Un-folding very old parchment?

Question

I have a document from 1790 that is parchment and looks like it may have been folded for at least the last one hundred years. How do I safely unfold it so I can get it framed?
Thanks

Answer 1

If you think it is actually valuable, go to your local museum - the kind that might have books or papers, or an art museum will also be fine, even if they don't have really old stuff - and ask to talk to a conservator. (Do not go to a historical society; most of them are untrained.) Ask them what they think; take the document with you so they can tell you if it's actual animal-skin parchment or plant fiber. Bring it with you in a plastic baggie - seriously, it's one of the least bad materials you have laying around the house. Don't put it in a folder since you don't want to use normal paper products with old parchment.

If it's only of personal or family historical value, and it isn't extremely valuable, you can do it yourself. What you'll need for this 'quick and dirty and do not use this on valuable objects' unfolding is a a really large ziploc clear plastic bag (they make some huge ones now - it needs to be a lot bigger than the parchment), some clean polyester fleece, a small bowl, and time and patience.

1. Put a piece of fleece a bit larger than the parchment in the bag.

2. Carefully unfold the parchment as much as it will go. If it looks like / \ / still, that's okay; don't force it down. Put the parchment on top of the fleece.

3. Boil some water. Put the water in a dish while it's still steaming, and *very carefully* put the dish inside the big plastic bag. Do not seal the bag up all the way.

What you're doing is creating a humid environment for the parchment.

4. Take the bowl out and press down carefully on the bag to flatten the parchment. You may very carefully weigh it down.

5. Repeat as needed. Do not dry it out so much it gets curly, but if it does, the framing will take care of it.

6. Take it to a frame shop and tell them to frame it with UV-protective glass and on acid-free backing. You may want a slightly buffered (basic - parchment tends to get acidic over time) backing if they have it available.

Answer 2

Having original documents at home gives you opportunity to handle old materials and historical evidence, but there is a price to pay. Frequent handling will result in the steady physical wear and tear of the original, possibly resulting in eventual loss of the document. In addition, the documents will be vulnerable to damage caused by fluctuating environments and light.

What you can do to minimise damage
Handling
Old documents should be handled with care, preferably using clean, dry hands. Cotton or surgical gloves may also be used to protect documents from dirt and grease, though care should be taken with thin and damaged papers as gloves can reduce the user’s sensitivity. Alternatively, single sheets can be stored and handled in clear, polyester sleeves. Folded items suffer from repeated folding and so should be kept flat if possible.

A conservator can provide training and advice on the handling of documents and archival material, or help to draw up guidelines for users