Westbrook Place at Godalming in the County of Surrey 

Identification and bibliographical details

Title/descriptive signifier: Westbrook Place at Godalming in the County of Surry 

Artist: Not known

Date of work: late 18th century

Technique:  Etching

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

Composite materials: off-white, medium-weight machine-made woven paper

Provenance: City and Guilds of London Art School Archive

Historical context and details of research: 

The image depicts the place where Nathaniel Godbold lived. In 1790, with the success of Nathaniel’s vegetable balsam, for which he applied for a patent, he bought Westbrook, Oglethorpe’s old home, from Christopher Hodges. 

Before treatment photodocumentation:

Description

This is an etching, rectangular in shape, and has a maximum approximate size of 472 x 332 (mm). 

The material is off-white, medium-weight, machine-made woven paper, and the lining material is light-weight machine-made laid paper. 

Condition

Poor - widespread damage

This etching of Westbrook Place at Godalming in the County of Surrey is lined with light-weight laid paper, and cockling was observed all along the edges of the lining material. The object was previously folded in half, which left a folded line and cracking along the line. Presumably, it was stored in a damp environment where mould growth was encouraged; therefore, there is a relatively large (60 x 110 mm) mould on the verso of the object. The white powdery mould was also seen on the recto of the object. The substrate was very acidic and discoloured overall. Also, there were several inscriptions on the verso of the object and on the recto of the lining paper written with iron gall ink, which degraded and was seen through from the other side of the print. There is frass on the image, and it degraded over time, leaving stains around it. 

Treatment description

1. Dry surface cleaning 

Initially, the print was dry-cleaned using a soft Japanese brush to remove loose particles and powdery mould on the surface. Then smoke sponge was used to remove any further surface dirt. This was done very gently to avoid any more tears and it was done until the dirt didn’t stain the sponge both on the recto and verso.

2. Ultrasonic humidification

• The substrate supported by a blotting paper was placed in the humidification chamber. The hose connected to the humidifier was placed inside the chamber and perspex was put to seal the chamber. It delivers a reliable stream of cold fine mist which relaxes the animal glue without wetting the substrate. The object was left inside the humidification chamber for 2 hours. 

• When the object was moistened enough, the lining paper and the object were gently separated. 

3. Wet surface cleaning

• The object and lining paper was placed on a blotter and humidified to carefully introduce moisture and flatten the paper by spraying the recto with tap water. 

• The print was immersed in warm water supported by a Bondina to reduce soluble deterioration products. Periodically lift the paper off the support to flush out discolouration products. A gentle, regular agitation of the tray can help to remove degraded products. 

• Then the object was immersed in very hot water to soften animal glue and mould.

4. Mould and Adhesive residue removal 

• After immersion washing, the object was placed onto the blotting paper, and animal glue residue was scraped off using a bamboo spatula. 

• The mould on the lining paper was lifted using a bamboo spatula. 

• The mould and animal glue were easily removed as they wetted evenly and sufficient time was allowed for the process. 

5. Lining 

• The Tengujo paper (30 GSM) was placed on the wooden board and the surface of the paper was humidified by spraying clean distilled water. Then the gum tape was adhered along the edges to hold the paper as it dries. Wait until it fully dries. 

• The surface of the object was placed on Melinex (face down) and sprayed gently. Melinex works as a facing to hold the object while the object was pasted out from the verso. 

• Melinex and the object were placed on stretched Tengujo paper, positioned, and carefully rolled up from the right corner to separate the object and the film. 

• The object was left until it completely dries. When dried, the lined print was separated from the wooden board by trimming the edges. 

6. Mending

The original lining paper was also preserved as there are several inscriptions. The hole where the mould stayed was mended using Japanese tissue paper. 

7. Toning & Infills 

The selected Western paper that has a similar thickness to the original object was colour matched to the object with watercolour. Then, the loss was infilled with toned Western paper. 

8. Trimming 

The extra margin of the lining paper was cut off. 

9. Inlay

The object was inlayed to be mounted because it was curved inwards caused by the lining process. 

10. Mounting 

The artwork was mounted to keep the object and the original lining paper safe and flat. 

Requirements/ future recommendations

The print should be mounted with museum boards or stored in the Melinex pocket for safe storage and display. The print should be kept away from direct sunlight to prevent fading or discolouration. The relative humidity should be between 45-55% RH.