This poster came in on a non-archival backing which transferred acid components to the paper. The paper also had a spray adhesive on it along with tears and dirt particulates across the surface.

After carefully removing it from its backing, select chemistry baths neutralized the acids. The tears were repaired and in-painted to conceal these areas. A new mat and UV-filtering glass were given with a Louis XVI style frame.

This photogravure gold tone by Edward Curtis (1868-1952) entitled Chief Joseph – Nez Percé had become unhinged and had not been placed behind UV-filtering glass.

Once we opened the artwork up we discovered that the hinging was double-layered, probably meaning that it was done twice with the second layer simply laid on top. These layers were removed and replaced with an archival hinge with a new 8-ply mat and a shadow space mount so the photogravure appears to flat. Prior to hinging it, it was dampened on the reverse and then blotted dry and flat, to remove a buckle that was in the paper. New museum glass was added at the end, which is an exceptional quality of glass as it is antireflective and as you can see in the last photograph below it appears not to be there.

Born in 1868 near Whitewater, Wisconsin, Edward Sheriff Curtis was to become one of America’s premier photographers and ethnologists. When the Curtis family moved to Port Orchard, Washington in 1887, Edward’s gift for photography led him to an investigation of the Indians living on the Seattle waterfront. His photograph Homeward won Curtis the highest award in a photographic exhibition contest. Having become well-known for his work with the Indians, Curtis participated in the 1899 Harriman expedition to Alaska as the lead photographer. He then accompanied George Bird Grinell, editor of Forest and Stream, on a trip to northern Montana. There they witnessed the deeply sacred Sundance of the Piegan and Blackfoot tribes. Traveling on horseback, with their pack horses trailing behind, they stopped at the precipice. Below them, the view of the valley floor stretched with over a thousand teepees – an awesome sight to Curtis. This event would transformed his life and inspired him to create The North American Indian. Consisting of over 700 large portfolio images, over 1500 volume size images, and over 7000 pages of text, The North American Indian is a part of American history in both its imagery and its creation

This plat map was mounted on a period muslin fabric. Dirt contaminates are across the surface and cloth frays, crease marks, and border deterioration have affected its stability. Acid stains have caused discoloration, and some instances of the coloring, writing, and stamp-marks have deteriorated.

Testing has begun on all colors and the lead writing. These tests show that some color is friable. The map will be removed from the muslin, as it’ll be easier to deep clean both when they are separate. Acid baths will neutralize and lift the staining. Paper repairs to the areas where the structural integrity is challenged will be made by incorporating new paper of a similar quality. Where necessary in-painting will return the colors to their original state, and the frays along the border will be kept how they are. Once the map and the muslin are ready, they will be re-lined together.

Albert Goodwill Spalding was an American baseball pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball. He co-founded the A.G. Spalding sporting goods company, and following his retirement as a baseball player, he became the president and part-owner of the Chicago White Stockings. He would later call for the commission that investigated the origins of baseball and credited Abner Doubleday with creating the game. He also wrote the first set of official baseball rules. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939, a posthomous honor, having passed in 1915 at the age of 66.

Albert Spalding’s 1871 Boston Red Stockings baseball card