Davenport Photo Album
Author/creator: Russell W. Davenport
Imprint/date: 1923
Owner: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division
Condition Overview: Overall surface grime; detached leather spine; missing joints; red rot; delaminated corners.
Treatment Justification:
During a consultation with Chelsea Bucklin, Manuscript Division Collection Official, a recently donated album's deteriorating condition was revealed. Unlike the rest of the collection, this album showed significant damage, notably red rot accumulation spreading throughout. Additionally, the spine leather had detached, weakening the binding and making the album vulnerable to damage during handling, research, and exhibition.
(BT) Overhead view, before treatment. Photo Credit: Emily Mercer
Note: Emily Mercer, Advanced Photograph Conservation intern, conducted before treatment photography and the cabinet cards’ treatment, consequently, that portion of the treatment won’t be included in the report.
Treatment Summary:
Board preparation: Consolidated red rot with 2% Klucel G in Ethanol solution and lifted 1 inch of the boards for rebacking.
Rebacking preparation: Paired leather into skivers and prepared leather cores for endcaps. Constructed a 1-on, 2-off hollow tube off the book and attached it to the spine stiffener. Adhered the hollow tube (with spine stiffener) to rebacking airplane linen, followed by endcap cores, head caps, and joint skivers. Secured airplane linen to spine, completing the reback.
Final steps: Locally re-consolidated red rot with 2% Klucel G in Ethanol solution. Reintegrated delaminated board corners.
Photographic Documentation
1. (BT) Front board view; normal illumination. Exposed joint, red rot affected leather, surface abrasion, and dirt deposits.
2. (AT) Front board view; normal illumination. Reinforced board-to-textblock attachment by means of a linen spine lining masked with leather skivers; surface cleaned front board; 2% Klucel G consolidated red rot affected leather.
3. (BT) Front board three-quarter view; normal illumination. Exposed joint; detached spine piece; red rot affected leather; surface abrasion.
4. (AT) Front board three-quarter view; normal illumination. Reinforced board-to-textblock attachment by means of a linen spine lining masked with leather skivers; surface dry-cleaned front board; 2% Klucel G consolidated red rot affected leather.
5. (BT) Back board view; normal illumination. Exposed joint, red rot affected leather, surface abrasion, and dirt deposits.
6. (AT) Reinforced board-to-textblock attachment by means of a linen spine lining masked with leather skivers; surface cleaned front board; 2% Klucel G consolidated red rot affected leather.
7. (BT) Back board three-quarter view; normal illumination. Exposed joint; detached spine piece; red rot damaged leather; surface abrasion.
8. (AT) Back board three-quarter view; normal illumination. Reinforced board-to-textblock attachment by means of a linen spine lining masked with leather skivers; surface dry-cleaned front board; 2% Klucel G consolidated red rot affected leather; WSP consolidated delated board corners.
9. (BT) Overhead view; normal illumination. Red rot deposits on the endpapers and hinge.
10. (AT) Overhead view; normal illumination. Red rot deposit surface cleaned gutter.
11. (BT) Overhead view; normal illumination. Overall surface grime.
12. (AT) Overhead view; normal illumination. Albums leaves post surface cleaning with cosmetic sponges.
(DT) Diagram demonstrating the layering structure of the reback. Instead of applying all the layers one by one directly onto the spine of the book, we created a spine lining sandwich off the book which includes: (1) A linen matrix layer to impart strength. (2) A mulberry tissue hollow tube to control the textblock’s opening. (3) 2 Skiver leather head and tail caps. (4) 2 Skiver joints. (5) 2 leather cores to create robust caps that match the book’s thickness.
(DT) Boarding "repacking sandwich"
(DT) Positioning of the "rebacking sandwich"
(DT) Positioning "repacking sandwich"
(DT) Overnight drying under ACE bands
(DT) Repack
(DT) Repack
(DT) Turning in leather sides
(DT) Turning in leather sides