** Several weeks ago, I posted images on MoPo of a squashed Lawrence of Arabia
Oscars window card that a seller sent un-protected in a Priority Mail triangle
box. Shortly after that post, a MoPo member reached out to me, armed with
confidence and loads of sage advice...
** The person who
"reached out" to me on MoPo was Carol Tincup of
Orange, CA (714.289.8630). Carol has been working with paper for more than 30
years. I had never used her services before and
I only chose to do so because after she saw images of my squashed Lawrence
Oscars poster, she e-mailed me, offering non-invasive solutions I could try on
my own. As a result of this "outreach," I picked up the phone and said "no way
am I going to do this by myself" - and I asked her to work on the poster above
-- and then asked her about
a second, way more valuable "Lawrence" roadshow camel-style WC (below) that I
had just received that had been permanently dry mounted onto foam core (NOT
spray mounted, which would have been an easier job); Carol was
supremely-confident she could pry off the dry mount in pieces without tearing,
curling or wrinkling the poster or scorching its colors - strengthening and
minimizing the fold line with what an extremely thin application of some type
of gluey substance on the back - before heat pressing the poster
flat -- all without airbrushing and without linen- or paper-backing! Until I
spoke to her, I had NO intention of letting anyone TOUCH the poster. I was
intent on leaving the poster "as is." But her confidence was reassuring. The
"before" picture below has a yellowish cast because it was taken indoors under
tungsten light. The "after" picture was taken outdoors, under natural light on
the floor of my covered patio. Note the visible fold line in the "before"
picture.
** Note that Carol's work was labor intensive but minimally invasive, more like
a remove-and-repair-and-clean job than a full restoration. On the "camel"
poster, note the back. The fold line is still there, nothing is hidden. But
this poster is no longer weak along the fold line; the poster has the weight
and feel of sturdy card stock from 1962 - without paper backing of any kind.
The fold line on the front is now FLAT. It disappears and re-appears amid the
colors when you put your eyes within 2-3 inches of the poster, but at a normal
viewing distance, it's gone. Carol achieved the same results with my formerly
squashed "Oscars" poster. I am not kidding, you now have to LOOK HARD for the
fold lines on both posters. I cannot even feel them when I run my fingers over
them.
** My point is the craftsmanship of restorers has wonderfully evolved from the
"dipped in paint" days of the 70s, 80s and 90s. While unrestored paper is
always preferred, so long as the world's best museums continue to preserve
paper that might otherwise turn to dust and lost forever -- there will always
be a need for restoration / preservation craftsmen. I used to be flatly told
that removing dry mount from a poster was impossible. (It might still be very
risky for something like a one-sheet, I don't know.) But this was the first
time I have ever OK'd the removal of a poster that I believed was "permanently"
dry-mounted to foam core. I was extremely nervous about it. Now that it's
over, I'm obviously happy with the results and with the quality of Carol's work
-- and naturally, I wanted to share them with the group. -d.
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