The Talismanic Aura of Authenticity (Part 1)
March 21, 2010
Oh, my. I love that phrase so much I built a whole goshdarn series around it.
The Talismanic Aura of Authenticity – The Series
This is Part 1 in a series exploring why certain objects have a kind of power over us. It’s is the kind of power that transforms an ordinary object into a treasure worth keeping at any cost.
In this series, we’ll look at this issue from different perspectives. First off, we’re going to bask a little bit in the warm glow of this aura. I’m going to describe some of the treasures I’ve seen and encourage you to share your own favorites.
Later on in the series, we’ll take a good hard look at how this power can transform non-valuable objects (clutter, basically) into something so sticky it takes a lot of internal strength to get rid of it. In other words, sometimes we see a “talismanic aura” around objects that don’t really deserve it. We’ll also explore how one object can have different meanings to different people. Or even the same person at different points in time.
Two important things before we go any further.
“The talismanic aura of authenticity.” What on earth are you talking about?
Right-O! Quick definitions before we move on:
- Talismanic = Having or belief that something has magic power. Hear it pronounced by clicking here.
- Aura = A distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing. Often expressed as air, such as “an air of mystery” or “the house had a neglected air.” Hear it pronounced by clicking here.
Secondly, I have to make sure everyone knows that I stole this drop-dead gorgeous phrase from a comment on an earlier Practical Archivist post about historic reproductions. The commenter’s name is Trevira, and she had a bunch of interesting things to say. In fact, there are lots of great comments about what is and what is not authentic. You can go skim it right now if you want, I’ll still be here when you come back, I promise.
There is power in authenticity (Lewis & Clark Map)
I know this is true because I have experienced it myself. There is a “you-are-there” power that is palpable, that you can actually feel.
When I worked at the Library of Congress, I was part of a group that got behind the scenes tours of each division. While visiting the Maps division, I got to see a map carried by the Lewis & Clark expedition. It was encased in mylar, so I could get rrrrreally close without risking any damage.
What’s the first thing you do when you see a map of your corner of the world? Well, I don’t know about you but I always look for where I live. So I lean in real close to get a good look at Wisconsin — and yes I know Lewis & Clark didn’t travel through Wisconsin, and I know it wasn’t called Wisconsin in 1803… but the map they carried included it. My corner of the world. Now known as Wisconsin.
So far it’s interesting, but not anything to write home about, really. Then I see it.
There’s a small “X” written by hand on the printed map. I realize immediately that someone has marked Portage, Wisconsin. Nowadays it’s a sleepy town (pop. 9,827) in a county where that kind of size makes you the biggest city in the county. Back in 1803, it was the shortest dry distance between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. I’ll let the City of Portage tell the story:
The historical distinction of Portage lies in its unique geographical location between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. Here, the two rivers, one flowing north to the St. Lawrence, the other south to the Mississippi, are separated by a narrow neck of land over which, for two centuries, Indians, missionaries, trappers, traders, adventurers and settlers traveling the waterway had to portage their canoes and heavy packs from one stream to another. The settlement which grew here because of the resulting traffic was first knows as “Wau-wau-onah”, Winnebago for “carry on the shoulder”. During the French occupation, it was simply “le portage” (from porter: to carry). This was eventually anglicized to Portage.
Back to Lewis and Clark. Even though they didn’t travel through Wisconsin, the location of Portage was important enough to hand annotate one of the maps they carried on their expedition. That’s when I started feeling a little dizzy. I felt a connection to the distant past, even though normally it felt like a foreign country I would never have a chance to visit.
Now it’s time to share your favorite story about an object that gave you the shivers…in a good way. Or an item that makes you feel like it someone you love is with you, even though they are far away.
Newspaper Clippings: Can They Be Saved?
March 7, 2010
Lisa Louise Cooke and I had an interesting chat about how to preserve newspaper clippings. You get to listen in our conversation because we recorded it for Lisa’s Genealogy Gems podcast. Yay!
Episode 83 is ready and waiting for you. Below are my notes from that talk.
Before we begin our examination of old clippings, I want to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Miriam Midkiff of AnceStories.
Miriam asked me about newspaper clippings so long ago that I’m pretty sure we can now measure that time in years. Egad! A toast to Miriam and her infinite patience!
In case you don’t know already, Miriam is the creator of the wonderful ScanFest — a monthly online meetup/chat for folks who are scanning family treasures. ScanFest is one of the best ways I’ve ever seen to keep a your scanning project on track (big or small).
Bottom line: If you have scanning on your “To Do” list, be sure to check out ScanFest!
What is newsprint?
And why does it turn yellow and brittle?
I’ll put this as plainly and simply as I can: The paper used in newspapers is bad paper. It is highly acidic and turns brittle in a short amount of time. This process happens even faster when the paper is exposed to UV light.
Even worse than its short life span is the fact that newsprint will damage other materials it comes in contact with. (I know! Isn’t that awful?) The acids will leach out and “burn” photographs, letters, books. Not good.
Can the damage be reversed?
Chemical treatments (usually sprays or baths) can slow down additional deterioration, but sadly there is no way to undo the damage that has already occurred. Keep in mind also that some of these treatments will actually make the paper darker. There is only one way to turn back time and have a creamy white document – start over by reformatting to a fresh piece of acid free paper.
That’s right. The simplest method is to photocopy onto archival bond paper. But sometimes, you don’t want to lose that authentic original object. How to figure out the right option for you? First you have to answer an important question.
Why are you keeping this newspaper?
When your job is to preserve inherently bad paper, you need to ask yourself some tough questions: Why are you keeping this, exactly? What long term value does it have?
Is it the facts and information that are most important? In the case of the photo above, that would be the genealogical information you can glean from the names of parents listed in the obituary.
Or is the clipping itself an artifact you want to preserve long term? Perhaps the clippings were created and saved by your favorite maternal aunt. Every time you see glue in a brown glass bottle, you think of her.
Which kind of value you assign often has a lot to do with how much newsprint you have to deal with.
KEEPING FOR INFORMATIONAL VALUE: In a large repository it’s not uncommon to have a collection arrive with several cubic feet of clippings. The information is often pulled together from multiple sources, so it can be a real time saver for a researcher. The information is worth keeping, but the bad paper’s gotta go.
What to do? Archives routinely photocopy onto archival bond, include multiple clippings per sheet whenever possible. Toss the bad paper. Relatively inexpensive and simple process. You can buy archival bond in reams just like regular office paper. I recommend acid and lignin free with a 25% cotton rag content. If you don’t have access to a photocopier, I recommend a DIY station at any of the chain copy places. You might need to bring your own paper, and you’ll get a surprisingly small discount for doing that. But on the upside, there is no need to pay for color copies, since black and white is enough. Copy stores usually offer discounts when the total number of copies is high, so this can come out to bargain if you pool clippings with friends.
KEEPING FOR ARTEFACTUAL VALUE: You have an important newspaper clipping you want to keep as-is.
What to do? Lucky you! You have a few choices at your disposal:
- Clippings, Option #1: Put the clipping in an archival plastic folder or sleeve with a sheet of buffered archival paper behind it. If you haven’t de-acidified the newsprint, do not fully encapsulate it, since this will allow the paper to stew in its own juices. Put the polyester folders in file folders and boxes made from archival stock. Store in an area that is cooled in summer and heated in winter and is not overly humid.
- Clippings, Option #2: De-acidifying via sprays and dips.
- Entire newspapers: To protect newspapers from light, dust and critters, store them as flat as you can in archival boxes. The best boxes have a full depth lid to keep out dust, and a drop front to make it easy to remove the bottom paper. Try to find a box as close in size as possible to the newspapers you want to protect. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can create inserts from archival board to customize the interior size of the box. Important! Make a list of the contents of each box so you don’t have to paw through them to find out what’s in there.
More information on newspaper preservation:
- Preserving Newspapers (Library of Congress)
- How can I preserve my newspaper clippings? (Library of Congress FAQ)
- Hints for Preserving Family Collections (NEDCC)
And remember, if you’d like to hear a discussion about this topic, be sure to check out Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems Podcast, Episode 83
Photo Credit: “Life in Clippings” by Greencolander, via Flickr/ CC BY 2.0