African Art album
The African Art photographs album belongs to the Archives Gulbenkian and comes from the extinct Cooperation Service with the New African States. The context of this album’s entry into the Foundation is unknown, but it will be related to the foundation’s philanthropic activity in the Portuguese-speaking countries and other territories around the world that have been, historically, under Portuguese influence.
It is a unique work, handcrafted, with a carved wooden cover and back cover, with animal fur pages with photographs representing works of art and exhibition rooms of an unidentified African museum.
It was in a reasonable conservation state, although its handling was very difficult. It also showed some damage – missing or broken parts, dirt and – ripped photographs.
A conservation plan was developed, which went through cleaning, tear mending and structural integrity restoration to allow its safe handling and digital reproduction.
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Detail of broken piece on the cover -
Pathologies observation and verification of opening system -
Working tools -
Cord removal. Begining of the conservation and restoration treatments -
Dry Cleaning of the album pages with a soft brush -
Cleaning of photographic prints with ethyl alcool -
Mending a tear in a photographic print with hydroxypropylcellulose prepared in ethyl alcohol -
Photographic prints were protected with a polyester sheet -
Selection of animal fur to replace the original cord that fixed the album pages -
Bonding of cover broken piece with neutral ph polyvinyl acetate -
Begining of the album assembley process -
Album assembley process -
Conclusion of the assembley process -
Application of a protective layer on the cover and back cover wood -
Album after treatment