The passport, prior to receiving treatment.
With holiday travel impending, we wanted to share with you an amazing treatment our paper conservators just completed – an Italian passport from 1897! The heirloom document had been in the client’s family for generations and was darkened and embrittled with age. There was moderate distortion on the document, as well as scattered creases, tears, and losses from age and handling, along with staining and fingerprint stains, as to be expected.
The history behind the document is as fascinating as the piece itself. From our client:
There are four named individuals in the "passport document." Three siblings whose deceased father is Giuseppe Mulè: Alfonso Mulè, aged 15, Maria Mulè, aged 12, and my grandfather, Gaetano Mulè, aged 10. Mr. Salvatore Recca is mentioned as a son of Giuseppe, when, in fact, he is of no relation to the Mulè family. The Recca's and Mulè's were family friends, both residing in Sciacca, Italy.
I can only assume the three Mulè children would not be permitted to travel without a family member. As it turned out, the mother of the three Mulè children was also deceased. Transport documents state that the three children had $7 between them, and Mr. Recca also had $7 in his possession.
The story has a happy ending. I don't know what happened to Mr. Recca. However, my grandfather's firstborn was named Giuseppe Salvatore. Gaetano raised a family in Brooklyn, had three sons who served in WWII and returned, and lived a long life with his wife of 63 years. Maria and Alfonzo married and raised families in New York City also.
Our conservators were eager to start treatment to preserve such a sentimental piece.
First, the passport was surface cleaned with conservation-grade materials to reduce soil and accretions. Then, it was locally humidified (meaning only in certain areas), and flattened to reduce surface deformations as best as possible.
The piece was locally humidified.
Then the sheet was flattened and dried between cotton blotters under weights.
The passport was carefully flattened under blotters.
Next, tears were repaired with Japanese tissue and wheat paste, and losses were filled with appropriate weight mending paper. The creasing and tear repairs were supported from the reverse with the same paper and adhesive.
To fill the losses, our conservators first traced the areas, and then cut paper to size and carefully adhered it to the document.
The passport was then lightly retouched to integrate areas of loss and fills as best as possible.
Here, our conservator carefully chooses color pencils to match the document.
Because of it’s age, general discoloration is inherent, and the oil stains and fingerprints remain to preserve its historical context. Soon, the piece will be installed into a new frame with Museum Glass, a conservation grade, anti-reflective glass to protect against UV rays, with a coroplast backing board for additional protection.
The passport after receiving treatment.
Though this beautiful piece might no longer work at TSA, we’re excited to return it to it’s owner to be admired for generations to come!
