Paper Restoration Processes

Discover how a 16th-century document gets restored step by step.

By Archivos Estatales

Archivo General de Indias

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

Vital to adequately restoring a paper document is being familiar with the elements that the manuscript is made up of, its constitution, and, if possible, the environment that surrounded it throughout its years of existence. This is the only way of carrying out the most appropriate methods of restoration.

On this occasion, the following will show the restoration of the Letter from Gonzalo Gómez de Espinosa to Carlos I of Spain. It is a document from 1525 that recounts the difficulties of the ship Trinidad's solitary journey through the North Pacific and its capture by the Portuguese.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

"Restore" does not mean "make the work like new." Instead, it implies the act of identifying its aging process and creating the conditions that will minimize future deterioration.

To achieve this, a series of procedures will be take place to have a more direct impact on its physical appearance: cleaning (mechanical or water-based), repair of cracks and tears, reestablishing the base, etc.

A long-term conservation protocol is also a must—correctly performing the work would mean nothing without it.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

For this document, after studying the base and ink, any creases were smoothed out, and the next step was both a mechanical and water-based clean. The paper was strengthened in the most damaged areas. Rips and tears have also been joined back together, and any lost parts have been reattached through manual grafting, which were done using "washi" (Japanese paper) and a reversible adhesive.

The following is the step-by-step process.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

Steps for Restoring Paper

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

1 / Mechanical cleaning. Removal of dust and superficial dirt with a brush.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

2 / Mechanical cleaning. Removal of dirt using eraser powder.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

3 / Measuring the document's and ink's acidity with pH test strips.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

4 / Ink solubility test.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

5 / Binding the soluble ink.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

6 / Cleaning the document.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

7 / Strengthening the document through repreparation.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

8 / Reattaching any separated fragments back onto the document.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

9 / Repairing any rips and tears in the paper.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

10 / Reattaching missing parts of paper using washi (Japanese paper).

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

11 / Details of the document once any missing parts of paper are reattached.

Restoration process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter (1525-01-12) by Gonzalo Gómez de EspinosaOriginal Source: Archivo General de Indias

12 / Document restored.

Credits: Story

Conservation process of Gonzalo Gómez Espinosa's letter. AGI, Indiferente General, 1528, N. 2. General Archive of the Indies. Ministry of Culture and Sport, Spain.

Text and images:

Daniel Cano Arroyo
Carmen Molina Pérez
Rosario Villegas Ortiz

Conservation studio at the General Archive of the Indies. Ministry of Culture and Sport, Spain.

This exhibition is part of the First Voyage Around the World project.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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