Gravestone rubbings offer a unique way of exploring memory, identity, and craftsmanship through direct impressions of carved stone surfaces. Created by placing Japanese paper sheets over several carved stone surfaces and rubbing a waxy media across them, these artworks capture intricate details that might otherwise go unnoticed just by looking at the original tombstones. The Carter’s collection features 45 rubbings by Ann Parker and Avon Neal, created during travels across New England in the 1960s, supported by the Ford Foundation. Parker and Neal explored Colonial-era burial grounds to record carved motifs that were quickly deteriorating due to age and exposure to the elements. Their work ultimately produced three portfolios of 45 gravestone rubbings, preserving recurring designs, emblems, and symbols that reflect how Americans in the colonial period expressed ideas about life, remembrance, and mortality.

As part of our work in the Conservation Department, we undertook the treatment of a group of 27 rubbings selected for the exhibition Here Lyeth, with plans to address the remaining 18 from the same body of work over the next few months.

Preliminary assessment

During preliminary assessment, our conservation team immediately realized the vulnerability of these objects. The thin and moisture-sensitive Japanese paper^{jump to citation[x]} combined with the textured application of the medium, makes them particularly susceptible to handling and changes in the environment.

As we continued examining the rubbings, it quickly became clear that all of them required some level of conservation treatment, as well as rehousing in more appropriate mounting systems^{jump to citation[x]} for storage and exhibition. In this case, the mounting system includes both the window mat that supports the artwork and the hinges that secure it in place. The previous mats were unsuitable; they were made from acidic materials and were far too flimsy to properly support these delicate works on paper.

We also found that many of the objects had been mounted to window mats using glassine tape^{jump to citation[x]}, a type of adhesive tape that is activated with water before application. Given how sensitive the paper supports are to moisture, this has in many cases led to noticeable planar distortions^{jump to citation[x]}, causing the sheets to become wavy and uneven. In addition, glassine tape is known to oxidize over time, and its direct contact with the paper can result in discoloration, staining, and irreversible damage to the objects.

Apart from glassine tape, some of the works were hinged and mounted to the window mats using Japanese paper hinges^{jump to citation[x]}; in these cases, the paper hinges were made of a medium weight Japanese paper adhered with a strong starch adhesive. Although these materials are commonly used in paper conservation, the hinge paper was too thick, and the starch paste probably too concentrated, resulting in localized areas of rigidity, causing further distortions of these delicate tissue paper supports.

Several rubbings also exhibited tears and small losses, particularly along the edges, making stabilization a necessary part of the treatment.

Balanced approach through treatment and re-hinging

The treatment required a balanced approach to address two main challenges: to safely remove the glassine tape and paper hinges while avoiding the introduction of excess moisture that could further distort the paper.

To achieve this, we developed a controlled approach to soften and remove these materials without compromising the underlying support. Because both glassine tape and paper hinges are highly sensitive to moisture, their adhesives can be reactivated through controlled humidification. We used a poultice, in this case, a methyl cellulose gel prepared in distilled water to introduce moisture gradually and only where it was needed. By applying the gel directly to the tape and hinges, we were able to soften the paper components and their adhesives, allowing us to gently lift and remove them with tweezers and micro-spatulas while minimizing stress on the fragile paper supports. After tape removal, any adhesive residue was carefully reduced using a slightly dampened cotton swab and a micro-spatula. These areas were then consolidated with methyl cellulose adhesive in distilled water to secure any lifted paper fibers present.

Once all the gravestone rubbings were treated and in stable conditions, we turned our attention to developing a safe hinging method that would ultimately allow us to mount the artworks in acid free housing mats. Given their extreme sensitivity to moisture, selecting an appropriate hinging system was of critical importance.

Before applying any new hinges to the artworks, we carried out a series of tests to determine which materials and methods would provide the best support while introducing the least amount of moisture. Some of our most valuable test subjects were not conservation materials at all, but everyday items: tissue paper and even toilet paper. Because these materials react dramatically to moisture, they provided an excellent way to evaluate how different hinging methods might behave on the delicate gravestone rubbings. Our reasoning was simple: if we could successfully attach hinges to these fragile papers without causing distortion, we could confidently move forward with the actual artworks.

During our tests, we compared two cellulose-based adhesives commonly used in paper conservation: methyl cellulose prepared in distilled water and hydroxypropyl cellulose (Klucel G) prepared in ethanol^{jump to citation[x]}. We also evaluated two methods for attaching hinges to our mockups, and later to the artworks themselves. The first involved applying the adhesive directly with a brush, while the second used pre-coated hinges that were allowed to dry and later reactivated^{jump to citation[x]} with their respective solvents before attachment.

The reactivation method proved particularly effective, producing a stronger and more stable bond between the hinge and the artwork while avoiding planar distortions in the paper support.

After several rounds of testing, it was clear to us that Klucel G pre-coated hinges consistently produced the strongest and most stable results, offering an ideal combination of strength, flexibility, and unnoticeable planar distortions. The success of this method allowed us also to solve another mounting challenge. One of the gravestone rubbings (accession no. 1968.58) bears the artist's signature along its lower edge. Because the artwork was to be displayed in a window mat, part of that lower edge would normally be covered, covering the signature. To avoid this, we created a reversible false margin^{jump to citation[x]} from Japanese paper along the entire bottom edge of the artwork using the same Klucel G pre-coated methodology. The window mat could then overlap the false margin instead of the original artwork, allowing the entire lower edge to remain fully visible while still providing a secure mounting system.