7 Craven Hill London. W 

(new dining and serving room plan) 

Identification and bibliographical details

Title/descriptive signifier: 7 Craven Hill London. W (new dining and serving room plan) 

Artist: Not known 

Date of work: Not known

Technique: Ink and watercolour on tracing paper

Dimensions (mm): 472 (w) x 352 (h) (landscape)

Composite materials: medium-weight machine-made tracing paper

Provenance: City and Guilds of London Art School Archive

Historical context and details of research: 

7 Craven Hill is a classic Victorian residential building in Bayswater in London. Tracing paper has been used for work plans for architects and engineers. Most nineteenth-century tracing paper is thin, machine-made woven paper. The papers were made translucent through various methods, including extensively beating the pulp in a Hollander-type beater, impregnating it with oils or other agents, or by treating the paper with chemicals. Common transparentising mediums are dammar and linseed oil. These manufacturing processes result in a weak paper sheet that is at high risk of tearing and creasing.  

Description

This is a new dining and serving room architectural plan for Craven Hill, London, rectangular in shape, and has a maximum approximate size of 472 x 352 (mm). The substrate is medium-weight machine-made tracing paper, delivered in ink and watercolour. 

Condition

Fair - conservation needed (it may deteriorate further without any conservation interventions)

The material has become very acidic, discoloured, and brittle over time, and this is exacerbated by the fact that it had been folded. The object has been folded up in half, and over time these creases and folds have split and caused structural damage. There is a large loss in the top right corner, several cracks where it has been creased, and various small tears and loss all along the edges. There appears to be water damage in the right bottom corner. The creases are shown as white lines all over the recto.  

Treatment description

1. Dry surface cleaning 

Initially, it was carried out using a soft Japanese brush to remove loose particles on the surface. Then, a smoke sponge was used to remove any further surface dirt.

2. Tear Repair 

The creases and tears were mended and strengthened with toned Kozo tissue paper with dried wheat starch paste (figure. 1). The repairs were performed on the verso of the plan. 

3. Toning

Tengujo paper that had a similar thickness to the artefact was toned with watercolour to match the colour of the object. 

4. Infill

Toned Tengujo paper was trimmed to fit the outline of the missing parts. Losses were filled by backing thin Kozo tissue paper strips. 

5. Colour matching

White creases were coloured with brown pastel pencils on the recto. 

After treatment photodocumentation:

Requirements/ future recommendations

The print should be mounted on museum boards or framed for safe storage and display. The print should be kept away from direct sunlight to prevent fading or discolouration. The environment should be around 45- 55% to prevent mould growth.