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In conservation we often work on objects that take our breath away. Many times its because they are amazing, sometimes its because they give off noxious fumes. My work on the Carrie F. Young Diploma from 1884 was both.
This framed diploma of the first woman to receive a medical diploma in California arrived in the lab framed and obviously suffering from flood damage. The first thing we did was double bag the frame in polypropylene and freeze it at -19° C for 72 hours. This was to kill any possible mold or biological contaminants.
After it came out of the freezer and returned to room temperature I de-framed this diploma and found another object behind it. This turned out to be her son’s certificate that allowed him to sell insurance for the Anglo Nevada Assurance Corporation. Immediately after they were removed from the frame they stunk up the lab and gave rise to a dark suspicion that they had been involved in a sewer flood.
Before we treat an object in the lab we research its history to better inform treatment decisions and to have a deeper appreciation of the objects we work so hard to preserve. Russell Johnson, Curator of History & Special Collections for the Sciences, has been researching the Carrie Young Collection and he gave me some great insights into the life of Carrie.
Carrie originally was from New York and worked her way West through a series of husbands. When she arrived in San Francisco she worked for the local suffragette association and advocated for women’s rights eventually becoming famous throughout the state. Her obituary also noted that, ‘During one of her legislative assignments she led the fight to make the new University of California a coeducational institution.’ After her time with the suffragette association she pursued a medical degree and graduated in 1884. Russell and I believe that this picture of her includes her medical diploma rolled up and in her hand.
With a greater appreciation of Carrie’s contribution to California I turned my attention to treating the object. Ironically, many times when trying to clean objects damaged by a flood you need to wash them again. After cleaning off unknown particulates from the surface of the paper with a vulcanized rubber sponge I tested the inks and found them to be water soluble. In order to be able to wash these documents without further fading the inks I applied 20% Paraloid B-72 in acetone to the manuscript inks. This non-yellowing acrylic polymer created a miniature shield around the parts of the paper that had the ink and meant that I could wash the object multiple times without causing any of the inks to bleed.
Once the objects were placed in the deionized water baths it became readily apparent that these papers had definitely been in a sewer flood and sent this moderately brave conservator running for a window. Throughout the rest of the 3 baths a mask was worn to blunt the smell.
After the objects had a chance to dry I removed the Paraloid with acetone and repaired the minor tears along the edge with Japanese tissue and wheat starch paste. With that final bit of treatment completed these wonderful and no longer smelly objects were returned to the Biomedical library in their new Mylar sleeves. They are now able to be exhibited and studied for years to come and I was left with a great appreciation for all of Carrie’s hard work and dedication to furthering the rights I enjoy...
And a true love for smell dampening face masks.
