October, 191 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



after it is on the paper and as it makes it 

 possible to handle it with impunity, there 

 is slight advantage in doing this. Paper can 

 be rendered water and tire proof, then 

 mounted on silk and practically made inde- 

 structible. 



The restoration of engravings, crayons 

 and lithographs has also been carried to a 

 point of perfection that has enabled many 

 valuable examples to be rescued from the 

 ravages of mildew and water stains, or 

 which were so discolored by small, deep 

 brown spots, that the original impression 

 had almost been destroyed. These stains, 

 known as "foxing," are of a fungus growth 

 caused bv dampness and impure air and 

 to the uninitiated, mean that the engraving 

 or lithograph is irretrievably ruined. But 

 this is not so — for they can be removed and 

 successfully — and the print restored to its 

 original condition never again to be cov- 

 ered with "foxing," to the same extent. 



In the case of books where a certain page 

 is "foxed." if this is not removed it will 

 permeate the entire book. To safeguard 

 this have the leaf taken out, restored and 

 replaced, which can easily be done without 

 detriment to the book. Valuable old prints 

 and books require much the same treatment 

 as children, namely, liberal exposure to sun 

 and fresh air. which are the best preserva- 

 tives and preventives of conditions which 

 affect them ! 



To cite a specific instance of successful 

 restoration, a set of four Landseer engrav- 

 ings, "Hunting the Tiger," found in a small 

 country inn in Maryland, so discolored as to 

 be almost unrecognizable, were bought by 

 a gentleman traveling and under dexterous 

 treatment were restored to their original 

 condition, three of the set entirely so — the 

 fourth, which had evidently been hung near 

 a stove and from its fumes had become 

 even darker than the others, recovered al- 

 most its original color. 



Water stains caused by water trickling 

 through a broken glass over the slightly 

 dusty surface of the picture, leaving an ugly 

 dark ring or stains resulting from a wall 

 being damaged by water, on which it hangs,, 

 can also be removed as can mildew, oil, 

 tobacco stains, fly specks, finger marks, or 

 ink. These and numerous stains of similar 

 character can be removed and at no very 

 great cost, by the restorer, when the value 

 of the picture is considered as in a case 

 of a collection of engravings, some costing 

 $2,000 a piece, were completely restored to 

 their original condition, although abandoned 

 by their owner as hopelessly mildewed. 



Tears in steel engravings can also be 

 touched up and repaired almost beyond 

 recognition and likewise colored lithographs 

 in which the color has scaled or cracked. 

 "Foxing" can also be removed without af- 

 fecting their color value. 



Still another phase of the restorer's work 

 is paper splitting. For example, a news- 

 paper can be split in half, the sheet literally 

 divided in two with the text complete. 

 Pages of books as well can be treated in this 

 manner and in many instances, autograph 

 letters have been split, when possibly a 

 valuable signature was wanted. Also in 

 books where the chapter ends on one page 

 and the successive chapter begins on the 

 other side of the same leaf, are often re- 

 moved, split and remounted on paper to 

 match the book, thus allowing for extra 

 illustrating and enabling a volume to be ex- 

 tended as far as desired, often into four or 

 five volumes. 



Page splitting is also valuable when the 

 text on one side is desired, and the illus- 

 tration on the other — by splitting both are 

 saved. 



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MUNN & CO., Inc., Publishers 

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