Conservation for Publication Photography

Headdress made of painted wood
Yukuna headdress, 53-47-30/7499


Welcome to the Peabody Museum’s conservation lab! In the lab we treat and care for objects for a variety of reasons including exhibits, loans, and publication photography. For publication photography, we work collaboratively with curators and the Associate Registrar for Rights and Reproductions to prepare objects so they can be safely and appropriately photographed for exhibit catalogs, Peabody Museum Press publications, and use in other print and digital media.

Currently, we are treating a series of 59 objects for the forthcoming Peabody Museum Press publication, The Spirits and the Forest: Dances and Rituals in Colombia’s Northwest Amazon. Although publication won’t happen for a while, the conservation department has already been busy treating objects for photography, which typically takes place at least one year before production.    

Objects selected for the publication include a series of masks with bark cloth hoods and long tassels of very fragile plant fibers. The attached faces are made with a foundation of carved balsa wood or basketry covered with black tree resin and painted designs in yellow and white organic pigments. The hooded masks represent animals, spiritual creatures, and the devil. They were used in a dance of celebration of plenty and fertility and to bring happiness to children in Colombia.

The masks have been kept for many years in tightly compacted storage and had become flattened and distorted over time. In order to devise a treatment plan, we consulted with the author, Felipe Cárdenas-Arroyo, and examined published images of how the masks were traditionally worn. Before any treatment was carried out, each mask’s condition was carefully documented in writing and digital images.

Masks laying on a table

 

Conservation treatment included a number of steps:

1. Surface cleaning with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered vacuum and soft brushes, followed by cosmetic sponges in selected stable areas. A HEPA filter vacuum with variable speed was chosen to safely remove any surface particles that may potentially cause damage to the object. The HEPA filter is used to mitigate exposure to any hazardous particles on the surface such as mold. The vacuum is equipped with a small nozzle covered in cheese cloth and is held at a slight distance to collect debris while directing dust into the vacuum with a soft brush. Cosmetic sponges (latex-free polyurethane foam) provide a smooth, soft surface for collecting very fine particles of dust.

2. Consolidation of losses and friable (crumbling) areas with dilute conservation adhesives. Adhesives were first tested in discrete areas to ensure that they were safe and that no color changes would occur. After testing it was determined that 10% Paraloid B-72 (an acrylic copolymer) was suitable for the cracking resin and 3-5% isinglass (a solution made from dried Sturgeon bladder dissolved in warm water) worked well on the matte pigmented areas.

3. Gaps and losses in the mask were filled with a pigment-tinted conservation adhesive bulked up with micro-glass balloons. Micro-glass balloons are tiny, hollow glass microspheres that are added to adhesives to change the characteristics. They are used in conservation to thicken and improve strength and make a light-weight stable fill material.

4. Local humidification was carried out on the bark cloth. This technique was chosen so that the water sensitive mask could be isolated during treatment and only the bark cloth would come in contact with moisture. A layered sandwich of Gore-Tex (Polytetrafluoro-ethylene, or PTFE) and damp blotter paper was covered in plastic to allow the moisture to penetrate the bark cloth and relax the fibers. After sufficient time the bark cloth was slowly reshaped. This process was repeated in areas needing reshaping until the desired shape was achieved. To hold the shape of the bark cloth an internal support was made from carved ethafoam (a closed-cell polyethylene foam material) covered with cotton knit fabric or high-density polyethylene film. Holes in the bark cloth used for the eyes and mouth of the wearer were left as originally intended.

Headdress partially wrapped in plastic

5. The very fragile fiber tassels were repaired with toned Japanese tissue and starch paste in areas needing stabilization. When needed, local humidification was used to safely realign the fragile, brittle fibers before mending.

 

6. Archival containers were made for safe transit and storage of the fragile masks (mask shown below: 50-2-30/7216.

 

Mask inside of a box

 

Now that the masks have been treated in the conservation lab, it is time to devise a plan with the Associate Registrar for Rights and Reproductions and the author for how they will be photographed for the publication. Since the masks are very fragile, the Peabody is waiting to photograph all of them in one photo shoot with enough staff present for handling. Mounts, similar to the ones depicted below, will be used for some of the masks during photography. This will ensure the safety of the object and make it easier to photograph the mask from different angles. Masks that are not able to be placed on mounts will need to be photographed flat; however, the goal is for all of the images to be similar in appearance, with consistent background and lighting, as they will appear in the same publication. 

Three masks after treatment (left to right): 53-47-30/7520.9; 53-47-30/7511; 53-47-30/7520.2

Three headdresses in a row

Below is a “before and after” example of a headdress, 53-47-30/7499, that was treated and photographed for the publication. On the left is the original inventory image which is a documentary image used in our database to visually identify the object. The image on the right is the image taken for the publication, which shows how the headdress was worn. 

Two masks, side by side, before and after treatment

 

 

Authors: Judy Jungels, Conservator and Cynthia Mackey, Associate Registrar for Rights and Reproductions