Christine Smith Files Concerning Conservation of the Wills of George Washington and Martha Washington
File
Identifier: MSS 16289
Scope and Contents Note
The Christine Smith Conservation files (1945-2016; 2.69 cubic feet) concern the conservation of the wills of George Washington and Martha Washington. The files contain slide photographs of each page of each will, usually with additional detail photos. Each set of before-treatment slides represents the wills as they appeared in 1998, approximately nine decades after manuscript restorer William Berwick preserved them; the after-treatment slides document the appearance of each will in 2003.
There are also photocopies of materials concerning each manuscript's preservation history, including damage during the Civil War, early restoration attempts, storage formats, and exhibition histories.
For George Washington's will, there bits of the will paper and ink (for future microscopy studies), nine microscope slides of the will's materials, specimens of the translucent paper that Mr. Berwick used to tack together the split sheets prior to silking them, the inlay/mounting paper that he used, and the double-sided mat housings that Christine Smith used. For Martha Washington's will, there are specimens of the inlay paper and silking crepeline.
Other materials included were specifications and papers concerning the new case built to house George Washington's will in 2002, written documentation on the restoration of both wills, papers about an exhibition of the wills held at Mt. Vernon, and audiovisual materials documenting or publicizing the restoration of the Washinton wills.
There are also photocopies of materials concerning each manuscript's preservation history, including damage during the Civil War, early restoration attempts, storage formats, and exhibition histories.
For George Washington's will, there bits of the will paper and ink (for future microscopy studies), nine microscope slides of the will's materials, specimens of the translucent paper that Mr. Berwick used to tack together the split sheets prior to silking them, the inlay/mounting paper that he used, and the double-sided mat housings that Christine Smith used. For Martha Washington's will, there are specimens of the inlay paper and silking crepeline.
Other materials included were specifications and papers concerning the new case built to house George Washington's will in 2002, written documentation on the restoration of both wills, papers about an exhibition of the wills held at Mt. Vernon, and audiovisual materials documenting or publicizing the restoration of the Washinton wills.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1945-2016
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Historical Note
Christine Smith, a conservator working for Conservation of Art on Paper, Inc. (CAPI), wrote an article in the "Winterthur Portfolio A Journal of American Material Culture" (Volume 38, Number 4, Winter 2003) describing the history of George Washington's last will and testament and the various treatments that it has undergone. Smith not only describes her contemporary treatment of the documents but also the pioneering conservation treatment of the wills of both George and Martha Washington by William W. Berwick, restorer of manuscripts, Library of Congress.
Extent
2.69 Cubic Feet (6 document boxes, 1 flat box)
Arrangement
These files are arranged in two series, Paper Files and Slides (Boxes 1-5) and Audiovisual Materials, Born-Digital Materials and Microscope Slides (Box 6).
Provenance
Donated by Christine Smith, 20 February 2017.
- Title
- Christine Smith Conservation files
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sharon Defibaugh
- Date
- 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library Repository
Contact:
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville Virginia 22904-4110 United States
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville Virginia 22904-4110 United States