Conservation Treatment of The Parent Trap 1961 Film Poster, in the Former Capitol Theatre

Detail of The Parent Trap poster, before and after conservation treatment.

The Parent Trap, a beloved Disney film starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith, was released in 1961, and movie-goers in London, Ontario, Canada must have had the chance to see it on the big screen at the Capitol Theatre at 204 Dundas Street. A large poster advertising the film is one of the few remaining artifacts of the Capitol’s heydays left in the building, and it recently underwent conservation treatment to preserve it for display in what is now part of the City of London’s City Planning Offices.

The Capitol Theatre, London, Ontario, Canada, c.1970. Photo by Victor Aziz, via Barb Trudell Dunbar

The Allen Theatre opened at this location in 1920, and became The Capitol Theatre in 1924. For 80 years, films were shown in the theatre’s auditoriums, including many of the biggest blockbusters to come out of Hollywood, and Londoners lined up on the street for admission. However, after the slow decline of movie theatres in the city’s core, the Capitol closed in 2002. In 2008 a deal was reached between the building’s owner and London City Council, and plans were made to demolish and rebuild both the Capitol and the adjacent Bowles building, restore the heritage facades, and lease the buildings for use by City offices.

During the reconstruction of the buildings, the large, brilliantly coloured Parent Trap film poster was discovered intact on the interior eastern wall of the theatre, in what would have been the lobby. Somehow this ephemeral printed paper advertisement survived the massive construction project and remained adhered, as firmly as the day it was put up, to the plaster interior wall of the building, although it was covered again during the rebuild and remained hidden until 2019.

The Parent Trap poster, before conservation treatment, in the Boardroom of the London City Planning offices.

The buildings, occupied by the City of London Planning Services (now City Planning) Offices since 2010, underwent another, smaller renovation in 2019, which saw the front room of the Capitol re-fitted for use as a board room. Although city staff were aware of the poster previously, it was at this point that the decision was made to take the opportunity of this renovation to make the poster visible again. A window frame approximately 5x7’ was built into the current wall to reveal most of the large film poster, one of few remnants of the building’s original purpose, still affixed to the original plaster of the building.

Before Treatment - large gouges.

Before Treatment - holes and abrasions.

Before Treatment - construction markings.

Before Treatment - plaster splatters.

The poster, while still vibrant and in good condition, considering all it had been through, had suffered some damage during the renovations. Deep gouges in the wall had shattered the paper in several locations, smaller gashes, dents, tears and losses were scattered over the surface, construction notations were scrawled on the paper and a thick layer of plaster dust and splatter dulled the image. Book and Paper Conservation Services was consulted about conserving and restoring the artifact, and the project was approved in early 2020.

After a long delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we began conservation of the poster in early fall 2020, and completed the work at the end of November.

Adhesive application to repair breaks.

Inpainting areas of loss.

The goal of the project was to conserve and restore the poster as much as possible while keeping it affixed it its original location, preparing it for safe, long-term display in the office. This involved surface cleaning to remove dirt and debris, repairing the mechanical damages in the paper, filling material losses and performing image compensation.

Surface dry cleaning to remove debris.

More cleaning to remove plaster dust.

First the paper was carefully cleaned using soft brushes and sponge erasers to remove the dust and hard splatters of plaster. The construction notations were removed by careful scraping with a scalpel, and most of the dirt and smudges were removed with a combination of wet and dry surface cleaning. Losses were filled and the delicate lifting flaps of paper were adhered back into place. Lost areas of image were inpainted directly onto the fills using watercolour pigments to reconstruct the design. Finally the surface was coated to strengthen the paper and re-saturate the colours.

Repairs underway.

Image loss compensation along the bottom edge.

In accordance with the code of ethics of the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC), all repairs were performed with stable and reversible conservation materials and processes, so that if in the future there is a need to return the piece to it’s original state, the treatment can be undone without causing further damage to the artifact.

The poster is now stabilized and preserved, and able to be enjoyed in it’s best state for years going forward. It will be protected behind a plexiglass barrier in the office boardroom, and visible to visitors to the building. Located in what would have been the front lobby of the theatre, it is just visible from the street windows of the Capitol building, so have a look the next time you are walking down Dundas Street, and remember the first time you saw your favourite film on the big screen. The glory days of movie theatres like The Capitol are not forgotten, thanks to those with an appreciation for our cultural heritage.

The Parent Trap 1961 Film Poster - Before Conservation Treatment

The Parent Trap 1961 Film Poster - After Conservation Treatment

The Parent Trap 1961 Film Poster - Before Conservation Treatment, detail.

The Parent Trap 1961 Film Poster - After Conservation Treatment, detail.

Conservation Treatment of Early Canadian Abolitionist Newspapers

Two issues of a rare early Canadian Abolitionist newspaper, The Voice of the Bondsman, published in 1856, recently received conservation treatment at our studio.

Historic documents allow us to learn from the past in a way that feels visceral and compelling, and the stewards of these materials have an important role to play in preserving and making them accessible for future generations. Western University Archives and Special Collections in London, Ontario, Canada holds many such unique artifacts, and we are privileged to work with them to conserve and preserve their artifacts.

The Voice of the Bondsman, Issue 1, an early Canadian Abolitionist newspaper, before conservation treatment. Shown in raking light.

The Voice of the Bondsman, Issue 2, an early Canadian Abolitionist newspaper, before conservation treatment. Shown in raking light.

We recently treated two important newspapers from Western’s collections with a special significance to the field of Canadian Black History: two rare issues of The Voice of the Bondsman, an early Canadian abolitionist newspaper printed and distributed by John James Linton. Linton, a Scottish-born settler of Stratford, Ontario, was active in the Canadian Abolitionist movement, and wrote several tracts and other publications supporting the abolition of slavery in the south. These two papers are believed to be the only extant copies of The Voice of the Bondsman, issues one and two, and were printed in 1856 and 1857 and distributed for free by Linton in the Stratford area.

The newspapers had been in Western’s archives for many years but recent interest in Abolitionist history had led to their “rediscovery” in the collections. The significance and research potential of the papers prompted Special Collections Librarian Debbie Meert-Williston to contact Book and Paper Conservation Services about having them conserved.

The Voice of the Bondsman newspaper viewed in transmitted light shows previous damage and tape repair.

When they arrived at our studio, the papers were suffering from damages and deterioration typical of artifacts of the period. At some time in their past the papers had been stored folded, and heavy creasing marred the sheets; there were a number of tears and breaks in the paper along the fold lines, and previous repairs with pressure sensitive adhesive tape were causing staining and degradation of the paper. The paper itself, although relatively good quality, was brittle and yellowed with age and some soiling had darkened the surface. We knew that with the heavy usage expected of such interesting items in the University collections, the papers would need to be in their best possible condition, so a conservation treatment was proposed that would address all of these issues.

The first step was removal of the previous pressure sensitive adhesive tape repairs.

Solvents were used to remove adhesive residue from old tape repairs on The Voice of the Bondsman, Issue 2.

After a light surface dry cleaning to remove dirt and grime, the previous pressure sensitive adhesive tape repairs were removed using a combination of solvents to release the adhesive embedded in the paper fibres.

Before and after tape and adhesive removal. Pressure sensitive tape repairs can cause damage and staining to delicate paper and must be removed.

The paper was of good quality rag as handmade papers of the 1850’s generally were, and it had held up well for over 150 years, but there was some brittleness and discolouration evident. In order to restore strength and flexibility as well as address any acid degradation, an immersion wash and deacidification treatment were performed on both newspaper issues.

Immersion wash and deacidification of the brittle paper.

The paper was resized with a gelatin solution after washing.

Finally, new repairs were made to the tears in the paper using stable and reversible Japanese tissue adhered with Jin Shofu wheat starch paste, and the documents were humidified and flattened to remove the creasing.

Stable and reversible repairs were made with Japanese tissue and Jin Shofu wheat starch paste.

The Voice of the Bondsman, Issues 1 & 2, after conservation treatment.

Custom archival enclosures were made to house the items, including mylar encapsulation sleeves and an acid-free folder for each newspaper. These will provide safe storage for the papers and make them easier to handle when accessed by researchers and students.

The Western University Archives and Research Collections Centre anticipates much interest in these items and others in their growing collection of early Black Canadian History. The documents are freely accessible to anyone at Western or in the broader research community, and will be digitized for online access. Events are being planned to discuss the papers this fall and to celebrate Black History month in February 2020; check back for more information as these are confirmed.

Book and Paper Conservation Services is pleased to have partnered with Western University to help preserve these important documents of Canadian history.

We provide conservation services for works of art on paper, archival materials and rare books for both private and institutional clients. If you are interested in having works in your collection conserved, don’t hesitate to contact us. You can also view examples of other projects we have completed below.

Restoration of a Steinbeck First Edition Dust Jacket

Restoration of the dust jacket of a 1st edition Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

The Grapes of Wrath, 1st edition, front cover before restoration.

To collectors of modern first editions, condition of the dust jacket is of the utmost importance. The flimsy paper sheath takes the brunt of handling and exposure and is always the first to suffer. However, when a copy can’t be found (or afforded) in good condition, there is always the option of restoration.

Background

Several months ago a collector brought to us his recently acquired copy of the first edition of Steinbeck’s classic The Grapes of Wrath. The book had special meaning to him; it was the first novel he had read as a young adult and had opened his eyes to the world beyond his immediate experience, and inspired in him a civic responsibility to his local community. He felt he had made a good purchase with this copy of the first edition, but there was some damage to the dust jacket that he wanted to see improved.

restoration & ethics

Restoration work goes hand in hand with conservation, and as long as the methods used follow the Code of Ethics of the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (CAPC), it can be effectively applied when suitable to the situation of the artifact. In the case of rare books, if the work is done by a professional, and is properly documented and reversible, it can bring satisfaction to collectors as well as increase the value of a volume.

The Grapes of Wrath, 1st edition, front cover and spine before restoration.

The Grapes of Wrath, 1st edition, dust jacket in raking light before restoration.

Book and Paper Conservation Services was thrilled at the chance to work on this project, being fans of Steinbeck ourselves, and we knew that a little repair and inpainting would go a long way on the ratty pictorial dust jacket of the book.

TREATMENT process

An infill paper was selected that matched the weight and texture of the original, and fills were created with chamfered edges to exactly fit the jagged losses. Tears were repaired with Japanese tissue adhered with Jin Shofu wheat starch paste, and abrasions on the paper where printed colour had flaked off were sealed with a barrier layer of methyl cellulose. Working from a scale reproduction of the intact cover art, losses were traced in and then inpainted to match the original material. Abrasions and flaked areas were also inpainted to restore unity to the image, and the dust jacket was humidified to gently return it to the shape of being wrapped around the covers of the book.

Preparing for inpainting of damaged areas.

A scale copy of an intact dust jacket was used to recreate the lost areas.

Careful inpainting of losses matches the original material.

After Treatment

This type of repair works with the original materials of the specific volume to recreate an aged, but intact dust jacket, in keeping with the history of the book. A full reproduction of the jacket by mechanical means would appear brand new, and that is not the object of the collector. Instead, we restored the obvious damage but kept the patina of age of the paper, and the finished volume looks warm and authentic. The repairs however, are evident under careful examination, so there is no chance of mistaking it for an undamaged copy and faking its condition, and the thorough Conservation Treatment Report and documentation photographs will stay with the volume as a record of its restoration. If necessary, the nature of the methods and materials used means the restoration can be reversed.

After restoration, losses are filled and matched to the original material, and the dust jacket looks warm and authentic.

After restoration, losses are filled and matched to the original material, and the dust jacket looks warm and authentic.

Before and after restoration, showing the spine and front cover of 1st edition of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

The restored dust jacket was encapsulated in an archival mylar sleeve and fitted back around the book. The book can now be displayed and enjoyed by the collector as it was meant to appear. It has rejoined his collection where it enjoys a position of importance and is appreciated daily!

Rare Book Restoration

If you are interested in conservation or restoration of rare books in your own collection, you can contact us for further information or a cost estimate at no charge. You can also view a portfolio of our other treatments on rare books belonging to both public and private collections.