Paper Fails Quietly

Mould, which needs only sustained high humidity and no other provocation. Acid migration from the mount, mat or backing board the work has been sitting against for thirty years. And light, which fades pigment permanently and cannot be reversed. None announces itself.

Framing is where most damage to works on paper originates, and it is invisible because the work is behind glass. Acidic mounts, backing boards and tape used decades ago continue reacting, and the first visible sign is discoloration along the edges where the work meets the mount.

• Relative humidity held below the level at which mould becomes possible.
• Archival, acid-free housings — the enclosure is part of the storage.
• Flat storage in solander boxes or map drawers, not leaned.
• Complete darkness when not being viewed.
• Interleaving so surfaces do not sit against each other.

Brown discoloration following the line of a mount opening, adhesive tape at the corners, cardboard or hardboard backing, and any sign of the work being in contact with the glazing are all indications the housing is doing harm.

None of it requires a conservator to spot, and all of it is worth photographing and raising. Rehousing is conservation work and identifying the need is not.

1. 01Assess existing housings and flag acidic ones for you.
2. 02Store flat and dark, in appropriate enclosures.
3. 03Hold humidity below the mould threshold continuously.
4. 04Condition report on intake and on movement.
5. 05Handle with appropriate supports rather than by the sheet.

Look at what your works are actually mounted on. A great deal of paper arrives in mid-century mats and backing boards that are actively acidifying the work they were meant to protect, and rehousing is usually the highest-value thing you can do for a paper collection.

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