The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes

Identification and bibliographical details

Title/descriptive signifier:  The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes

Author: Beatrix Potter

Dimensions (mm): 139(h) 105(w) (d) 

Collection/client details: Dr Matthew J Eve

Date: 11.02.2023

Provenance.  

The object has been stored at Marchpane in Soho.

Existing conservation documentation:

N/A

Historical context and details of research:

The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter and published by Frederick Warne & Co. in October 1911.

Condition

Poor (Highly unstable) - widespread damage

Category 3 - Major structural damage that restricts the use and may deteriorate with continued use

Boards:

• The boards are still attached to the text block by the pastedown and the spine lining material.

• The outer joint of the left board is broken, and the inner joint of the left board is split from the bottom. 

• On the left board, the area around the bottom joint is lost. 

• All board corners and edges are abraded. 

Cover:

• Several dents, stains, and peeling of the covering paper are observed on the right board (figure 2).

Spine:

• 10mm from the head of the spine cover is lost, so the blocked letter ’T’ is lost, and half of the ‘H’ on the spine is peeled off.  

• The spine cover is broken from the left board but is still intact on the right board. 

Endleaves:

• Endleaves are in good condition, but ingrained dirt is observed (figure 3).

Text-block

• Surface dirt is heavier around the edges of the endleaves and throughout the text block.

• Several children’s handwriting and doodles on the leaves (figure 4).

Endbands

• There is no evidence that endbands existed before. 

Treatment description

1. Dry cleaning:  surface cleaning was conducted with a smoke sponge and soft brush with care over the media. Surface cleaning does not remove staining or paper discolouration. Only loose surface dirt was removed.  

2. Colour matching: the Western paper was colour matched to the colour of the original cover using acrylic. 

3. Cover lifting: the cover of the book was gently lifted along the spine on both sides so it can accommodate the new spine material.

4. Spine cover attachment: toned paper that is wider than the width of the spine will cover the spine of the book, and the remaining margin will be inserted in between the book cover and the board so the board will be safely re-attached (figure 5). The animal glue and the old lining material will not be removed because it is in a fair condition.

5. Re-attach the original spine cover: the original spine cover will be adhered to the new spine cover using the wheat starch paste.

6. Inner joint consolidation: consolidate the half-broken inner joint of the left cover using a strip of Japanese paper. 

7. Corner consolidation: consolidate the corner of the book with wheat starch paste because the exposed board is delaminating. And gently tone the board with watercolour. 

8. Repair the peeling on the left board: gently unfold the folded covering paper and paste it down again. 

9. Retouching: missing letters on the spine cover will be retouched with acrylic. 

After photodocumentation

Requirements/future recommendations

The book should be kept away from direct sunlight to prevent fading or discolouration. The environment should be around 45- 55% to prevent mould growth.