We have all seen them — but what should we do with them?
I recently worked on a project of ten framed 18th-century prints. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased when my client asked me to treat the labels on the back of the frames as well as the prints themselves. The prints had obviously been framed in the latter half of the 19th century, and my client had done some research on the framers' labels to support this. She was very keen to keep this connection with the past, and I was delighted to be able to.
Having worked in a museum, treating labels would have been something I'd do automatically. But in the world of private practice, time is money, and not everybody appreciates how important labels are in dating, authenticating, or adding provenance to an art work.
So what did I do?
I carefully removed each label with water, washed them in a bath of water, and lined them onto Japanese paper. I then re-attached them to the back of the frame, exactly where I had found them. Simples.
Not every conservator would treat labels as I have done. In museums or collections they are sometimes put 'on file' — kept, but disassociated from their work of art. Sometimes the labels are not treated at all. This is not always a good idea: in most cases, labels are not made with good-quality paper and so are inherently susceptible to damage. They tear easily, break, and are lost. Washing and lining helps to preserve them that little bit longer. I'm not saying they'll last forever — but they'll certainly last longer than if not treated at all.
