The Photographic Restoration of Letterforms

Authors

  • Robert A. Hauser

Abstract

The creation, (or exhibition purposes, of a photographically restored facsimile of a damaged nineteenth-cemury lithograph is discussed, with emphasis on the varieties of deterioration that can affect letterforms and on the principles of conservation and restoration. The paper follows the sequence of deterioration and conservation of the artwork, looking a t the typographic restoration in detail. Some discussion about the archival nature of the print and museum conservation in general is a necessary prerequisite to understand the preferences for choosing the ultimate photographic restoration processes used to restore the missing letterforms, which is the primary concern of the article.

Author Biography

  • Robert A. Hauser
    Robert A. Hauser is Conservator of prints and books at the Merrimack Valley Textile Museum (North Andover, MA 01845). He is a lecturer on the history of papermaking and a member of the association of International Paper Historians. His research has involved documenting the state of hand papermaking in Europe and America, and his survey of restoration papers used by conservators is currently being assisted by a Fellowship for Museum Professionals through the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Published

1975-01-01

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (1975): Volume 9.1

Section

Journal Article