is Siobhan Stevenson ACR. Siobhan has beenHead of Collections Care National Museums Northern Irelandsince 2008. Members will know Siobhan as a Trustee of Iconfor five years until she stepped down from the role lastDecember. She has also chaired the Professional Standardsand Development Committee for two years (2013–2014) andwas the Trustee-lead on the Positive Futures Conference 2013.

Siobhan is an energetic leader, a powerful advocate forconservation and for Icon. We are very fortunate that this rolecomes at an ideal time in her professional career. As Siobhanhas recently served as a Trustee, she will not be taking up herChair role until the December AGM. In the meantime,Caroline Peach and Nigel Dacre will work closely with her toensure a smooth transition.

Siobhan told Icon News: ‘I feel privileged to be selected asthe new Icon Chair. Icon is in great shape to take on some ofthe challenges that will be facing the profession across thenext few years. I look forward to working with the Board, ourmembers and stakeholders to build Icon and to strengthenthe provision and awareness of conservation.’

ICON’S NEW WEBSITE

A successful launch!After five months’ intensive work involving most of Icon’s staff,some trustees and many of our volunteers, the new site wentlive on 4 August. This is the first significant change inwww.icon.org.uk since it was first introduced ten years ago. Ifyou have not visited it yet, please do so and you will see ahuge change to an image-rich, easy to navigate site with agreat deal more capability.

The site is now divided into two main areas. The home pageis intended to reach out to the general public and all thosewho may have some interest in conservation in a way that theold site did not. Here can be found all the news aboutconservation, our events (nearly all open to non-memberstoo), our useful Caring for your Collection leaflets (which areat http://icon.org.uk/what-is-conservation/caring-your-collection) and general information about ProfessionalDevelopment.

Members have been sent new passwords to access theMembers’ area which is focused on their needs, on-lineaccess to the latest issues of our Journal and Icon News, easyways of changing their contact information, renewingsubscriptions and so on. The architecture of the new sitemakes it easy for our Digital Content Officer Katie Allen tomanage it and also for us to add new features over thecoming years.

The website has been designed and managed byhttp://kolabdigital.com/ who are based in Poole, Dorset andconstructed by their team in Opole in Poland. We have beendelighted with their approach and the results they haveachieved.

YOU COULD BECOME AN ICON TRUSTEEWe will soon be inviting you to put your name forward tobecome a trustee of Icon. The Trustees have overallresponsibility for the charity, set its strategy and detailedpolicy, approve the budget each year, report to the membersannually and supervise the management of the charitythrough the Chief Executive.

Goodbye and thank youIcon would also like to thank Brian Holden of NoovoCreative, who designed and built Icon’s first websiteabout ten years ago and has managed it ever since. Overthe years he has dealt with many issues, apparentlyincluding sustained attacks from hackers in Kazakhstan inthe last year. A decade is a long time in the digital worldand we would like to thank Brian for all his support.

The designers of our new website from Kolab: Emma Logan, MartaKuśnierz and Nick Bain


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This may sound a bit dry but Ican assure you that Trustees’meetings are full of lively andsometimes passionatediscussion. Trustees careabout the profession but donot always agree on how bestto take it forward so eachvote on the board countsalthough it is not oftennecessary to vote formally.Trustees also sit on thevarious committees and taskgroups set up for specificpurposes and, when theyhave particular skills or

interests, they can advisemanagers.

There are four formal BoardMeetings a year, plus a planning day and the Annual GeneralMeeting. Meetings are usually held in London as it has beenfound that it is difficult to achieve a good turnout elsewhere.Trustees are not paid fees but may claim expenses fortravelling to meetings from anywhere in the UK. Trustees andstaff communicate extensively by email and some issues aredecided by that means, so you will need to have an emailaccount and computer access.

For the first time this year we are now using a new internetbased system for running our elections as well as issuing andcounting proxy forms for AGM voting. This is authorised byour new Articles of Association, approved by members lastDecember. The system is run by Mi-Voice who run electionsfor very large organisations and have done for some years.The reasons why we are switching to this new system are:

• By making voting easy we hope that many more memberswill vote. Typically, less than 10% of our members vote inelections and we hope to double that. In addition for thefirst year our Articles of Association allow Student Membersto be nominated as trustees and to vote. Being internetbased, you can submit nomination papers and vote athome, at work, on the train or on the beach - anywhere inthe world that has a connection. No paying for a stamp andgoing to a letterbox.

• Whilst we were always very careful about the integrity ofour elections, you can now have confidence in a respectedindependent organisation organising and counting yourvotes.

• Though we pay a fee for the service, there is a considerablesaving because we do not have any printing or postagecosts.

• A large amount of staff time will be saved and put to otheruses.

Paid up members will very soon get an email Request forNominations from Mi-Voice. Please do consider helping yourprofessional body in this way or perhaps you can suggestanother member that you respect. The on-line nominations

form will be easy to use and you will just need the support oftwo other members at this stage. Note that because Trusteescommunicate by email, nominations can only be dealt withelectronically.

In early November, all Accredited, Associate, Graduate andStudent Members will get another email inviting them to vote.Don’t get left out! If you don’t have an email address, write toMi-Voice, Democracy Technology Limited, Gamma House,Enterprise Road, Chilworth Park, Southampton, SO16 7NS,asking them to register you as an Icon member who has noemail address and they will send you voting papers by post.

Supporters; you don’t have to be left out either! Why notupgrade to Associate Membership and you will then be ableto stand for and/or vote in an election. It’s easy to do; just callor email the membership team at 0203 142 6799 [email protected].

Simon GreenBusiness Manager

CONSERVATION AWARDS UPDATEWhen you read this it will be less than a month away until thewinners of the 2015 Icon Conservation Awards areannounced.

At the time of writing the judging for all of the awards has justbeen completed. Both the quantity and quality of the fiftynine applications were encouraging and when the screeningpanels set to work they found the job of selecting theshortlists (a maximum of four projects) very challengingindeed. The judges had their work cut out for them to choosea winner from amongst these high calibre shortlists.

We are grateful to all of the screening panels and judges whoparticipated, giving their time and expertise to ensure that theAwards showcase the very best of conservation and scientificpractice. Our thanks also go to all of applicants.

Good luck to the shortlisted projects! The winners will beannounced at the Awards ceremony in London on 22 October.

You will find the shortlisted projects for all six awards on theAwards website (www.conservationawards.org.uk).

Watch out, too, for stories from the shortlisted projectsfeatured on the Icon website (www.icon.org.uk).

THE 2016 CONFERENCE COMMITTEEIcon’s forthcoming triennial conference continues to gatherforce and the conference committee is hard at work behindthe scenes. Turn and Face the Change: Conservation in the21st Century will discuss challenges facing the sector andexplore the ways conservators are adapting to current andfuture trends.

Birmingham is the setting for this next conference, andnaturally the Conference Committee has very strong localrepresentation on the ground – thanks in no small part to thesupport of the Birmingham Museums Trust. Taking the Chairis Deborah Cane ACR, Collections Care Manager at theTrust. ‘I’ve been involved with Icon through the Ethnography

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Group and subsequently the Metals Group, and haveattended numerous Icon conferences,’ she says. ‘I’m lookingforward to facilitating debate and dissemination of the greatwork our profession undertakes’.

The Birmingham team is rounded out by Jane ThompsonWebb ACR, Birmingham’s Conservation Team Leader andalso Chair of Icon’s Care of Collections Group; and PietaGreaves ACR, Conservation Co-Ordinator for theStaffordshire Hoard. As Deborah explains, ‘The conservationteam in Birmingham didn’t want to miss the opportunity tohost the conference and we are delighted to be involved.’

Sharon Robinson, Collection Care Manager at the Museumof London, is chairing the submission panel. ‘I’ve been anactive member of the Metals Group committee for the lasttwenty-five years,’ she explains. ‘It’s so exciting to be chairingthe submissions panel. I can’t wait to see how our membersrespond to the conference themes – it’s set to be a verydynamic and engaging event.’ Also on the submissions panelis Louise Lawson, Conservation Manager for Sculpture andTime-Based Media at Tate Britain.

The conference team is supported by Julia Jablonska, Icon’snew Administration Officer. Julia has only been with the teama short while but has been enthusiastic to get stuck in – withher sights firmly set on the Fine Art Conservation course sheintends to start in September 2016, thanks to herunconditional offer from Northumbria University. ‘Although Ionly recently took up my post at Icon it has already proven tobe incredibly educational, broadening my appreciation ofhow many individuals with different skill sets contribute to thefield. I’m very excited about meeting more conservationprofessionals from different backgrounds, institutions andspecialisms.’

If you have yet to submit your abstract for consideration,there’s still time – but not much! Deadline for abstracts iscoming up soon in October, while booking will open thefollowing month.

Michael NellesMembership Manager

THE JUNE BAKER TRUST AWARDSThe June Baker Trust is pleased to announce the awards thatit has been able to give out this year as part of its ‘Awards forConservators in Scotland’ grants:

• Carrie Farnell £200 towards the cost of attending the ARAconference in Dublin

• Elzbieta Gorska-Wiklo £300 towards the cost of attending athree day course at West Dean on PhotographConservation.

• Emmanuelle Largeteau £200 towards the cost of attendingthe ARA conference in Dublin

• Simone Parker £300 towards the cost of a student summerplacement at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne,Australia

• Christy Reeve £100 towards the cost of attending a courseon 19th century stitch straw hat making, in Fife

The Nigel Williams Prize 2016Have you recently (or within the last three years)completed a piece of conservation/restoration work inceramics, glass, or some related material that might alsobe of interest to others in the profession?

Did it present some interesting challenges, technicallyand/or ethically, requiring perhaps some lateralthinking?

Would the project fit the Applications Criteria on the Iconweb-site?

If the answers to the above are generally YES, then whynot apply for the 2016 Nigel Williams Prize!

The bi-annual Prize, now divided into 3 categories, is theresult of the collaboration between Nigel Williams’family and the Icon Glass and Ceramics Group. It wascreated to serve both as a memorial to Nigel’s work andto encourage continuing high standards at all levelswithin the profession.

The Main Prize: The Winner receives £1000, togetherwith a “virtual” presentation of a gilded ceramic copy ofthe Portland Vase (kindly donated by Wedgwood andkept at the Museum).

The Secondary Prize: entirely at the judges’ discretion, aSecondary Prize of £400 may be awarded to anyapplicant considered to be a close runner-up.

The Student Prize: Applications in this section musthave been completed while the applicant was still in full-time or further education. The winner receives £250.

Application Criteria: See under: Groups/ Ceramics andGlass/Nigel Williams Prize: www.icon.org.uk

Application Deadline 31 March 2016


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result of our long experience with historic bookbindings, buthas been greatly assisted by contributions from aninternational group of bookbinding experts and bookconservators. This work was made possible by a NetworkingGrant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK.

The thesaurus is constructed around concepts (such asdifferent bookbinding components, features, materials ortechniques) that can be expressed by a number of languageterms (labels). The thesaurus allows one concept to havemore than one label, which allows the same concept to besearched for by the different terms that may have been usedhistorically to describe it. It will also allow the concepts to beexpressed in different languages.

The Language of Bindings thesaurus can be used as areference online resource that can be searched by keyword oralphabetically. The concepts contained in the thesaurus are,however, also arranged hierarchically, based on a class/sub-class relationship, which allows concepts to be retrieved bynavigating down the hierarchies even if their label (the term) isnot known.

It is hoped that the thesaurus will enable all those who workwith books in early bindings to arrive at more consistentdescriptions of those bindings. By being based primarily onsingle concepts, it has tried to avoid the more familiar butsometimes frustratingly imprecise language that has oftenbeen used in the past. This means that some of these familiarterms will not be found as labels, though they may be referredto in the scope notes that define and describe the concepts(and can therefore be found by a simple keyword search).

At the moment, the thesaurus contains labels primarily inEnglish but work on its translation has already started, andplans for the addition of illustrations are also underway. Thethesaurus can, in addition, be used as a look-up service forsoftware applications that need to populate schema fieldsfrom thesauri.

An accompanying volume, Coming to Terms: guidelines forthe description of historical bindings, which is based on theterms in the thesaurus, is to be published in the autumn.

The success of the thesaurus will to a large extent depend oncontributions made to it by its users, either to add moreconcepts, refine existing scope notes or correct mistakes.Such contributions to the thesaurus will be welcomed, andcan be made online following a registration process.

The thesaurus can be accessed at:http://www.ligatus.org.uk/lob

• Geraldine Sim Guanyu £300 towards the cost of a trip toShetland Museum and Archives as part of an MPhil study ofarchaeological textiles in their collection

• Sophie Woehrling £350 towards the cost of attending athree day gilding course in West Lothian

The June Baker Trust was set up in 1990 to help individualsworking or training in the conservation of historic and artisticartefacts in Scotland. The Trust offers two different annualawards. The ‘Awards for Conservators in Scotland’ are to helpwith CPD activities, equipment purchase or other suitableprojects for conservators with a strong Scottish connection.These awards are made annually in June.

The Trust currently also offers ‘Grants for emerging conservatorsin Scotland’, for conservators who have graduated from aconservation training course within the past three years. Thenext deadline for this grant is 31 January 2016.

NMCT GRANT DEADLINEThe next deadline for applying for grants from the NationalManuscripts Conservation Trust is 1 October 2015. Thedeadline thereafter is 1 April 2016. Grant applications must bemade on the NMCT form, which can be downloaded from thewebsite (nmct.co.uk), where lots of helpful information can befound, including FAQs and past grants and case studies

The Trust, which was founded in 1990, helps to preserveimportant manuscript and archive collections by awardinggrants for their conservation. Between 2010 and the end of2014 grant were awarded totalling £700,000 to a diverse rangeof conservation projects from cinema plans to the papers ofthe first Duke of Wellington, the archive of an ironworks, a12thC Bible and rare Cornish language manuscripts.

Thanks to their successful fundraising efforts, the Trusteeswould like to increase the number and range of applicationsreceived, and are also particularly interested to haveproposals from record offices, libraries, archives and museumsthat have not received their support in the past. So if youthink you have an excellent conservation project, the NMCT iskeen to hear from you!

THE LANGUAGE OF BINDINGS THESAURUSLigatus is proud to announce the launch of the Language ofBindings online thesaurus of bookbinding terms, which wascelebrated with a one-day event in the Chelsea College ofArts (University of the Arts London) in collaboration with CERL

(the Consortium of EuropeanResearch Libraries) on 23 June,2015.

Ligatus is a research centre ofthe University of the ArtsLondon with projects inlibraries and archives and witha particular interest in historicbookbinding. The Languageof Bindings thesaurus is the

Prof. Nicholas Pickwoad discussing features of binding structuresduring the launch of the Language of Bindings Thesaurus



YOU KNOW WHEN YOU’VE BEEN CLORED!A conservator’s experience of the Clore Leadership shortcourse by Lorraine Finch ACR

IntroductionFrom June 1 to 12 this year I was fortunate to be one oftwenty five participants on a Clore Leadership short course,held at Linden Hall in Northumberland. Offered as part of aprogramme of courses by the Clore Leadership Programme,it’s a two-week residential course providing intensive trainingin the essential knowledge and skills required by the culturalleaders of today.

The Clore Duffield Foundation was established in 2000 byDame Vivien Duffield. It was her inspirational idea which ledto the creation of the Clore Leadership Programme in 2004,with the aim being to help develop a generation ofexceptional cultural leaders. The Programme is the UK’s firstcross-disciplinary leadership programme for the cultural andcreative sector.

ParticipantsThe participants on the course were very well chosen. Ourskills and backgrounds complemented one another’s very well.The participants spanned the cultural and creative sector.They included people from museums; libraries; archives;dance; theatre; music; television; film; visual arts and digitalarts. They came from charities; national institutions; privatesector; freelance; not for profit; for profit and local councils.

ContentThe course covered Leadership Styles; How We Learn;Counter-Strategies in Creativity; Authentic Leadership;Governance; Enabling Personal, Team and OrganisationalChange; Coaching Skills; Media Training and Leadersmithing.

These subjects all seem a little dry. They also all seem to beabout management, and could be found in mostmanagement textbooks. You would be forgiven after readingthem, if you thought that the course was about developingmanagement skills. Far from it! The course is not about howto lead but how you lead. It’s about your personaldevelopment. It is the part of your journey as a leader. Itenables you to examine your leadership style, how that styleimpacts on those around you, how you communicate andwhat skills you already have. It certainly helps you to gaininsight into your relationships at work, and why some of thosemay be easy and others very difficult.

My motivationFor those of you thinking that a leadership course is of norelevance to you because you don’t lead a team or becauseyou work on your own, neither do I. I went on the coursebecause I wanted to develop my leadership skills in order tobecome a better advocate for conservation and theconservation profession, especially in spreading the messageof conservation to excluded audiences. The Clore Leadershipshort course will help you to develop your leadership skills tobecome a leader within the profession, within your institutionor within your specialism.

The difference it has madeIt is very difficult to explain how deeply and fundamentally thecourse affected me. At times it was surprisingly emotional. Ithas changed me for the long -term, in both obvious andsubtle ways. It has increased my confidence and self-belief. Ithas helped me realise that I have the abilities and skills tolead, and that during my twenty two years in conservation Ihave learnt quite a lot. It has also made me think about how Iinteract with others and the effects that my actions, speechand behaviour have on them. It has allowed me to make timefor myself and to make sure that I take care of myself. Many ofthe effects of the Clore short course will take time to permeatethrough me. It is a slow process of change and growth.

A very immediate benefit of the course is the networking. Ihave met professionals from areas outside my specialism, ascourse participants and as course lecturers. Those contactswill last a lifetime. I am also now a member of the Clorealumni. My relationship with the Clore Leadership Programmeand the support and knowledge that they provide willcontinue to sustain me and nourish my development.

ConclusionParticipating in the Clore Leadership short course was anamazing experience. It was truly transformational. It haschanged my practice as a professional. It has inspired me topursue my aims. It has caused a profound personal change. Iencourage you to apply for a course.

For further information see: http://www.cloreleadership.org

Linden Hall, where the course was held

School’s out! Relaxing just after the course finished

If you would like to speak to me about the course, pleasefeel free to contact me:Lorraine FinchEmail: [email protected]: www.lfcp.co.ukFacebook: www.facebook.com/LFCandPTwitter: @conserve_lfcp

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Liz Ralph, a Special Projects Officer has accepted theindependent conservators portfolio as her speciality within theBook & Paper Group Committee. It was felt that the interestsof independents were not fully represented within thecommittee. Liz, who is an independent conservator herself,will give voice to independent conservators and theirparticular requirements.

We are always on the lookout for CTR volunteers to help onthe CTR sub-committee, so please volunteer - spare handsare always welcome! You can join for a short time if you wish,and should contact the CTR chair Francoise Richard for a chatif you are interested at [email protected].

I will attend the next Group Chairs meeting on 23 September2015. This is where the chairs of each of the Groups meet anddiscuss all manner of subjects, from what constitutes an IconGroup to looking into whether guidelines for volunteersshould be issued. Should anyone wish to raise any point tobring to the notice of Icon via the Group Chairs group, orindeed any other matter, please get in touch with me [email protected].

I hope you have all had a great summer, and come backrefreshed for a new round of conservation!

Isabelle Egan (Independent Conservator) Group Chair

Book and Paper Group CTR newsThe CTR is preparing a rich and varied program of workshopsand talks, and you can already save the following dates inOctober and November 2015.

After two successful sessions on cyanotype photographicprocess held earlier this year, Fiona McLees is organising anew event in collaboration with Lux Darkroom on salt printing.This one-day workshop is scheduled for October 12.

Sylvia Sumira, ACR will be sharing her exceptional expertisewith a lecture on the conservation of globes. Sylvia has carriedout work on globes belonging to universities, museums,libraries and private owners in the UK and abroad. Paper,plaster, metal, and varnish are likely to be on the menu of herevening lecture on October 23.

British Library conservators Gayle Whitby and Zoe Miller willlead a workshop on iron gall ink, with a program coveringchemistry, history of treatments and case studies, as well aspractical demonstrations, including the implementation of thecalcium phytate treatment. The workshop will take place atthe British Library on November 10 and 11. The BritishLibrary will also host an evening event for a larger audiencewith presentations from Dr Paul Garside, ConservationScientist, Dr Christina Duffy, Imaging Scientist and GayleWhitby, Conservator.

Further details regarding each event will be published in duecourse through Iconnect.

Françoise Richard, ACR (Chair, Book & Paper CTR)[email protected]

NEWS FROM THE GROUPS

Archaeology Group Following our AGM in June, the Archaeology Group wouldlike to extend a warm welcome to newly elected committeemembers Mark Watson and Luciana Carvalho, and to HelenGaniaris, Helen Butler and Hazel Gardiner, due to be co-opted at our next committee meeting. We are delighted tohave elected a new chair from within the committee, EvelyneGodfrey, and wish her all the best in the role.

We would also like to thank our outgoing Secretary MagsFelter and outgoing Vice-Chair Claire Woodhead. Mags andClaire will both be remaining on the committee to representthe AG at Rescue and CIfA meetings.

The Archaeology Group current committee is as follows:Chair: Evelyne GodfreyTreasurer: Sarah Morton ACRSecretary: vacant Events: Mark Watson, Ellie Rowley-Conwy, Bronwen RobertsACRAdvocacy: Luciana CarvalhoProfessional development: Karla Graham ACRStudent Liaison: Alaina SchmisseurCommunications: vacant Publications: Angela MiddletonOrdinary members: Claire Woodhead ACR (Rescue), MagsFelter ACR (CIfA), Kathy Tubb ACR

If you would like to become involved with the ArchaeologyGroup committee, please contact us [email protected]

Book and Paper GroupHotfoot from a Book and Paper Group Committee meeting, Ican assure you things are moving apace with CTR, with manyexciting courses over the next few months. If anyone hasn’tattended one of the Photography workshops over at LuxDarkrooms, then do think about it. It is a great experience forthose - like me! - who struggle with understanding theprocesses and great for recognising and identifying thoseprocesses. The price is very reasonable and a worthy additionto your panoply of skills.

As I announced recently at our AGM, my two years as Chaircome to an end this December. If anyone wishes to considerstanding as Chair of the Book and Paper Group Committee,now is the time to make your presence known. The applicationform will be available online shortly, and the balloting processwill be advertised by Iconnect. The deadline for applications is31 October, so you have a while to ponder ‘shall I, shan’t I?’

The final profits of the Adapt and Evolve Conference are stillbeing calculated, but we are hopeful that some of the profitscan be redirected to benefit members. On this note, thecommittee is working on subsidising our CTR courses in orderto provide learning opportunities for conservators at a lowerprice. We have recently capped course prices and will bringyou more news on this soon.



Ceramics and Glass GroupAt the time of writing, we still have a few places remaining onour Colour Fills workshop, being held at the Wiltshire andSwindon History Centre on 14 November 2015. The workshophas proved to be very popular, so we hope to be able to holdit again in 2016.

I am also pleased to announce that the Ceramics and GlassGroup will be hosting a session entitled ‘Tales from theWorkbench’ at the Icon Conference and the Call for papershas just been released. If you have been involved in aninteresting ceramics or glass project over the past year,please do consider sending us your abstract.

Finally, planning is also underway for the 2016 AGM, whichwill be held in Brighton. This will also include the presentationof the 2016 Nigel Williams Prize, which there is still time toenter for!

For all details of forthcoming events, and how to apply for theNigel Williams Prize, please see the Ceramics and GlassGroup pages on the Icon website.

Rachel SharplesCeramics and Glass Group Chair

Gilding & Decorative Surfaces Group Celebrating our first twenty yearsOn 25 June, a hugely enjoyable ‘Free Festival’ celebrated twodecades of our Group. Back in 1995, a fledgling UKIC GildingSection held its first conference at the Museum of London.The section’s name and scope expanded into DecorativeSurfaces in 2003. Successful conferences and the stream ofevents have continued since becoming an Icon Group in2005. Our famous AGM has always been characterised by itsparty, an important part of business along with interestingtalks. It may be a few years since we enjoyed gilded canapés,however our Group has always had fun while working hard forour members’ various specialisms.

Festivalgoers gathered under Tom Proctor’s painted bannerto picnic in Lincoln’s Inn Fields after a morning of tremendousfree visits. Huge thanks are extended to the generosity of allthose who so kindly hosted visits during the morning andafternoon: the Palace of Westminster, National Gallery, St.Paul’s Cathedral, Sir John Soane’s Museum, National PortraitGallery, Guildhall Art Gallery, Hunterian Gallery, V&A, WallaceCollection, Natural History Museum, Courtauld Institute,Imperial War Museum, Foundling Museum and John Jones Ltd.

Fiona Hay, our Group Events Coordinator, worked extremelyhard to ensure that members enjoyed the day – words such as‘free, festival, drink & live band’ had all manner ofunconnected folk signing up on Eventbrite! It was particularlygood to see former Chairs and committee membersthroughout the day, and at the evening’s superb party,generously hosted by the City & Guilds of London Art Schoolwith its impressive conservation, historic carving and fine artdegree shows. Thank you to everyone who attended the visitsand events to make the Festival such a successful celebration.

At this year’s forthcoming AGM and party, Campbell Norman-Smith, Tom Proctor, Martin Body and I will stand down fromthe committee, having served two terms. An election on thenight will choose our new Chair, Secretary and two Ordinary

The sun shines on the righteous at the Free Festival party in thesculpture yard at City & Guilds of London Art School.

BOOK AND PAPER GROUPNew Chair needed from 2016Application deadline 31 OctoberThe Chair position of the Icon Book & Paper GroupCommittee will be available as of January 2016 when ourpresent Chair Isabelle Egan will step down after her twoyears’ tenure.

This is a unique occasion to make a difference. You will bea strategic thinker, a charismatic and pragmatic leader,with the know-how to steer the committee to achieve realoutcomes. This is a demanding position, which will requiretime and energy in exchange for rewarding results.

The Chair is the cornerstone of the committee. As such,candidates should have at least five years’ experience inbook and paper conservation and preferably beaccredited. You should have knowledge of the committeestructure and guidelines.

The committee meets approximately four times per yearfor a minimum of four hours. In addition work from home isrequired, with the amount depending on the time of yearand projects in progress. The Chair is also required toattend the regular Icon Group Chairs’ meetings. Travelexpenses for committee meetings are refundable.

We would like to encourage members from allgeographical areas to join us. If you are interested inapplying for this role please fill out the online applicationform (http://tinyurl.com/pkc8y3c). If you would like todiscuss or find out more about the position, please contactIsabelle Egan ([email protected]).


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members. Recent members on the committee have beencarrying on a fabulous job, creating enjoyable events servingthe wide interests of the group. Similarly, our committeemeetings have always aimed to be enjoyable. Please considerstanding for the new committee and share in its rewardingwork – or just keep coming to our events – I know I will.

We all hope to see you at our AGM – a November weekdayin London, to be announced – for another great evening, andto take part in the elections leading our G&DS group into itsnext two decades.

Gerry Alabone

Metals GroupThe Metals Group is pleased to announce that our autumnconference and AGM will be held in Cardiff this year:-

Metal in Motion:Conservation and Care of Kinetic Metal ObjectsAmgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, CardiffMonday 16 November 2015

Presentations will explore ethical and practical challengesrelated to the operation and maintenance of moving metalobjects. We envision that the subject will cover a vast range ofobjects including industrial machinery, sculptures, decorativearts objects, scientific instruments and clocks.

Possible themes include, but are not limited to:

• Ethical issues involved in running and maintaining dynamicobjects

• Challenges related to treatment and display

• Logistics of operating the objects

• Decision-making and institutional policies regardingmoving objects

• Conservation case studies

More information is to come, so please check the Iconwebsite or the Metals Group Facebook page. We hope to seeyou there!

Paintings GroupThe Paintings Group conference ‘Appearance and Reality:Examining Colour Change in Paintings’ will be held at TateBritain in London on Friday 9 October. Further detailsincluding booking information and a list of speakers andpapers can be found on the Icon website:http://icon.org.uk/events/appearance-and-realityThe ticket price includes lunch, tea/coffee and an eveningdrinks reception from 5:30–7:00pm in the Clore Gallery atTate. Two free drinks vouchers (wine or soft drinks) will beincluded in the delegate packs. Tickets prices are: Iconmembers £75; non-members £95; student members £45,student non-members £65.

We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any further queries please contact us at:[email protected]

Stone and Wall Paintings GroupThe Stone and Wall Painting Group Conference: FIREDEARTH –The Conservation of Architectural Terracotta willbe held on Thursday 8 October 9:30–17:00 at Oxford TownHall, Saint Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BX.

The programme will include: a history, structural issues,cleaning, replacement, Coade Stone, and case studies.

Please refer to the Icon events website for further details andthe eventbrite link to register. Please note that theregistration deadline is September 30. Cost: Icon Members:£55.00, Non-members: £75.00, Icon Student members: £25.00,Students (non-members): £35.00

Textile GroupIcon’s third triennial conference will be held in 2016. Turn andFace the Change: Conservation in the 21st Century willtake place from 15-17 June at Aston University ConferenceCentre in Birmingham. The Textile Group sessions will beheld on the afternoon of 16 June and the morning of 17 June.The call for papers is out and members are encouraged toconsider submitting a paper. Further details can be found onthe Icon website.

The committee has been considering ideas for a celebrationof the Group’s 25th anniversary, to take place in March 2016.The UKIC Textile Section was formally established at ameeting at the Museums and Galleries Commission inLondon on 11 February 1991. Any ideas you may have arewelcome. Look out for further details of the event later in theyear.

The Textile Group is planning events throughout the year.Look out for details on the website, Iconnects and onfacebook.

Finally, a big thank you to Susana Fajardo for arranging theGroup’s very successful, special visits to the Savage Beautyexhibition at the V&A.

ADDENDUM In the Around and About section of the last issue of IconNews (No. 59, pp 24/25 ) we published an article aboutthe conservation of Rochester Cathedral’s Vinegar Bible.We are happy to draw attention to the fact that the workwas carried out by Lara Meredith under contract to TheLeather Conservation Centre and with generousfinancial help from The Worshipful Company ofLeathersellers



Patrick Whife joins Icon asthe new Training andDevelopment Manager. Hewrites:

I am really delighted to bejoining Icon as the newTraining and DevelopmentManager.

Graduating from theUniversity of Manchester Ibegan my career working inurban regeneration and theevaluation of education &training programmes acrossthe UK and Europe. Isubsequently moved toKensington & ChelseaCollege where I led thegrowth and development ofthe Apprenticeship deliveryat the College. This saw meworking to secure highquality apprenticeshippositions for young peoplelooking to kick start theircareers in the CulturalHeritage Sector and theCreative Industries

I am delighted to becontinuing to work in theHeritage sector and amlooking forward to gettingmy teeth into the excitingProfessional Developmentwork at Icon.

Contact Patrick [email protected]

Julia Jablonska joins Icon asour new AdministrationOfficer. She writes:

I am an art history graduateaspiring to become an easelpainting conservator. I will beworking full time from Icon’sLondon office until the endof August 2016, and I hopethen to embark on a masterscourse in fine artconservation.

I will be helping thecommittee organise the 2016Icon conference, as well assupporting the rest of theteam in and out of Londonby carrying out administrativeand financial tasks. I havebeen following the work ofIcon for a while now and I amthrilled to have been givenan opportunity to become apart of the organisation atthis exciting time. I amparticularly keen on learningmore about Icon and thefield of heritageconservation, as well asmeeting likeminded peoplewho share my interests andvalues. I look forward tohearing from Icon membersand I hope to meet you soonat future events.

Julia can be contacted [email protected]

As we noted in the last IconNews, this year for the veryfirst time the annual PlowdenMedal was awarded to tworecipients. Nancy Bellreceived hers in June (see p 9of July’s issue) and at the endof August it was the turn ofSarah Staniforth.

A leader in the conservationprofession, Sarah is theformer Museums andCollections Director for theNational Trust and iscurrently President of theInternational Institute forConservation of Historic andArtistic Works (IIC). She wasthe architect of last year’snew internationally agreedenvironmental guidelines forcollections, which emphasisean holistic and achievableapproach to standards ofcare for exhibitions andstorage, encouragingsustainability and the use ofenergy efficient solutions.

With her CBE earlier this yearand now this recognition, thisis definitely something of anannus mirabilis for Sarah!

peopleAwards New Icon staff Departures

Janet Berry has been theEditor of the Journal of theInstitute of Conservationsince 2009.

She has recently beenappointed to the position ofHead of Conservation of theCathedral and ChurchBuildings Division,Archbishop’s Council, Churchof England, where she will bepromoting standards,developing funding streamsand training programmes forthe care of churches andcathedrals.

We are absolutely delightedfor Janet and at the sametime very sad to see her go.We are indebted to her forher excellent management ofthe Journal, making it theprestigious publication that itis today. She has worked veryclosely with the team at Iconand has put in an enormousamount of extra work overand above her strictlyeditorial role, firstly on theBoard Journal Task & FinishGroup and most recently ondeveloping the tender andrecruiting for a newpublisher. We wish her well inher new role and anticipatethat we will be working againtogether soon.

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Welcome to these new members New ACRS

Kat Cresser, ourMembership Officer, isleaving Icon after five yearsto train to become a special-effects makeup artist. Katjoined Icon as a temporarypart-time AdministrationAssistant in 2010 andsupported successivemembership managers in thehuge amount ofadministration workassociated with the annualmembership renewal cycle. Inrecent years she has beenresponsible for running theConservation Register,supporting the registeredpractices and helpingmembers of the public tofind what they are lookingfor. Throughout, she hasbeen a friendly voice on thephone for members andpublic alike. With a degree ingraphic design, Kat wasalways looking for ways todevelop her creative side,and this new move is just theticket. We wish her all thebest with her new career!

The Accreditation Committeeapproved the accreditationof the following conservator-restorers at their Julymeeting.

Congratulations to all thefollowing new ACRs!

Catt Baum Conservationmanagement, The NationalArchives

Christine BraybrookConservation of easelpaintings, Hamilton KerrInstitute

Jonathan Bridal Preventiveconservation, Historic RoyalPalaces

Simona Cenci Books andpaper/parchment basedmaterial, National Library ofScotland

Isabelle Egan Works of art onpaper, IndependentConservator

Nancy Georgi Stained glassconservation, The YorkGlaziers Trust

Richard Horton Conservationof industrial collections,Science Museum Group,London

Helen Mayor Paper andarchive conservation, TheNational Archives.

Patricia Smithen Conservationmanagement, Tate.

Keisuke SugiyamaConservation and mountingof East Asian paintings onpaper and silk, TohokuUniversity of Art & Design.

Jasmina Vuckovic Ceramics,Sarah Peek Limited.

Timothy Warrender Archives,London MetropolitanArchives.

We’d like to extend a verywarm welcome to all thosewho joined us this past Juneand July. We hope to seeyou at an event soon!

Michael AdamsSupporter

Annika AmundsonUniversity of GlasgowStudent

Laura AnanosStudent

Catherine AtkinsonStudent

Joanne BerzinsStudent

Hannah BiggsSupporter

Rosie BoltonWest Dean CollegeStudent

Katie BrewAssociate

Camilla BrivioAssociate

Lauren ButtleStudent

Giulia CampagnariStudent

Chiara ChilleStudent

Stewart ColquhounNational Trust ScotlandAssociate

Marta CotelliStudent

Samantha CribbStudent

Rebecca DavisonStudent

Karen DonaldsonSupporter

Tiffany EngStudent

Nicola EvansStudent

Mostyn GaleStudent

Irene GenovaSupporter

Caterina GoodhartAssociate

Daniel HanrahanAssociate

Gyril Grimsaeth HornStudent

Andrea HuttonAssociate

Julia JablonskaIcon Staff

Satcey Mei KellyStudent

Florian KirchertzLondon Stone ConservationAssociate

Mari KitamuraStudent

Maria LedinskayaUniversity of LincolnStudent

Coralie Llucia-How-ChoongAssociate

Karen Mailley-WattAssociate

Manuela MartinoUniversity of PalermoStudent

Christina MastoraNational Museum of WalesAssociate

Reiner MeindlAssociate

Lydia MesserschmidtAssociate

Clara Molina SanchezNicolas Boyes StoneConservationAssociate

Dana Mossman TepperArizona State University ArtMuseumAssociate

Sofia PascualStudent



In memoryJohn PeacockStudent

Emily PerdueStudent

Chiara PuglisiSupporter

Rachael PurseAssociate

Kari RaynerStudent

Maria Luisa ReginellaSupporter

Rebecca RosenAssociate

Ellie Rowley-ConwyRoyal ArmouriesAssociate

Tabea RudeStudent

Emma RussellAssociate

Vittoria SajevaAssociate

Sarah SandersPhoenix China RegistrationStudioAssociate

Mark SearleCity & Guilds of London ArtSchoolStudent

Stefan StrittmatterHalcyon Conservation LtdAssociate

James TaylorStudent

Kirsten WalshAssociate

Marta WaskoAssociate

Oliver WhitePlowden & Smith LtdAssociate

Janine WindlerErasmus Boekhandel BV

Kris ZykubekAssociate

Holly Philipa Marston6 June 1988 – 25 July 2015

It is with profound sadnessthat, on behalf of her family,the Yorkshire RegionalConservation Network andRotherham Heritage Services,we announce the sudden andunexpected loss of HollyMarston. Holly was the newlyappointed Conservator forRotherham Heritage Servicesbased at Clifton ParkMuseum.

Before being appointed atRotherham, Holly workedwith many museum servicesincluding her dreamplacement at the RoyalArmouries Museum in Leeds.She also worked with LeedsMuseums and Galleries,where she was the firstconservation trainee on theLeeds Museums andGalleries ACE (Arts CouncilEngland) programme inpartnership with RoyalArmouries. It was due to thesuccess and feedback fromHolly that anotherconservation traineeshipbetween both organisationscould be offered this yearwith additional elements.

Holly also worked with YorkArchaeological Trust. One ofthe projects she worked on

whilst with YAT was the Brigg‘Raft’, a late Bronze Age ferry.Holly was very proud of herinvolvement in this project.

Holly’s favourite museum wasBeamish Museum in Durhamwhere her family treasuresmemories of visiting with her.

Holly was a bright, talented,hardworking professional,passionate about her work asa museum conservator in aregional museum. In theshort period of time thatHolly was at Rotherham shemade substantial progress onthe development of theClifton Conservation TradedService as well as helping themuseum move forward withtheir preventive conservation.

Holly was a valued andinspirational member of thesmall conservation team. As amanager she was kind,encouraging and thoughtful.Thanks to Holly’s opennesstowards sharing ofknowledge and expertise theteam can continue her goodpractice ensuring that thecollections at the museumreceive the best care.

Staff ofRotherham MetropolitanBorough Council


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[email protected]

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Course leader: Yvonne Shashoua

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The profile of conservationin China

Icon’s conservation awards are underway and I am sure thewinners will remind us once again of the immense value ofconservation work to many and varied individuals andorganisations.

On a recent visit to China I got a chance to witness andparticipate in a celebration of conservation of the culturalheritage that, honestly, blew my socks off.

Every year China has a national cultural heritage day and thatday is celebrated across the country. One site is chosen tohost and launch the day, in 2015 the honour fell to Dazu inChongqing province. Dazu is home to an amazing series ofBuddhist rock carvings some dating back to the 7th centuryAD which are being restored by a huge team of Chineseconservators. Alongside the restoration, analytical andimaging programmes, a museum has been developed whichdisplays smaller and more portable elements of the rockcarvings and makes links between these carvings and othercave art along the silk route.

As well as the conservation one of the most impressiveaspects of the project was the way that conservators on theground and agencies like the Chinese Academy of CulturalHeritage (CACH) have managed to place the conservationwork front and centre of the developments.

The first sign I had of the importance of not only the carvingsbut also of their conservation was the bill boards that Inoticed lining the road as we drove into Dazu (Fig. 1). I wasthere to speak about conservation training at a conference onthe conservation of stone cultural heritage, which was theacademic heart of the event, but I have never see a townthrow a welcome like that. The conference was part of asignificant group of events coordinated to lunch the culturalheritage day.

On the first day all the conference delegates were swept upthe road in a motorcade to the site of the rock carvings wherethe results of the conservation were to be launched. The

Jane Henderson of Cardiff University was thrilled by the celebration ofconservation which she encountered in China earlier this year

1. Billboards line the roads 3. The banner-lined route

2. T shirts proclaim conservation messages

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opening of the restored 1000-hand Buddha was shown to acrowd of observers on a massive screen with a countdownand film crews filming the countdown. When we got to seethe results they were dazzling. Following extensive recordingand research the conservation team had decided that the onlyoption was to restore lost elements and re-gild usingtraditional techniques and materials. Repairs were modelledbased on the manipulation of 3-D scans of surviving hands.

As I tried to take it all in, I was interviewed by one of the TVcrews there to capture the event.

We were then driven a short distance to the official launch ofthe national cultural heritage day. As we walked in a troopbehind our guide and flag we were passed by hordes ofschool children all wearing the event T- shirt, each one withthe slogan ‘conservation results shared by all’ written on theirback (Fig. 2). Once this celebration was completed we walkedalong a banner-lined route to the new museum (Fig. 3).Although the translation might be a little awkward, the keypoint is that each flag had a different message about the

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6. Point cloud data inspires the museum lighting scheme

4. Shumeng Dai holds one of the banners

5. The banners spread the word about conservation



importance to society of the conservation of cultural heritage(Figs. 4 & 5).

Once the museum was opened in a shower of ticker tape wewent inside. The very first gallery was inspired by the digitalimaging that had been conducted to record the site (3 Dmodelling) and to assist in the restoration. The lighting,inspired by point cloud data, looked beautiful in the entrancehall and was accompanied by a commentary that put theconservation of the site into context (Fig. 6). Amidst thegalleries was an entire set of displays linked to theconservation using a medical analogy to explain conservation.Many of the panels were bilingual Chinese English and evensome of those that were not would be fairly readable to mosttrained conservators (Figs. 7 & 8).

I was inspired by this visit. The conservators I met had many ofthe same concerns that we share: ‘why don’t they let me be incharge of the art handlers?’, ‘how to get salt out of thisobject?’ or ‘which do you think is the best tissue for this

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repair?’. Yet the profile and recognition of the value of culturalheritage, properly conserved, was off the scale compared toanything I have ever seen in my conservation travels. As ever,with cultural exchanges, there is a lot we can learn from eachother but I wanted to share this tale and these imagesbecause wherever we are working this surely inspires us tolook up, think big and ask for recognition. What we domatters.

Thanks to Cardiff University for supporting my trip toChina and to CACH for the invitation and welcome toboth the conference and their headquarters in Beijingand for their support during my travels in China.

7. A panel describes the causes of damage to the carvings The author addresses the conference

8. This panel in Chinese will be familiar to all conservators


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around and aboutCaring for dollsTaking care of stored collections is one of the most importanttasks for conservation staff in a regional museum like TheBowes Museum, County Durham. The Museum’s dollcollection was identified as a priority for re-storage. Thiscreated the perfect opportunity to collaborate withconservation students from Durham University and organise a

Dolls in their box before the repacking exercise started

The boxed dolls after repackingThe repacking project in full swing

The condition survey in progress

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short term volunteer project, which has been invaluableexperience for our professional development during ourcurrent Icon/HLF Textile Conservation internships.

The Museum’s doll collection is fairly sizable and includesdolls dating back to the 18th century.

There are currently one hundred and sixty four dolls instorage which range in size from 2cm to 90cm in length. They



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Discussing surface cleaning and insect debris. Emily Austin is on the left The working area for the doll project

The doll store before and after the repacking project

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are made from a range of materials, including wax, bisque,porcelain, plastic, rubber, paper, wood and composition.Some are in very poor condition and needed moreappropriate storage, so they can be preserved for as long aspossible. The plastic and rubber objects also needed to beisolated and allowed to off-gas, as some are activelydegrading.

Prior to re-packing, the storage was poor, using non-archivalcard and chipboard boxes. The packing materials wereyellowed and no longer acid-free. Many of the dolls had beenstored face-down, tightly packed and layered. The boxeswere not clearly labelled and the object number labels wereunclear and aged.

The project took place over three days in July 2015 and

involved ten first year Artefact Conservation students fromDurham University. We were able to manage the project in itsentirety, initially through correspondence with one of thecourse tutors, Vicky Garlick, and then by overseeing thepractical work.

During the three day project each doll was assessed,photographed, re-labelled, and re-packed in a labelled acidfree box and arranged by material type. The re-packing waskept simple to be able to complete the project in the allottedtime, using Plastazote® bases and tissue puffs as cushioning.Smaller dolls were stored in custom made Plastazote® trayswith Tyvek lined recesses.

Information from the condition survey was entered directlyonto an Excel spreadsheet which can now be used to get a


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The entrance chamber with the internal supports being installedbefore the conservation programme can begin

The grotto after clearance around it before the conservation work begins

better understanding of the overall condition of the collectionas well as identifying vulnerable objects, and those thatrequired custom-made packing.

The project ran smoothly, with work stations set up for thedifferent tasks. The students organised themselves androtated as necessary. One box was found to have live mothactivity but was dealt with quickly, by freezing the dolls’clothing and quarantining the mixed media dolls.

The collaborative project was a success, with the dollcollection now surveyed, stored appropriately, and accessiblefor curators and researchers. The students have hadexperience completing a team project within a museumenvironment and also learnt more about textiles as aconservation specialism.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the museumfor entrusting us with such an interesting project and also ahuge thank you to the Durham students for all their hard work.

Emily Austin & Maria Pardos MansillaIcon/HLF Textile Conservation Interns The Bowes Museum, County Durham.

A shortlisted AngelCongratulations to Sally Strachey Historic Conservation Ltd formaking the shortlist in the 2015 Historic England Angelsawards in the Best Craftsmanship category. By the time youget your copy of Icon News the winners will have beenannounced, but congratulations are due to the team in anyevent for the recognition of their work. The project inquestion – to repair the Shell Grotto at St Giles House inWimborne St Giles, Dorset – was very challenging bothtechnically and aesthetically due to its delicacy and ruinousstate.

The grotto was built 1746 –1753 with two principal and twoside chambers. The entrance chamber is encrusted with

minerals and crystals and the entire inner chamber is coveredwith shells and shell-covered branches. How to conserve thegrotto had been a concern for several generations and thegrotto was in an extremely fragile condition by 2011. Thestructure was engulfed in vegetation, smothered in ivy andwith trees growing from the walls; the roof structure wascollapsing, the floors were covered in a thick layer of fallenshells and other decoration and water penetration wasthreatening the whole structure.

Holding repairs to reduce further deterioration began in 2011and in 2013 Sally Strachey Historic Conservation wereappointed to undertake the rescue work: major work to thegrotto’s external fabric together with conservation of survivingshell and mineral decoration. Complicated and innovative



The inner chamber after conservation of the shell decoration

Work on reinstating the roofs nears completion

Work in progress to consolidate and reinstate theshell decoration and decorative branches

techniques were needed to stabilise and repair the roofs andwalls without precipitating the collapse of the structure andwithout disturbing the decoration.

With the structure saved the shells of the inner chamber couldbe consolidated or carefully reinstated using historicphotographs for accuracy.

Whatever the outcome of the competition the outcome of thework is clearly fantastic!


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Unfriending Cromwell?There is just time to catch a display at the National PortraitGallery before it closes on 19 October of a mysterysurrounding a portrait of civil war campaigner and staunchrepublican Sir Arthur Hesilrige. Recent investigation of theportrait of Sir Arthur, using the latest infra-red technology,revealed what appears to be a hidden portrait of theParliamentarian commander Oliver Cromwell underneath.

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Sir Arthur Hesilrige by Unknown artist,oil on canvas, circa 1650 NPG 6440

Oliver Cromwell by Robert Walker, oil on canvas, circa 1649 NPG 536

Notice is hereby given that the 11th Annual GeneralMeeting of the Institute of Conservation will be held onMonday 30 November 2015 at 5.00 p.m. at the St. Bride Foundation, Bride Lane, Fleet Street, London,EC4Y 8EQ, to consider the following business:

Ordinary Resolution 1: To receive the Trustees’ AnnualReport and Accounts for the year ending 31 March2015.

Ordinary Resolution 2: To authorise the Trustees toappoint the auditors to serve until the end of the nextAnnual General Meeting and to authorise the Trusteesto decide the remuneration to be paid to the auditors.

A member of the Institute of Conservation who isentitled to attend and vote at the meeting (being apaid up Accredited, Associate, Graduate or StudentMember) is entitled to appoint a proxy, who need notbe a member of the Institute of Conservation, toattend and vote instead of them. Proxy forms may be

appointed via the web portal or to the registered officeso long as they are received before 5.00 p.m. onThursday 26 November 2015. Those received later willnot be counted.

Proxy voting forms will become available later via ourelectronic voting system.

We will advise you of any changes or additions to theAgenda as soon as they become available.

Registration begins at 4.00p.m. and members areinvited to stay on after closure of business for a glass ofwine.

So that we can estimate numbers for catering pleaselet us know if you are planning to attend by sending anemail to [email protected]

Simon Green, Company Secretary1st September 2015

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The reasons for this change are obscure. Hesilrige appears tohave been a pretty fiery character, holding radical religiousand political views. So perhaps Hesilrige had Cromwell’sportrait repainted as one of himself when the two fell out overCromwell’s assumption of the role of Protector. Or perhapsthe artist was just re-using an old canvas that he had beenunable to sell. The display puts the Gallery’s portrait ofCromwell alongside that of Hesilrige and, for the first time,shows the infra-red image of the hidden portrait.

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reviewsVISITS

THE CONSERVATION OF PACIFICCOLLECTIONSIcon Ethnography GroupThe British Museum, 27 June 2015

This half-day tour was organized and led bythree conservators of the British Museum:Verena Kotonski (Specialist Conservator,Icon Ethnography Group Committee), Misa Tamura (Specialist Conservator, IconEthnography Group Committee), andMonique Pullan (Senior TextileConservator). All three had worked onconservation projects in preparation for twocomplementing exhibitions at the museum:Shifting pattern: Pacific barkcloth clothing (atthe British Museum until 6 December), andIndigenous Australia: enduring civilisation. The first session was a gallery talk byMonique at the Shifting pattern exhibition.Prior to the talk, the fifteen participantsintroduced themselves as a mixture ofconservators of paper, textile, or objects.This range of conservation fields reflectedthe unique characteristics and challenges ofbarkcloth clothing in a museum collection.Barkcloth and paper are both made fromplant materials but the manufacturingprocesses differ. Barkcloth clothing in thePacific regions is traditionally made and usedin the form of sheets, rather than cut inpatterns and sewn together to make a shirt,skirt or robe. Nonetheless, barkcloth isindeed worn as a garment, wrapped ordraped around the wearer’s body. Moniquedrew attention to the fact that the barkclothson display are accompanied withphotographs so that their use can beunderstood without compromising theirfragile condition. The talk highlighted thatbarkcloth conservation was a collaborationbetween conservators and curators as well asthe source communities. Monique pointed out how the condition ofthe barkcloths, in addition to obvious dust,dirt, and soiling, has deteriorated over time.First, the degradation of some pigments hasaccelerated the deterioration of thebarkcloth. The barkcloths were oftendecorated, using paint and/or dye, with thesource communities’ ancestral symbols.Second, some barkcloths were cut forsampling and the pieces were not always inthe same physical condition, making itdifficult to reconnect them. Third, somebarkcloths had deep creases because theyhad been folded or rolled for storage due totheir large size. Monique described thecareful planning and execution of thetreatments that were required to improvethe stability of these vulnerable cloths, whichalso included the development of newtreatment options such as filling areas of lossusing Kozo fibre pulp. Acknowledging thesechallenges, the participants enthusiasticallyasked questions about future storage plans

two hundred and forty four costumes andaccessories on the different mannequintypes selected for each room setting. An example of one such challenge was thata majority of the Bonaveri mannequinsfavoured by the McQueen team were toobig for many of the garments included in theexhibition. Sarah described how, in order forthe costumes to fit, the chosen mannequinshad to be cut away until often only theoriginal head, hands, and legs remained.Senior Costume Mounter, Lara Flecker, thenhad the task of finding an appropriatematerial to fill in the gaps and thus stabiliseand strengthen the mannequins for display.Materials tested included buckram,fossshape, and formetal before a solutionwas found in combining varaform mesh withresin-impregnated medical bandages.This insight into Textile Conservation’sinvolvement with the exhibition continued aswe were accompanied on a long-awaitedlook around the exhibition by Sarah Glennand fellow V&A Textile Conservator SusanaFajardo.The first two rooms of the exhibition, whichare designed to look like the studios atCentral St Martins where McQueen trained,are new additions to when the show firstdebuted at the Metropolitan Museum of Artin 2011. They chart the beginnings ofMcQueen’s career as a fashion designerthrough a multisensory display: Mannequinsexhibiting McQueen’s early designs arestaged in front of a screening of runwayfootage while audio delivers snippets ofinterviews with McQueen speaking of hisinspiration working in London.‘The mannequins in these rooms’, explainedSarah, ‘are off-the-peg stockmansmannequins from Proportion London, whichhave a special cover that had to bedistressed. These were mounted in thestudio, marked up, undressed, and sent backto Proportion for distressing before returningto the conservation studio for final dressing’. This sounded fairly standard practice incomparison with the installation of the

after the exhibition, and about the creativeway to display barkcloths using magnetscovered with tinted Japanese tissue paper.The second session started with insightfulinformation about selected artefactsdisplayed in the Indigenous Australiaexhibition. Verena, Misa, and Monique eachselected a couple of examples to illustratetheir decision-making processes. Theydescribed how they considered both theobject’s physical condition as well as thesource community’s wishes while choosingconservation treatments. Their presentationsprovided the participants with incisive ideasabout how conservators address the issue ofan object’s cultural heritage in an exhibition,which stimulated many questions from theparticipants as they explored the exhibitionat their own pace. The two sessions complemented each otherand demonstrated the challenges andprivileges in conservation of ethnographicobjects. As a conservation student, the visitwas a great opportunity to see firsthand howconservation has contributed to the exhibitionsas well as to safeguard material cultures. Eri Ohara Anderson MSc studentConservation for Archaeology and Museums,UCL

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: Savage BeautyIcon Textile GroupV&A June 2015

At 8:30am on 9 June, Textile Groupmembers were invited to a privileged privateviewing of Alexander McQueen: SavageBeauty at the Victoria and Albert Museum.Early entry meant we had the exhibition toourselves, (which can be truly appreciatedupon returning during opening hours), andwere privy to museum staff carrying out themaintenance work required for the textileson open display in such a popular show.The visit began with an introduction to theexhibition by Sarah Glenn, Senior TextileConservator at the V&A, who discussed thechallenges involved with the mounting of

Monique Pullan, Senior Textile Conservator, giving a talk in the ‘Shifting patterns: Pacificbarkcloth clothing’ exhibition


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Learning new cleaning techniques from Richard Wolbers

oversized silver figures in the very last room,which display examples from McQueen’sfinal runway presentation; the vivid ‘Plato’sAtlantis’. This high-octane set, whichconcludes the show, has a similar layout tothe first room with mannequins staged infront of a large screen. This time, however, thefigures were made bespoke by a sculpturecompany rather than a mannequin maker.The elongated and alien like proportions ofthe mannequins as well as their fragile silversurface made transportation and installationchallenging.As you navigate the exhibition othercomplex installations become apparent andone marvels at the achievement of all thoseinvolved in setting up this definitiveretrospective. Not only are there differentmannequin types used throughout theexhibition but they are often mounted onmoving plinths and display costume composedof every unconventional material imaginable.A notable example of how the V&A’sexcellence in costume mounting andexhibition display does justice to McQueen’sinnovative designs can be seen in theCabinet of Curiosities installation; a floor toceiling space with more than one hundredand twenty two seminal pieces on display.With the rave reviews which the exhibitionhad received, it was hard not to have highexpectations when entering it for the firsttime. All expectations were surpassed,however, by the sheer ambition and scale ofthe show.Thank you to Sarah Glenn and SusanaFajardo for organising such an inspiring andinformative visit.Rosie Chamberlin Textile ConservatorPlowden and Smith Ltd

COURSES

NEW METHODS OF CLEANING PAINTEDSURFACESInternational Academic Projects London 13-17 July 2015

Attending one of Richard Wolbers’ ‘NewMethods of Cleaning Painted Surfaces’courses is something I have long wanted todo, and I was very grateful to receive

By changing the gelling agent, pH,conductivity and concentration, Richardshowed us how a few simple ingredientscould serve multiple purposes within a gelsystem to provide considered, safe andcontrolled cleaning methodologies for avariety of materials, including aged oil films,under-bound matte paints and acrylics. Theaddition of solvents, surfactants andenzymes within these systems under specificcircumstances, and the production of‘macro’ and ‘micro’ emulsions, was alsopractically explored, and thebenefits/downsides of these approachesdiscussed.With the main principles firmly embedded inour notes, if not yet fully in our heads,Richard went on to discuss in some detail hismore recent research on acrylic paint films,and how aqueous gel systems might beutilised even on this highly sensitive,problematic surface. The importance ofcorrosion inhibitors was also briefly touchedupon, in the context of aqueous cleaning(and undertaking other treatments such asconsolidation) on metal substrates.There was a good balance of lecture-basedteaching and hands-on practice, my onlycriticism being the slightly chaotic practicalafternoons where twenty keen participantssimultaneously rushed to use the limitedequipment in a small laboratory. By the endof the week I felt positive and moreinformed, albeit somewhat saturated withinformation, and have since had time toreflect on the lessons learnt. Whilst gels arecertainly not the answer to every cleaningproblem (and Richard would be the first tosuggest there are more efficient ways toremove a modern resin coating, for

Textile Group members at the Alexander McQueen exhibition

funding from the Icon Tru Vue ProfessionalDevelopment Fund to enable me to do this. Organised by International AcademicProjects, the five-day course is a very intensebut informative and practical approach tothe topic, covering everything from thechemistry of cleaning, right through tosuitable preservatives for natural gels andwhere to purchase materials and tools formaking specific preparations. My mainconcern, and that of several fellowparticipants I spoke to, was that my level ofunderstanding of chemistry might not beadequate to fully follow the course. However, Richard is one of a rare breed: aninspirational practitioner and excellentteacher, with time and patience for everylevel of question. The course goes farbeyond Wolbers’ ‘solvent gels’, in factcentering on six basic aqueous recipes,generally free of both solvent and surfactant(but with the addition of a chelating agent inmost cases, and triethanolamine in some),that can be utilised and adapted for a verywide range of aqueous and minimally-aqueous (‘dry-cleaning’) applications.



example), the course has provided me withsome extremely useful tools to assist withspecific situations, also introducing me tonew materials and techniques, and clarifyinga bit of ‘Wolbers folklore’ that I haveincorrectly assimilated over the years. Specifically, the course reiterated thecentrality of pH and conductivity to anyresponsible aqueous cleaning methodology,and introduced me to the wonderful worldof xanthan gum, velvesil plus and ‘D4’.Xanthan gum is a unique gelling agent thatcan work within a wide range of conditions.Whilst a polar gel, it is simultaneously able tohold a limited amount of non-polar material,i.e. a solvent, within ‘pockets’ in its structure.Velvesil Plus, a cross polymer silicone gel, iswhat might be described as its opposite,being a non-polar gel able to hold up to20% water, thus enabling water-sensitivematerials to also benefit from aqueouscleaning in a limited, controlled way.Perhaps the real star of the show, however,was cyclomethicone, or D4, a silicone solventable to clear Velvesil Plus gel residue from asurface but also, due to its extreme lowpolarity and ability to repel water, used as abarrier on and within a surface to preventingress of the gel systems without mobilisingdirt or leaving tide lines (and, equallyimpressively, behaving in an opposite wayon an acrylic film to reach embedded dirtparticles). I would highly recommend this course to anyconservator who would like to significantlydevelop their knowledge-base, and add totheir current tool-kit for approachingpotentially complex cleaning problems. Youmight even walk away with a free IAP mug!Alison Foster Westminster AbbeyLiaison Conservator for the Queen’s JubileeDiamond Galleries project.

WORKSHOPS

BACK TO BASICS: PlasticsIcon Textile GroupV&A, Tate and Museum of London 14–15 May 2015

Day One of this two-day workshop washosted by the V&A at the Clothworkers’Centre, Blythe House. Four conservatorsgave five talks over the course of the daydiscussing the history, treatment andresearch of this ubiquitous modern material. Dr Brenda Keneghan, V&A Scientist, gavean excellent overview of the type of plasticsthat can be found in museum collections andthe history of plastics across the 19th and20th century. The two talks also highlightedthe effect additives such as plasticisers, heatand light stabilisers have on the degradationof plastics as well as how to spot the signs ofplastic breakdown both visually and throughsmell. The issue of additional filler materialsadded to plastic and their effect on spot test

plastics and prepared us well for the behindthe scenes tours and further talks thefollowing day. Charlotte Ridley Conservation OfficerHorniman Museum and Gardens

The second day of the workshop moved usout and about to see the care of plastics inaction. A morning visit to the stores of Taterevealed the extent of plastics in theircollections and the way in which theirpreservation is managed. Plastics are mostlypresent in the sculpture collection and Tate’sConservation Manager Louise Law revealedthe approach to their conservation. Thisincludes a full condition assessment at thepoint of acquisition, the formulation and useof a vulnerable items list, and the monitoringof the condition and deterioration ofplastics. Tate is taking part in Nanorestart, athree year NMP21-European funded projectexploring the conservation of contemporaryart, and is also actively researching the longterm preservation of plastic materials in itscollections. Challenges to the ongoing preservation ofplastics in the collection include the size,scale and varied nature of the objects andtheir components. Storage can be a challengeas there is a requirement that the sculpturesare ‘loan ready’ in crates, so the lids are notplaced on top to allow plastic elements tooff-gas. The issue of when an item is nolonger viable to be displayed and kept in thecollection because of its state of degradationwas discussed as was object replicationwhich often involves dialogue with the artistswho created the original work of art.At the afternoon session at the Museum ofLondon, Abby Moore described theresearch she has undertaken into themuseum’s handbag and purse collection.Many of the bags contain plastic in theirconstruction and the signs of theirdeterioration are often very evident, so acondition survey was undertaken, whichincluded recording the number of differentplastics present in each object, theircondition, and the type and frequency of thedeterioration.One of the major aspects of the work was tocorrectly identify the types of plastic present.Working with UCL-Centre for SustainableHeritage, the museum has trialled the use ofSolid Phase Microextraction-GasChromatography/Mass Spectometry (SPME-GC/MS) as a non invasive method to identifythe volatile organic compound of theplastics. They have found it to be a reliableand more conclusive way of identifyingplastic type than FTIR and the informationthat has been discovered providescomprehensive knowledge about eachobject which has impacted the way in whichthis collection is being preserved.Both visits offered wonderful insights intothe way in which plastics in collections are

results was also noted. Brenda’s advice thatplastic identification should generally beundertaken using FTIR for specific resultswas a relief to conservators who have spenthours trying to get positive identificationsusing spot tests and had failed.Dr Cordelia Rogerson, Head ofConservation at the British Library, discussedthe assessment and conservation ofcontemporary jewellery collections madefrom plastic. This informative presentationdiscussed working with living artists and theissues surrounding the assessment ofchemical and mechanical deterioration,particularly in relation to surface damageand the effect it can have on the artist’sintent. Cordelia also brought her owncontemporary jewellery collection in forparticipants to handle and observe. Thispresentation, as well as raising questions asto how conservators assess plastic objects,was a brilliant introduction to contemporaryjewellery artists such as Adam Paxton andWendy-Sarah Pace. It also opened my eyesto the versatility of plastic as a medium formaking beautiful jewellery. Although the primary focus for the workshopwas on plastics in textile collections, ClareWard, Conservator at the British Museum,highlighted the issue of plastic deteriorationin ethnographic collections. Specific focuswas on slowing down the rate of decay ofcellulose nitrate and cellulose acetateobjects by using low oxygen environmentsand cold storage recommendations. Clarealso discussed the treatment of deterioratingpolyurethane ether (PUR) foam flowers on aBulgarian kukeri mask. A mixture of TinuvinB75 (an antioxidant) and Impranil DLV/1 (aconsolidant) dispersed in Isopropanol andwater can be applied with a nebulizer to PURfoam; this solution successfully acts as aphysical consolidant and as a chemicalstabilizer. Degraded polyurethane has alwaysappeared relatively untreatable to me, so itwas great to see that early intervention withthis consolidant can prolong its notoriouslyfinite life! Finally, Mark Kearney talked about hisresearch undertaken as an Icon HLF intern ofmodern materials at the V&A. His researchfollows on from work undertaken on the EUfunded POPART project (Preservation ofPlastic ARTefacts in Museum Collections),focusing on the repeatability of the testscreated on this project and whether they canbe replicated in the lab. His findingsincluded creating a more realistic dust forcleaning tests and fine-tuning the analyticaltechnique for measuring scratches and lossof gloss on the surfaces of plastic. Anotherproject undertaken by Mark was a time-lapserecording of decaying cellulose acetate bagsusing a raspberry pi computer and cameramodule – these videos are available forviewing on the V&A’s conservation blog. Overall, the workshop was an incrediblyinformative and enjoyable refresher on


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scanning and photographic copying andthen discussed how to decide which optionto use. For example, Daguerreotypes andAmbrotypes are highly reflective, so flatbedscanning is the best option. However, if theitem is cased and can’t be fully opened,photographic copying may be more suitable.Edward then discussed what resolution touse when capturing your image. Rather thangoing for the highest possible resolution, hesuggests that you should base yourresolution on what the end usage is. Edwardalso emphasised the need to calibrate yourmonitors and regularly back-up your files.Another top tip was to test the back-up filesregularly to ensure these had not beencorrupted. After lunch, we began the identification of19th century photographs. Withapproximately 1,500 known photographicprocesses, it would be impossible todescribe them all, so Rachel focused on thetwenty two most common types. She firstexplained the methodology when starting toidentify photographs and provided a handyflowchart which shows the identificationsteps. We then broke off into small groupsto put this into practice. Certainphotographs were fairly easy to identify suchas the daguerreotype, with its distinctivepolished and shiny surface. Others weremuch more difficult, such as the GelatinPrinting Out Paper Print and the Collodian

Printing Out Paper Print, which are virtuallyindistinguishable.Overall, the day was highly successful andproved to be of interest to conservators andnon-conservators alike. Due to the location ofthe workshops, heritage professionals fromsmaller institutions were able to attend andgain valuable insight into the conservationand preservation of photographs. Based onthe success of this event, the Icon ScotlandGroup plan to host a similar workshop seriesnext year on a different topic. Emily Hick Project ConservatorCentre for Research Collections, EdinburghUniversity

INTRODUCTION TO USING A PORTABLEXRF SPECTROMETERIcon Book & Paper Cooperative TrainingRegisterLondon May 2015

On Tuesday 19 May book conservatorAbigail Bainbridge presented an‘Introduction to using a portable x-rayfluorescence (XRF) spectrometer’ at the V&A.There were ten participants in both amorning and afternoon session. Participantsincluded V&A conservators from variousdisciplines, including paper and furniture, aswell as a number of conservators from otherinstitutions and in private practice.

monitored, researched and stored. We weregrateful to the Tate and the Museum ofLondon for sharing their experiences andbeing open about the challenges that theyencounter. The two visits excellentlycomplemented the talks that we had heardthe day before through the information thatthey provided and the discussions that tookplace, and they gave an opportunity to see avariety of objects and plastics in theirstorage environments. Sarah HowardFreelance conservation manager andconsultant

PHOTOGRAPHIC CONSERVATIONWORKSHOPSIcon Scotland Group et alJune/July 2015 at various venues

From 24 June to 2 July, a series ofworkshops on the conservation ofphotographs were hosted at Fort William,Brora, Aberdeen and St Andrews. Theworkshops were generously funded byMuseum Galleries Scotland in partnershipwith Icon Scotland, University of St Andrewsand the Scottish Society for the History ofPhotography. The events were aimed atpeople working with small to medium sizedphotograph collections. The workshops proved to be very popular,with approximately fifty participantsattending in total, representing thirty sevenheritage institutions in Scotland. Thesessions began with a brief introduction tothe birth of photography by RachelNordstrom, Photographic PreservationOfficer at St Andrews University. Rachelbegan by describing the first photographicprocesses (daguerreotype and calotype) andhighlighted the Scottish connection to thedevelopment of photography. Interestingly,a patent was applied to the calotype inEngland, but not Scotland. So early use ofthe calotype flourished in Scotland leadingto fantastic collections that documented lifein Scotland at that time. Next, Rachel discussed the care ofphotographic collections. She described theagents of deterioration that are applicable toall collections, such as temperature, relativehumidity and light, and emphasised theneed for good housekeeping. The benefitsof cool versus frozen storage was alsodiscussed. When handling photographs,nitrile gloves should always be worn. It canbe uncomfortable wearing these gloves for along period of time, so Rachel suggestedcutting off the fingers of the gloves and justwearing the finger parts. These nitrilefingertips will keep your hands cool and yourphotographs protected!Edward Martin then gave a talk on thedigitisation of photographic collections. Hebegan by describing the methods ofdigitisation such as flatbed scanning, film

Identifying 19thc photographs at one of the Scottish workshops



During the course of several hours, MsBainbridge explained how to use a hand-held Bruker Tracer Turbo XRF spectrometer,the basics of how this non-destructivesurface analysis technique works, and safetyfeatures of the portable unit. The unit thatwas used for the demonstration wasgenerously loaned by West Dean College.She began with an orientation of theinstrument while explaining how thespectrometer detects elements at least asheavy as sodium by emitting an x-ray beam.The beam excites electrons from the innerorbital shells of the atoms in the samplebeing analysed, causing them to leave theatom, while the detector measures theenergy lost from the sample as electronsmove to fill vacant shells around the nucleus.Each element has a unique energy‘signature’ during this process that isidentified by the associated software.Ms Bainbridge then demonstrated how thisworks. She began by analysing pigment on apaper sample. While the spectrometer waspointed at the object, a computer attachedto the machine generated a spectrum on thescreen. After about twenty seconds, the

peaks on the spectrum became static andthe x-ray was turned off. At this stage, withthe help of identifying software, the peakscould be identified, thus providing a betterunderstanding of the inorganic elementspresent in the sample and aiding in materialidentification. After the demonstration, Ms Bainbridgehelped the participants to conduct theanalysis themselves on samples they hadbrought to the session, allowing them tobecome familiar both with the instrumentand the associated software. Highlights inthe afternoon session included investigationsof an old school book, analysing colouredpaper, and looking at metals and pigmentedresins on furniture.During the course of the session MsBainbridge made the technique, instrumentand software all very accessible. The courseprovided participants with a basicunderstanding of the technique and theability to use the equipment and generateuseable spectra. The training also enabledparticipants to interpret and understand theXRF data presented in articles andconference papers with more confidence. Dana Melchar Senior FurnitureConservator, V&A

CONFERENCES

ANNUAL SYMPOSIUMIcon Furniture and Wood Group London 15 May 2015

The inaugural Furniture and Wood GroupSymposium promised an afternoon ofinteresting presentations on a diverse rangeof topics, kicking off with a warm welcomespeech by the principal organiser, TristramBainbridge. The first presentation, by Chloe Head andChristina Young, set the tone for the nextfew hours with a thoroughly informative talkon their rigorous experimentation with filling

materials in conjunction with the treatmentof ‘The Virgin and Child’, a painting byGerino da Pistoia. Their successfulidentification of a suitable filling material(Balsite®, a two-component epoxy-basedputty) for their project, is encouraging newsfor conservators working on woodworm-damaged panel paintings. Alex Owen then shared his findings on theeffect of alcohol on the strength of animalglues. His research stemmed from treatmenthe was conducting on detached shell inlay,when he realised that there was often a voidbehind the shell where the deer collagenglue had once existed. Alex’s well-considered preliminary research shows thatalcohol lowers the strength of collagenglues, and that its effect is related to themolecular weight of glues. Following Alex, Hugh Harrison embarkedon an interesting and detailed account ofdiscoveries made regarding the constructionof early 16th century choir stalls and screenat St. Cross Church in Winchester over thecourse of their treatment. These choir stallsand screen have now been recognised as astellar example of early Renaissancewoodwork in the country.Amy Anderson took to the podium after abrief interlude for refreshments, recountingthe treatment procedure of a 17th centurycarved oak figure from the collection ofNorfolk Museums. In a very enjoyablepresentation, Amy highlighted the pricingchallenges, ethical issues and technicalcomplexities that occurred over the courseof treatment, providing useful insightparticularly for conservation students andthose new to the field. Next, Zoe Allen and Phil James provided anabsorbing review of non-intrusive upholsterytechniques that were used for 18th centuryFrench seat furniture at the Victoria andAlbert Museum. The techniquesincorporated traditional upholstery methodswith modern conservation practices, such asthe addition of poplar wood frames andsewing pockets, to re-create the authenticappearance of the furniture while preservingthe integrity of the chairs’ original and fragileconstruction. Finally, musical instruments conservatorJonathan Santa Maria Bouquet broughtthe programme to a close with a fascinatinglook into the inherent problems found in19th century guitars. Jonathan introducedthe cause of splits occurring in the woodenfronts and backs of these stringedinstruments, and related the challengesfaced and the materials employed duringconservation treatment. It was heartening to see that the event, heldat a charming venue in the heart of CoventGarden, was attended by conservation andheritage professionals from variousspecialisations in addition to furniture. Thecross-disciplinary tone of the occasion

Dana Melchar & Tristram Bainbridge of the V&A analyzing a pair of 18th century Frenchtables

Abigail Bainbridge demonstrating pigment ID

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emphasised the benefits of communicationand co-operation between the variousspecialisations in conservation. The Groupthen rounded off the event by adjourning toa local pub, to reflect on and further discussthe day’s topics. Many thanks to the organisers for arewarding afternoon, and looking forward tomany more successful editions of thesymposium in years to come.Yuqi Chock Student MA ConservationStudies (Furniture & Related Objects), WestDean College

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARCHIVE STORAGE:problems, potentials and solutionsIcon Archaeology GroupFishbourne Roman Palace, West Sussex6 June 2015

This Icon Archaeology Group event reviewedthe current status of archaeological archivesin the UK and presented case studiesdemonstrating how these might bemanaged, made accessible and their valuerealised, through effective storage,documentation and public engagement. Asummary of the key points follows. An archaeological archive comprisesartefacts to ecofacts, waste materials toscientific samples and includes alldocumentation, analogue and digital. Localauthorities and museums sometimes do nothave the resources to manage this materialand it may be in danger of neglect and, inextreme cases, of disposal. Duncan Brown (Historic England), inIntroduction to the crisis in archaeologicalarchive storage, set the scene. Manymuseums and local authorities contend witha vast legacy of material from pastarchaeological projects. New projectsgenerate more material, so demand onstorage increases. In 2012 the Society ofMuseum Archaeologists (SMA) and theFederation of Archaeological Managers andEmployers (FAME) identified more than ninethousand archives in the UK that lacked fulldocumentation and which thereforeremained inaccessible. Advances have beenmade in recent years toward developing

guidelines and protocols for archaeologicalprojects, notably A Standard and Guide toBest Practice for Archaeological Archiving inEurope (2014). Establishing consistentstandards at a national level, raising theprofile of collections, introducing archiveselection strategies and ensuring thatprovision is made for future deposits are thekey tasks ahead.Gail Boyle (Society for MuseumArchaeology) in Running out of space,running out of time reiterated the need for aunified approach to storage, care andaccess. The SMA 2012 report confirmed thatfew museums are now collectingarchaeological material and that a significantnumber of local authorities do not have thespace or resources to store and care forarchaeological archives. Often there is nodirect source of funding, or requirement, tosupport them. More positively, the wide useof archaeological collections and theirappeal to a broad range of audiences may

prove valuable in finding funds to supportcuration, conservation care and access. Newrelationships to support archaeologicalarchives must also be developed, forexample involving academic and widerarchaeological sector partners. The following papers concentrated onsolutions. Nancy Grace (National Trust) in ‘Abox here and a box there’ – a view from theNational Trust outlined the Trust’s approachto managing its archives. Significantly,archaeological archive materials are now tobe included on the National Trust collectionsdatabase, which will greatly improve theiraccessibility. The National Trust aims to holdarchaeological archives at the sites wherethey originated if possible; these materialsare viewed as research resources and theiruse supported. A recent change in name ofthe depository from Stores to ResourceCentres, reinforces the idea that the archivesare seen as living and accessible collections. The next two papers focused on theplanning and management of large-scalestorage move projects. Amber Xavier Roweand Charlie Newham (Historic England)discussed the Wrest Park ArchaeologicalArchive Store project that they initiated. Akey development was barcode identificationfor objects, which streamlineddocumentation and later access. A fullpresentation about the storage moveproject, including the pragmatic andeffective approach to establishing suitableenvironmental conditions, is available online.In this two-year project 160,000 objectsstored in rented warehouses were relocatedto a single store. This has reduced costs,improved storage conditions and enhancedaccess.

An attentive audience at the Furniture and Wood Group’s symposium

Museum of London’s archaeological archive store.

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Sally Croft (Cambridgeshire County CouncilHistoric Environment Record) and DeborahWalton (University of Cambridge Museums)in Cambridgeshire archaeological archives –a solution urgently needed to provide aservice with increased capacity andimproved access. The solutions found wereimaginative. A converted bunker now housessensitive and fragile finds. Other materialsare now held at the DeepStore facility inCheshire (a disused salt mine). As above, abarcode system was used for identification.Thorough documentation resulted in a richlypopulated database enabling effectivesearching and better access. CambridgeshireCounty Council have now publishedguidelines to assist those making deposits ofarchaeological material found in the county.The success of these projects greatlydepended on the project leadersdeveloping a cost-effective and precise plan,underpinned by conservation best practice. Archaeological Archives – Beyond Storage,given by Adam Corsini and introduced byHelen Ganiaris (Museum of London),concluded the event with an exemplar of theuse of archaeological archives by theMuseum of London. Volunteers helpimprove documentation, packaging andstorage, and the museum promotes accessto its archaeological archive through regularevents in the stores and in the widercommunity, including outer Londonshopping centres where shoppers havehelped pack finds from local excavations.Public engagement with the collections, andlearning, are achieved not just through directcontact with objects but also through themuseum’s blog and other social media. A summary of the group discussionsfollowing the papers and links to resourcesmentioned above may be found on the Iconwebsite on the Archaeology Group pages. Hazel Gardiner British Museum

CONSERVATION MATTERS IN WALES:‘DAMAGE – WHO CARES?’ Aberystwyth, Wales 11 June 2015

This one-day conservation conference heldat the National Library of Wales wasorganised by Cardiff University, AmgueddfaCymru – National Museum Wales, theFederation of Art Galleries and Museums inWales and the National Library of Wales.The first speaker was Professor MoriaVincentelli, Curator of Ceramics and lecturerat Aberystwyth University. She outlined the‘Hot Pot Project’ and described a display ofthe recently acquired Ann Carr collection ofpottery, curated by a group of students,appearing at Aberystwyth Art Centre. Sheemphasised how the damage and accretionsin the pots were valued as integral to theirhistory. These were pots that were used on adaily basis and were made not as art worksbut as functional pottery. She highlighted the use of broken pots and

fragments in contemporary studio practiceand also mentioned a recent art work ofdissolving an unfired clay construction inwater. She introduced a number of themeswhich would run throughout the conference,thought provoking and stimulating conceptson how the broken or damaged nature ofsome ceramics might gain them new valueand renewed artistic appreciation, which ledus seamlessly to the next speaker.Gas Kimishima, ceramic conservator andceramicist from Japan, explained hismethods of restoration, together with anoverview of the contrast between Japaneseand Western values regarding therestoration and treatment of antiqueceramics. He described his Kintsugirestoration as giving the pot ‘new life.’Sally McInnes, head of Unique Collectionsand Collection Care at the National Libraryof Wales, discussed a series of projects thatthe NLW want to develop, such as the state-of-the-art Conservation and Digital Servicefor Wales’s Documentary Heritage, togetherwith new public areas within the NLW. Theseproposals aim to improve publicengagement with conservation and

preservation activities, as well as improvingvisitor experiences. The final speaker for the morning was SueRenault, Chief Conservator of History andArchaeology at the National Museum ofWales. She described the recording andevaluative process that is carried out at St.Fagan’s, in relation to its large and variedcollection of artefacts. She highlighted theiruse of the ‘Levels of accessioning matrix’chart, which categorises artefacts by damagelevels and value, in order to organize whichartefacts are of particular importance andrequire further attention, or those whichrequire less attention or can be discarded.Following questions from the floor and thenthe lunch break, Mark Allen, Conservator atFlintshire Record Office, talked about therange of damage that occurs in archivedpaper works and the differences in treatmentand care for stored and exhibited artefacts.He reminded us of some of the basic butimportant questions which we need to askourselves when starting out on conservationprojects. Is it worth it? Stuart Evans, Designer at the CeredigionMuseum, discussed how damaged objects in

Gs Kimishima lecturing about the Kintsugi technique

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collections can still be valued and exhibited.The Museum was asked to work with the‘Hot Pot’ project and a new educationprogramme was devised and tested with agroup of eight year olds. Using fragments ofpottery as a handling collection, children wereintroduced to the ceramic making process.In particular, he highlighted the activitiesthey design to get younger generationsinterested in the preservation and study ofartefacts and museology as a whole.The last speaker of the day was Sarah Paul,Conservation Advisor, MALD. She discussedhow museums have to balance the emotionalneeds and values of the public towards anartefact. Furthermore, she expressed that itwas imperative for each object to beconsidered carefully, so that they can ensureany future preservation and care is viableand fundable. Overall, the conference enabled a variety ofprofessional conservators, staff, as well asacademics and students, to raise topics andshare opinions about issues which concern usall. Members from various backgrounds ofprofessional conservation care, includingthose simply with an interest in conservationattended. The talks were informative and wellexecuted. Thanks to all those who took part.Olga Ventura, student, AberystwythUniversity

INTERNATIONAL MOUNTMAKERSFORUM: UK Kick-start EventLondon April 2015

Earlier this year the InternationalMountmakers Forum Kick-Start Event washeld at the Natural History Museum inLondon. Over one hundred mountmakersand display specialists gathered together tonetwork with fellow professionals and to heara number of presentations. The InternationalMountmakers Forum (IMF) is a biennialconference that has previously taken place atvarious host institutions across the USA. Theevent was held in London to gauge interestand build a community among specialistsahead of the 8th conference, which will takeplace in London in 2018. It is hoped that byholding the conference in the UK it will bemore accessible for delegates across Europeto attend.The presentations given at the event werebroadly grouped into two sections: thoseexplaining the origins of the IMF and plansfor the future, and those recalling practical

advice and past projects. Firstly, HelenWalker (event organiser) explained herinvolvement in previous IMF conferencesand laid out the purpose of this gathering inLondon. This was followed by talks fromMackenzie Lowry and BJ Farrar who laidout the history, intent and development ofthe IMF, having both been involved from theoutset through their work at the GettyInstitute. These talks were invaluable ininforming all delegates of the origins of theIMF and the plans for the future. Shelly Uhlirfrom the Smithsonian Institute gave afascinating presentation which detailed howthe IMF had expanded after subsequentconferences, and her role on the DirectionalCommittee.The second group of presentations weregiven by Roger Murray (Victoria and AlbertMuseum), Christian Kingham (WellcomeCollection) and Kevin Smith (Plowden andSmith).These talks focused on specificprojects, practical advice and projectmanagement of object displays. By includingthese presentations in the Kick-start Event,delegates were able to get a sense of howknowledge, ideas and particular techniquescan be shared at conferences in the future.One of the great strengths of the event wasthe use of technology to record and sharethe occasion. The IMF have always used aGoogle group to circulate ideas anddocuments, which continues today.Additionally, presentations and Q&A sessionsfrom this particular event were filmed and areavailable for all to view on YouTube.Mountmaking and conservation areintrinsically linked, as appropriate support ofobjects acts as a preventive conservationmeasure. Technicians, mountmakers, displayspecialists and conservators are all involvedin this specialism to produce the stunningdisplays we see in museums and artgalleries. A key topic raised in the Q&Asessions was that of recognition for the skillsof mountmakers and display specialists. TheIMF also provided an excellent opportunityfor people involved in the profession tomeet face to face and to socialise. Manythanks go to Helen Walker and Sam Gatleywho organised the event.Zoë Lanceley Textile Conservator

ADAPT AND EVOLVE 2015POST-CONFERENCEWORKSHOPS

LOCAL REPAIRS ON IRON GALL INKMuseum of London, 11 April 2015

After two days at the Book and Paper GroupConference, a practical workshop waseagerly anticipated. Eliza Jacobi hadpresented a paper earlier in the week called‘Moisture and Mending: An EvolvingRelationship’ and this popular

complementary workshop, co-hosted withher colleague Claire Phan Tan Luu fromPractice-in-Conservation, did not disappoint.The perils of iron gall ink are a familiarconcern to every book and paperconservator and we were looking to learnmore about current techniques in treatingthis complex material. The openingpresentation provided an extremely usefulrevision of iron gall ink, its properties,characteristics of decay and the corrosiveimpact of humidity and handling on the ink. Many of us have come acrossbathophenanthroline paper as an indicatorfor iron (II) ions. Eliza and Claire have takenthis further and, in cooperation withcolleagues from the Cultural HeritageAgency of the Netherlands and theUniversity of Amsterdam, they havedeveloped the Dutch Fe-Migration Test. Thistest uses filter paper, impregnated with abathphenathroline solution and stampedwith iron gall ink to make visible themigration of FE (II) ions caused by theintroduction of moisture. This in turn canindicate to conservators how the applicationof our repairs can affect this sensitive media.We looked at how this indicator paperresponded to different adhesives and typesof repair. Through research using this testpaper Eliza and Claire have found thatgelatin remoistenable tissue provided themost ideal iron gall ink repair technique.The practical sessions allowed us to test thistheory. During the first session we made twotypes of gelatin remoistenable tissue so thatwe could experiment with different paperweights and with methods for applying thegelatin adhesive layer. Interestingly, we useda rubber squeegee to draw drops of thewarm gelatin through a piece of fine silk or arigid mesh – this was a new applicationtechnique for us and we found that itprovided a thin and even film.In the second practical session Eliza andClaire thoughtfully provided us each with ourown name stamped onto newsprint in irongall ink, which we then tore to imitate the

Imari dish – repaired with kintsugi technique

Using the Dutch Fe-Migration Test forapplying repairs

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corrosive damage caused by unstable irongall ink. This was so that we could try outand compare our own repair techniques andthe ones we had just learnt, in conjunctionwith the indicator paper. By applying therepair technique initially to the sensitiveindicator paper you can see to what extentthe magenta appears and therefore how themoisture from the application of your repaircould affect your object. The whole processprovides a lot more control for the conservator.By reactivating the adhesive using a sponge/blotter moisture reservoir containing a finiteamount of moisture it ensures thatsubsequent repairs must be safe too. Overall for a half day workshop we squeezedin a lot!! We were also shown a film ofGangolf Ulbricht’s workshop making thefamous 2.5gsm Berlin tissue. The skillrequired to make an even sheet is impressiveand seeing the film reminded us how specialthis material is. The presentations were fulland disseminated the information veryclearly with great photographs. While thisworked well a longer session would be evenbetter. Fortunately Claire and Eliza providedus with, ‘How to’ packs to peruse at leisureas well as providing us with the link to theirpower-points .This gave us all the equipmentand knowledge needed to apply thistechnique in our own workshop in the future.Thanks go to the Museum of London forhosting us and to the Clare Hampson Fundfor sponsoring the event.Deborah Farndell, Senior Conservator &Rebecca Goldie, Conservator, CambridgeUniversity Library

KARIBARI MAKING WORKSHOPWellcome Library London 12–14 April 2015

I was very happy to be one of eightdelegates of the Book and Paper GroupAdapt and Evolve Conference to attend thepost-conference workshop on making aKaribari board, hosted by the ConservationDepartment of the Wellcome Library andgenerously sponsored by the Clare

Hampson Fund. It was a hugely enjoyable,informative and productive three days and Iam sure my fellow delegates join me inthanking Namiko Tagawa who led thecourse, and Gillian Boal and her colleaguesat the Wellcome for their friendly andgenerous hospitality. We are also verygrateful to Sayaka Fukuda ACR whoassisted with the smooth running of theworkshop, stepped in as translator whenrequired, and organised marvellous lunches -crucial to any successful Karibari boardmaking venture!As the workshop progressed, I came to fullyappreciate the time and thought thatNamiko had clearly spent in planning theprogram and organising the tools andmaterials we would need. The days werevery well timetabled to allow sufficient timefor the various steps in the process. All thematerials had been supplied from Japan andeverything was very well prepared, includingthe seemingly vast quantities of paste thatthe group would use.Traditionally Karibari consist of eightdifferent layers, with each one left to dryovernight. The time constraints of theworkshop meant that our boards had fivelayers with a reduced drying time. Theworkshop timetable allowed plenty ofopportunity for questions and discussion, forthe preparation of paste and paper, and forthe demonstration by Namiko of theapplication of the next layer.Inevitably, much of the discussion centred onthe characteristics of the papers we wereusing. It was a great opportunity not only tolearn more about Japanese papers but topractise pasting and pitching large sheets.Namiko gave us tips on squaring sheets andwhen it is appropriate to water cut asopposed to knife cut the edges. We alsodiscussed the care and correct use ofJapanese brushes and had plenty ofopportunity to fine tune our nadebakewielding technique.The papers used for our boards were allHosokawa-shi from the maker Owaga Washi.

These sheets are made from 100% Japanesekozo fibre, cooked with soda ash. They areun-bleached and dried on a stainless steelboard. The formation aid is tororo-aoi.Namiko had prepared beautiful samplebooks for each of us, illustrating the variousweights of paper available from this maker.In the traditional Japanese system of paperweight, 1 monme (or momme) isapproximately equal to 3.75gsm. It wasinteresting to learn that the direction of thepaper when applied to the board is notcritical and that the most economical use ofthe sheet generally dictates the orientation.For large frames, sheets should be pre-joined and allowed to dry before beingapplied. The cedar wood frames are constructedusing bamboo nails which are dry cooked toincrease their strength. Small apertures atthe sides reduce the risk of warping, as doesthe first paper layer Honeshibari, whichtranslates as ‘tighten the frame’. Whensupplied, the frames have small extensions(Tsuno) at the corners; these are generallyremoved after the application of the fourthlayer, Minoshibari. This allows two or moreboards to be joined together with woodenbattens if required for the drying of largeobjects.During the workshop, the group were veryfortunate to have a visit from ProfessorKatsuhiko Masuda who explained thepurpose of the each paper layer and gave ustips while we prepared our boards. Hementioned, for instance, that clay-containingpapers were generally used for the secondDobari layer; this reduces light penetrationwhen Karibari are used for sliding doors orfolding screens. He also noted that that thethird Minokake layer acts as a cushion,preventing rips, dents and tears. It is namedafter an old style raincoat, made of layeredreeds which over-lap like roof-tiles, and wasoften traditionally comprised of re-cycleddocuments like pages from ledgers.Having taught Karibari-making togenerations of students, it transpired thatProfessor Masuda had taught Namiko’steacher. Undaunted by such an eminentguest, Namiko handled the added pressurewith impressive ease. The workshopconcluded with demonstrations of applyingobjects to a Karibari and further discussionof their use, including adaptations that maysometimes be necessary when dryingwestern objects. The course was full of fascinating informationas well as very useful, practical tips. Namikois an extremely knowledgeable and patientteacher, demonstrating enthusiasm andunfailing good humour throughout. I thinkwe were all very proud of our completedKaribari as we stepped out into the sunshineof the Euston Road, determined not to dentthem on the way home. Harry Metcalf ACR

A How to… package for participants to take home


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Kyoko Kusunoki showing the way to stirpaste

Noriko Hayakawa lecturing, with KyokoKusunoki in the background

Straining funori

STARCH PASTE AND JAPANESEADHESIVES FOR CONSERVATIONMuseum of London 11 April 2015

This day-long workshop at the LearningCentre in the Museum of London was led byDr Noriko Hayakawa and assisted by KyokoKusunoki from the National ResearchInstitute for Cultural Properties in Tokyo.Wheat starch paste is of major importance asa conservation material in Japan, especiallyfor paper and – above all – scroll paintings.The aim of this workshop was to introduce usto the Japanese method of preparing wheatstarch paste and the chemical properties ofthe material. Funori was also discussed.The day started with a lecture looking indetail at traditional adhesives such as freshwheat starch paste (known as shin-nori),aged wheat starch paste (furu-nori) andseaweed paste (funori). Based on theirproperties, they are used for facing andthickening (funori) and linings (shinori,furunori). Wheat granules not only containstarch but also protein (gluten) which can beseparated from the starch through a simpleprocess of kneading and washing. In Japangluten-free starch is used for conservation.Dr Hayakawa also explained the starch’schemical behaviour by looking at theamylose and amylopectin content. Wheatstarch, for example contains 3:7 amylose toamylopectin, while rice starch contains 2:8and sticky rice 0:10. Dr Hayakawa alsoexplained the changes to wheat starchgranules during cooking: how they absorbwater, swell up, and burst to start the processof gelatinisation, until they are finally cooked.The hands-on-work began with thepreparation of wheat starch paste. Weprepared an 18% concentration by mixing 90grams of gluten-free wheat starch powder in410 ml of distilled water. For paste makingwe were advised to use only distilled water,not tap water, since tap water contains ionsthat influence the condition of the paste interms of tackiness, adhesive force andviscosity. The mixture was cooked at amedium to high heat. During cooking, weused a large wooden stick to stir the pastecontinuously. The stirring was a challenging

technique in itself and Kyoko demonstratedby rotating the middle part of the stick withone hand while keeping the top part steadywith the other. When cooking, the mixturestarted to thicken but looked white; as wecarried on, it started to look slightlytransparent; and after ten more minutes thepaste looked ready to us, but it wasn’t readyfor the instructors! As we added a further tenminutes of cooking and stirring we could feelthe paste thicken again and at that point itwas ready (about thirty minutes altogether).Once the mixture was cooked it was left tocool down before straining. This is donethrough a Japanese mesh made from horsehair called the Norikoshi sieve, using awooden spatula and a bowl called aNoribon. Sieving also follows strictguidelines.The stiff paste is passed throughthe sieve a couple of times and is thendiluted gradually in the Noribon to theconsistency of skimmed milk. To test that thepaste was effective, we put a little of itbetween the palms of our hands, pressedthem together and felt the tackiness straightaway. We were instructed to keep theunstrained paste under a wet cloth at roomtemperature – but not to cover it with wateror put it in the fridge. When the paste startsto deteriorate, it starts losing water andtackiness.The second part of the workshop involved alecture on Funori (seaweed paste). Extracted

from a particular type of seaweed, it hasmany uses. In conservation it is used forfacings and as a thickener for otheradhesives. Although many Westernconservators use funori as a consolidant, DrHayakawa told us that in Japan it is neverused as a consolidant as it is not strongenough. Two variations were discussed: coldand cooked. Cooked funori requires 3 gramsfunori in 100 ml of distilled water – it iscooked at a high temperature stirringconstantly, though the funori must be leftsoaking in water for at least one hour beforeit is heated. The cold variety requires 10grams funori in 200 ml distilled water, andshould be kept overnight at roomtemperature. Cold funori is only used forfacing. In both cases, the funori is strainedthrough thin gauze leaving you with a thingel. The instructors recommended keepingit for just one day at room temperature. Kyoko suggested that cold and cookedfunori may be used for particular purposesdepending on the situation. Both types havealmost the same adhesive force but coldfunori dissolves in cold water much moreeasily than the cooked. So papers pastedwith cold funori can be peeled off very easily– hence its use for facing. Although gluten-free wheat starch can bepurchased from most UK conservationsuppliers, unfortunately funori can only bepurchased from Japan.This was a fantastic workshop, taught byexperts in the field, giving a little moreinsight into the traditional Eastern uses ofsome of the adhesives that are now morecommonly used here in the West. Thanks goto Clare Reynolds for hosting the workshopat the Museum of London, MegumiMizumura and Carol Weiss for assisting theinstructors during the workshop, and to theClare Hampson Fund for sponsoring it. Amelia Rampton ACR IndependentConservator



in practice

Two copper-plated steel decimal pennies (reverses)

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LOOK AFTER THE PENNIES…..Dr Mark Lewis draws attention to conservation problemsof the future being stored up by modern coinage practiceThe National Roman Legion Museum in Caerleon acts as areporting site for the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PASCymru) and has dealt with a number of notable finds, notleast the Langstone Hoard of first-century A.D. vessels whichincluded a waterlogged yew drinking tankard subsequentlyconserved at the National Museum Wales ArchaeologicalConservation Laboratory, Cardiff.1

Often, the metal detector finds reported at Caerleon arenotable not for their archaeological significance but for theirpreservation or corrosion characteristics.

A regular visitor to the Museum, Mr Mike Bierne, recentlyreported a batch of metal detecting finds which included thecoin flan shown here next to a modern British penny. Closeinspection of the find revealed that it too is the remnant of acopper-plated steel decimal British penny!

According to The Royal Mint, the originally bronze (97%copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin) decimal penny coins weresuperseded by copper-plated mild steel coins fromSeptember 1992. “The reason for this change was theincrease in the price of metals on the world markets. Thecoins have a mild steel core and are electroplated withcopper - consequently they are magnetic. The 1p coin is legaltender for amounts up to 20p.”2

The corrosion of the penny shown here is extensive. The massof the uncorroded coin (bottom) is given by The Royal Mint as3.56g. The corroded flan (top) now weighs just 1.79g (half itsoriginal mass), and was not cleaned by Mr Bierne other than arinse under the tap. He reports that the coin was ‘just lyingthere’ and, when found, looked just as it does now. Only smallpatches of copper plate still adhere to the surfaces of the flan.As with many coins reported at the Museum, one face isnotably more extensively corroded that the other. In thisexample, the reverse (shown) is far more extensively corrodedthan the obverse.

Deep corrosion pits developed at some raised sections of thedesign and are especially evident where some of the raisedbars of the portcullis motif intersected. It is notable that someof the raised sections have corroded preferentially to the gaps(the field) between these elements of the design where thesteel was more deeply impressed. It is probable that initiationof anodic corrosion pits at these points is due to thinning ofthe copper plate in these areas due to wear. The possibility oflocally accelerated corrosion through the action of chlorideions concentrated within the pits is significant given that thecoin was recovered from the bed of the river Usk near toNewport Transporter Bridge where the river is tidal andbrackish.3 Orange corrosion product can be seen within someof the corrosion pits and, whilst this has not been analysed, itis likely to be the chloride-bearing mineral akaganéite(β–Fe³+O(OH, Cl).

Nevertheless, the extent of corrosion that has a terminus postquem of A.D. 1992 (twenty two years) is remarkable and does

not bode well for plated steel archaeological numismatic findsof the future. We are reminded of a well-known seventeenth-century translation of a first-century A.D. text ‘Lay not up foryourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust dothcorrupt...’ – sound advice, it would appear.

Mr Bierne has very kindly donated the coin to the NationalRoman Legion Museum for teaching purposes.

Dr Mark Lewis is an Icon associate member and SeniorCurator (Roman), National Roman Legion Museum,Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales.

Notes1. http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/244817 and

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/rhagor/article/langstone_tankard/2. http://www.royalmint.com/discover/uk-coins/coin-design-and-

specifications/one-penny-coin3. Turgoose, S., ‘The nature of surviving iron objects’, in Conservation

of Iron, Symposium at the National Maritime Museum London, 4 July 1980, ed. R. Clarke, and S. Bradshaw, National MaritimeMuseum Monographs and Reports 53, National Maritime Museum,London. (1982) 1–7. See also Watkinson, D. and Lewis, M.,Desiccated Storage of Chloride-Contaminated Archaeological IronObjects. Studies in Conservation 50 (2005), 1–12.


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SEPARATING ALBUMEN PRINTS A compilation of her experiences by Marta Garcia Celma,Icon Intern in Photograph, Paper and Preventiveconservation at the Royal Commission on the Ancient andHistorical Monuments of Scotland in Edinburgh, 2014–2015.

Background The albumen prints on which this study is based are part ofPhotographs of Medieval Sculptures, a large photographiccollection dating from 1885 found at the Royal Commissionon the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland(RCAHMS). The whole collection comprises a variety ofphotographic materials such as glass plate negatives, acetatenegatives, silver developed out prints and albumen prints.The silver developed out prints and the albumen prints arethe positive copies of the collection’s negatives.

The collection was originally housed in nine cardboard boxeswhich showed water marks, suggesting their exposure to awater incident prior to arrival at RCAHMS. The conservationchallenge was that, due to the moisture, some of the imagesinside the boxes had stuck together. (No mould was foundunder UV examination.)

Some photographs had been mounted, while others wereunmounted. The mounted images appeared well adhered onan acidic board layer covered by a thin layer of high qualityblack paper (Fig.1). The edges were gold coloured and aPhotographic Studio stamp was found printed on the back(Fig.2). The unmounted photographs were of thin paper andhad a strong tendency to curl with the emulsion side towardsthe centre.

Seven groups of two, three and four ‘self adhered’ albumenphotographs were extracted from the boxes. The albumenhad acted as the adhesive, bonding with the black layer of themount boards. Albumen coated paper swells in water. Vitaleand Messier, (1994) found that it has an increase of nearly 2%in the machine direction and 4% in the cross machinedirection. It is possible that it was during this process that thealbumen became adhered to the board.

In these cases the top photograph of each group was visibleleaving the lower ones totally inaccessible. On examination, itwas found that on average 35% of each photograph showeddiscoloration, cockling, adhesion to the adjacent prints andareas of strong tension. (Fig.3).

Conservation ObjectivesThe aim of the treatment was to separate the photographsand to make them accessible. The original glass platenegatives from which the prints had been printed had alreadybeen conserved, rehoused, catalogued and digitised atRCAHMS prior to the attempt to separate the photographs.Thus it was accepted that a range of experimentalapproaches could be tried.

Taking into consideration these relevant factors, the curatorsand conservators decided, first, to digitise at high resolutionthe accessible images and, secondly, to bring the prints backto the conservation studio where different treatments wouldbe carried out in order to access the prints by separatingthem. Without treatment the photographs would remaincompletely inaccessible in their original adhered state.

The approach to separationAlbumen prints can suffer serious consequences fromaqueous treatments. Messier and Vitale (1994) found that thecrack width in albumen photographs increased the sameamount from surface cleaning with deionised water on acotton swab as by immersion and that consequent treatmentsfurther increase the crack width. In addition, their researchshowed that albumen gloss changes are closely linked withthe increase in crack population.

In the light of this, it was my responsibility as a conservator toassess the benefits and risks of introducing aqueoustreatments for separation and to judge the potential merits ofconserving the images. I researched historical andcontemporary techniques used for the separation of albumenprints and other sympathetic materials, considering theirbenefits and disadvantages. Some of the techniques proposed

the emerging conservator

Fig.3: Unmounted albumen print stuck to the board of a mountedphotograph

Fig.2: Example of the stamp found on the verso of each mountedphotograph

Fig.1: Adhered mounted albumen prints. Detail of gold toned edge



for the separation of photographs were taken from Hinge, Tapeand Adhesive Removal (AIC) and others were unconventional‘home made techniques’ found in online platforms. Finally,nine different techniques were proposed for treatment.

The different methods usedThis article is by no means intended to provide a guide fortreatment. Rather, it is a compilation of the results observed inthese particular photographs.

• Application of localised heat with a small hair dryer.UnsuccessfulThe combination of heat and air made the albumen printshrink. In consequence the differences in tension betweenthe two adhered objects increased, causing the print to ripitself from the board. (Fig.4)

• Application of IMS (Ethanol liquid). Unsuccessful

• Application of IMS: H2O, 1:1 (Ethanol and water, liquid).Unsuccessful

• Application of water (liquid). Unsuccessful

• Application of enzymes (liquid). Unsuccessful

• Application of acetone (liquid). UnsuccessfulThe liquids were applied using a small brush, while a thinround spatula was used to try to lift and separate the prints.The response of the prints in all those cases was similar.The unmounted albumen photograph lost its strength whilewet and ripped off from the mount board when the spatulaor brush touched it. The black paint of the mount boarddissolved in the solvents, staining the brush and travellingin the moisture to the surrounding areas of the print, socreating small tide lines.

• Humidification chamber. UnsuccessfulAfter placing the print (image side up) in a humidificationchamber for two hours the image adhered areas showedno changes. In addition, the unmounted albumens tendedto curl and due to limited options for movement, new areasof tension and cockling appeared.

• Splitting, thinning and reducing. Successful With the help of a scalpel (blade No.22) the back board wassplit from its most external layer of paper and paint (Fig.5).This operation was repeated in each area where thealbumen and the board were stuck together. And as aresult the unmounted albumen was separated from theboard without tearing. However, the thickness of the backboard of the mounted image was reduced. The decision toaccept this reduction was made after having identifiedother mounted prints in which the photographer stamp wasintact and thus could be kept as historical examples. Theethical decision to sacrifice part of the back board was

Fig.6: Mounted and unmounted prints are finally separated leavinglarge paper accretions on the image of the adhered photograph

taken after careful consideration and discussion with thecurator. This method allowed access to the previouslyhidden image.

At that point the image side of the unmounted albumenhad large layers of board adhered to its surface and theirsafe removal was the priority (Fig.6). With the help of ascalpel (blades No.10 and No.22) the paper board wasslowly thinned, reducing it to the minimum possible (Fig.7).All the paper was carefully removed, but the black paintfrom the most external layer of the board remainedstrongly attached to the image of the albumen. The closerto the original the more carefully the process had to beundertaken as it was extremely easy to chip the albumenlayer of the image.

Once the accretions were reduced to a layer of black paint,

Fig.5: Splitting unmounted and mounted photographs with the helpof a scalpel blade n*22

Fig.4: Lost areas of albumen image which got stuck to the board ofthe mounted print


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Fig.7: Paper accretions are thinned down with the help of a scalpel

Fig.8: Adhered layer of black paint (part of the mount board) isbroken down into dust

Fig.9: Rehoused mounted and unmounted prints in archival safepockets

their removal presented complications and once againdifferent techniques had to be tested.

• Local humidification was unsuccessful. The black particlesdid not soften and instead the surrounding paper absorbedthe moisture making it more vulnerable to mechanical action.

• A second attempt was made by rubbing a scalpel (bladeNo.15) back and forth with rotary motion, controllingpressure and friction until the accretion started to breakdown into small black particles (Fig.8).That operation wassuccessful. It is important to note that during this processthe use of sharp blades was essential. In addition, due tothe fragility of the photographs it was also important to‘listen to the object’; to feel the orientation in which thebonds were weaker by rotating the scalpel around it asnecessary.

• Sliding dental floss back and forth between prints.UnsuccessfulThe idea of this treatment was taken from online forumswhich refer to the book Extraordinary uses for ordinarythings (2007) which suggests ‘Try working a length of dentalfloss between the pictures to gently pry them apart’. Assoon as the piece of dental floss was tensed between theprints, it acted as a sharp blade cutting through the prints.

RehousingAfter treatment, the individual items were rehoused accordingto the order in which they were found. The unmountedphotographs were placed over 1650microns unbuffered 100%cotton museum board in order to provide additional support,and then placed into archival-safe polyester based pocketpages. The mounted photographs were placed directly intothe polyester archival pockets. That system limited the

movement of the images and consequently reduced furtherdamage by handling. The pocket sheets were stored inarchival ring binders providing more protection and easierstorage within the archive as well as easier and protectedaccess for those wishing to consult the material (Fig.9).

ConclusionsInitially, different treatment proposals were presented basedon researched literature and personal experience. As theproject evolved, the different methods proposed had to beevaluated and reshaped according to the nature andbehaviour of the photographs, balancing risk against benefits.

Splitting, thinning and reducing was the technique that in thiscase released the groups of adhered mounted andunmounted albumen photographs into individual items whilepreserving the image side of the albumens. In addition, thesuccessful treatment was aqueous-free, reducing the chancesof causing more cracks.

The final treatment required good manual dexterity,important ethical decisions and the collaboration of differentdepartments in the archive with curatorial, conservation anddigitisation teams working towards the same goal.

However, none of this tells us what would have happened ifthe adhered photographs had been found unmounted.Photographic materials should be studied individually, as anyvariation in their nature, processing, history and use couldinfluence the ethical decision which will determine their finaltreatment.

Contact the author at: [email protected]

AcknowledgmentsThe author would like to thank the supervisors at RCAHMS: ElizabethHepher ACR (Paper Conservator) and Emma Buchholz ACR(Preventive Conservator) for their support and advice during thisproject and to Icon and HLF for their Internship Programme whichsupports emerging conservators at the beginning of theirprofessional career in this field.ReferencesTimothy Vitale & Paul Messier.1994. Physical and MechanicalProperties of Albumen Photographs. Journal of the AmericanInstitute for Conservation. Volume 33, (pp.279–299)Paul Messier & Timothy Vitale.1994. Effects of Aqueous Treatmenton Albumen Photographs. Journal of the American Institute forConservation, Volume 33, (pp.257–278) 03/11/2014. http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Hinge,_Tape_and_Adhesive_Removal#15.2.1_Conservation.2FCuratorial_Decision-making Hinge, Tape and Adhesive Removal (AIC) American Institute ofConservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Website. 2007. Extraordinary uses for ordinary things. 2209 ways to save timeand money, Reader’s Digest


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Tru Vue® Conservation Conference Scholarship

www.conservation-us.org/grants [email protected]

www.tru-vue.com/museums

Tru Vue has partnered with FAIC and Icon to provide funding for conservators from across the globe to attend professional development events such as conferences and training courses. Our goals for the scholarship program include encouraging international exchange and dissemination of training and conference information.

• Awards up to £900 or $1500 USD.

• Attendance must contribute towards meeting professional development goals.

• Commitment to report on and share information gained as broadly as possible.

Administered by:

The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC)& The Institute of Conservation (Icon).

For more information about this program and application formswww.tru-vue.com/Museums/scholarships

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