In late October, a real treasure from UCLA Library Special Collections arrived in the lab for treatment.  It was a gem of a sketchbook, created by a Union Soldier from Illinois named Frederick E. Ransom.  Mr. Ransom served between 1861 and 1864.  He made the sketchbook thirty years later, in 1893, after he had retired to the Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Quincy (still in operation, although the name was changed to the Illinois Veterans’ Home in 1974).  The sketchbook, a re-purposed garden nursery order book, contains nearly 100 drawings of his memories of the Civil War, along with ample autobiographical information.

The book is peppered with delightful surprises, including a leaf near the end where Mr. Ransom has listed 26 “Southern names for Union Soldiers,” and a corresponding set of 11 “Northern names for Rebel Soldiers.”

When it arrived in the lab, the sketchbook was in a very fragile state, vulnerable to damage during even them most careful handling.  The selected conservation treatment had two primary goals.  First, it was essential to stabilize damaged areas, making safe handling possible again.  Second, because much of the book’s interest and value is in its visual content, it was important that any visible interventions not distract aesthetically from the object itself.  Several highlights of the treatment are outlined below. 

The combination of poor quality paper and an inflexible side-stitched binding had resulted in several leaves breaking away as they were turned.  At some point, these detached leaves were re-adhered to each other and to the front board with glue, which eventually resulted in additional tears and breaks when the pages were turned.  These leaves were separated, repaired with flexible, acrylic-toned Japanese paper, and either re-adhered or re-sewn to the textblock.

There was also significant damage to both boards.  The front board had broken in half, and been put back together with scotch tape.  The tape was removed from both the front and back of the board, and then the two board pieces were re-joined with a bulking mixture of Japanese paper and wheat starch paste.

The back board was also broken, but the detached piece had been lost.  The decision was made to replace the missing board piece to provide better protection for the textblock.  The loss was filled with a combination of blotter and acrylic-toned Japanese papers.  To finish the outer face of the board, a scan of the front board was made, and then printed onto Japanese paper.  This facsimile marbled paper was then adhered with wheat starch paste to the new section of the back board for a more coherent appearance.

As a final touch, a new, custom drop-spine box with an integrated cradle was built for the sketchbook.  The box provides attractive protection during storage, and makes display safe and convenient.

Leafing through this sketchbook, it is difficult not to be moved by Mr. Ransom’s sincere effort to memorialize an important period in his life, and leave a lasting legacy.  Conservation is a constant effort, not a final solution, but it is hoped that this treatment will help prolong the useful life of this precious and unique object, and help it to travel safely through the next twenty, thirty, or fifty years.