AIC's 53rd Annual Meeting

The Biržiškos are meritorious Samogitian nobility family in Lithuania. Their history dates back to the 16th century in Karšuva patrimony. Mr. Leonardas  son  Mykolas (b. 1882) was one of the twenty of February 16th Act Signatories, a researcher of Lithuanian literature and folklore, the Rector, academic and professor of Vytautas Magnus University and Vilnius University. 

Vaclovas Biržiška (b. 1884) was a Lithuanian cultural scientist, the director of the libraries at Vytautas Magnus University and Vilnius University, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, academic and professor.

Viktoras Biržiška (b. 1886) was one of the creators of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, mathematician, the head and professor of the Department of Mathematical Analysis of Vytautas Magnus University and Vilnius University.

The reverse side of the Mr. Leonardas photograph is glued on thick cardboard. The surface side is framed with a hard greenish cardboard mat. The surfaces are very dirty, deformed, unevenly yellowing, spotted with insect excrement and spots of unclear origin, and dappled with spots that occurred from flowing fluid. Some parts at the corners and edges are missing, there are flaws and the paper is layered.

Silver gloss is visible on the surface of the photograph, and the features of the person in the photograph are highlighted with black lines. On the left of the upper part there is a slight flaw on the surface. 

The acidity of the paper was measured by a universal indicator. Acidity of the mat is pH ≈ 6. The acidity of the cardboard to which the photograph is glued is pH = 6-7.

After researching a paper fibre with a 2% aqueous sulfanilamide solution, it was found that the paper of the mat contains lignin, and there is no lignin in the cardboard on which the photograph is glued.

After visually evaluating the condition it was decided to restore the exhibit undismantled. In order to keep the restoration work safe, the order, techniques and materials to glue the flaws and restore the missing parts were considered with great responsibility. The surfaces of the exhibit were cleaned mechanically with wool, erasers of different hardness, and their shaves. The surface layer with insect excrement was removed with a scalpel.

The flaws and missing parts were restored in dry method by gluing the layers of restoration paper to achieve the thickness of the original cardboard. Cotton pulp paper and watercolour-toned Japanese Kizuki Kozo paper were used for restoration. It was glued with a mixture of corn starch plaster, Tylose MH300 and MH1000 aqueous solutions.

The restored parts of the surface of the mat have been retouched with watercolour and pastel, using the technique of dotting. Using a white watercolour pencil, the decorative strip of the mat and its inner edges were retouched as well as a sharp line of brown flowing fluid was split.