Conservation

The manuscript material of the Howard Chandler Christy Papers (Series I, II, IV, V) has been rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes.  All metal fasteners were removed and replaced with plastic clips when necessary.  Brittle newspaper clippings and telegram forms have been photocopied onto Permalife bond paper.  Original clippings were discarded.

Oversize materials throughout the Christy Papers were transferred to oversize storage boxes and drawers, with cross-references to their oversize storage sites placed in their original locations in the collection and on the container listings.

Photographs throughout the Christy Papers have been transferred to Series VI and stored together.  Photocopies of the transferred photographs remain in their original location with a cross reference to the photograph series.  Within Series VI, photographs were placed individually within fold-lock Mylar sleeves, organized into acid-free folders and boxes, and then stored horizontally.

Bound volumes throughout the Christy Papers (Series III, VII.2, VIII) exhibited leather rot, broken bindings, and were rapidly deteriorating due to extremely acidic, brittle pages.  Address books, date books, guest books, and sketchbooks were individually wrapped in acid-free cover papers, tied, labeled, and stored horizontally in boxes.  Scrapbooks were disbound, pages trimmed of broken edges, foldered, interleaved with acid-free paper, and shelved horizontally in custom-built boxes.  Pages of scrapbooks Nos. 9 and 10 were placed within 14 x 11 fold-lock Mylar sleeves because tape has caused residual adhesive problems throughout the volumes.  Interleaving papers could not be used on these scrapbooks because of the adhesive problem.

The 16mm films of Series IX were transferred to DVD and DigiBeta on August 26, 2002.

The “The Motor Corps of America” poster dating 1918 (Flat File E, Drawer 1, Folder 2) exhibited significant tearing on the edges and remained curled after years of rolled storage.  This item was treated by the Conservation Center For Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia in July, 2002.

Sixteen oversize newspaper cover pages from the American Weekly of the New York Sunday American (Oversize Box 70) were extremely acidic and brittle and underwent treatment by the Conservation Center For Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia in August, 2010.

The earliest original drawing for a Christy illustration (Flat File A, Drawer 6, Folder 1- see above image) was treated by the Conservation Center For Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia during the summer of 2013.