Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-22
HOME TREASURES.
How to Care for Your Pictures and
Prints.

In Longman's Magazine Philip Gilbert
Hamerton has an exhaustive article on the
care of pictures and prints. There are few
better authorities on art, and none who are
capable of giving better advice on the sub
ject noted. Nearly all homes contain cher
ished pictures in oil or water colors or
both, prints of various kinds, portraits that
have come down through generations. and
around which cling tender memories Few
are the houses, indeed, in which there are
not pictures that, like good books have he
come close friends of the members of the
household and in which pardonable pride
is taken. The reduction of Hamerton's
advice INTO a brief code of rules will,
the RECORD UNION Judges prove of in
terest to our readers. Turner was. of all
artists, the most careless of his drawings
and he left great number of them in
such dirty, worn, dusty. moth eaten and
crumpled condition as to afford Hamertor
an admirable text for his paper using
Turner's method as representative of every
thing that should be avoided bv artists and
art collectors and lovers Of good pictures of
any kind. Damp, dust and vermin must
of course, be avoided i'll gallery or home
they are enemies of all kinds of books,
prints and paintings. But both light and
! colors-the last fades in light, and the first
turns yellow for want of it. Mildew is
fungus growth, thriving onlyin damp stu
atoms, and 1t asSails prints kept in such
places. Miilboard, put by trainers back of
prints, and into portfolios by binders. alb
serbs dampness readily So, if a wall
is damp, the millboard being next
to it, will absorb the moisture.
Nearly everyone has found the board backs
| of pictures sometimes bullying out. and
this is due to absorption of damp When
| there IS sufficient dampness at the back of
the back, tungoid growth begins on the
print under the glass. If there is iron in the
paper, rust spots will appear. by way of
variety. So, wooden backings are the bet
ter. The utmost care should be given to
backingS, to secure those that will least alb
sorb moisture from the atmosphere, of
which there is always more or less. There
fore, dry atmosphere is necessary for the
| perfect care of our art works at home A
sheet-zinc backing is the right thing, ac-
cordlng to Hamerton, for ali our framed
| engravlngs, and We II asst put it in warm,
| to expel all moisture, and seal the edges OF
back and glass with strips of paper put
on with a solution of gum-lac in spirits of
wine. Light will not ipiure engravings
! Water colorS to be long preserved-that is,
| for generations-Ought TO be kept in cabi-
| netS; but one may well sacrifice some
drawings for the satisfaction of seeing lis
collection on the wall. As to drawings in
portfolios, he says there is reason to tisiul<
these latter are not entirely safe. Damp
assails these pasteboard or millboard cases
| frequently, even where not near a wall.
Shallow tin boxes are therefore preferable
Shelved cabinets of thin woods are recoIu-
mended also for keeping prints and water
colors in warmed rooms but the wood
should be Of the least absorbent quality.
Dust must be excluded always from prints.
as it discolors the paper and settles about
and ruins the edges Many drawings are
so delicate that dust cannot be cleared
from them without injury Especially
is this true of unlixed charcoal
and pastel drawing. Damp and
| dust less affect oil pictures, but still affect
them frequently. Indigo in oil, without
varnish, fades; moisture acts upon verdi
| girls when III oil alone: even protecting
yarnish may be penetrated by damp. The
best way to treat our oil-color treasures is
to care for them as if they were delicate
water-colorS. Damp will assail an oil-color
| from behind therefore avoid putting
good picture On damp wall. A second
canvas back is q wise precauti0n as it pre-
vents chance blow running your picture
and leaves space between the original and
Dack favorable To dry AIR. Tin foil laid
| over the back with varnish, and on which
| is lead, will exclude damp. Glass is used
in the National Gallery over oil paint
ings, but it prevents good
view of the picture. Oil pictures
on canvas are preferable to those on wood
panels, for wood is never at rest" For
| panels, copper is the better base If you
have wood panel, coat of paint on the
| back will lessen its absorbent quality. Oil
| pictures are always accommodating coat of
dust, that finally makes the dangerous pro-
| cess of " cleaning necessary. So, occa-
Slonal feather-dusting and wiping with a
| soft rag, warm water and u little weak
soap, are good preventive processes. Oil
| paintings and prints, like books, must be
guarded from vermin. and drawings and
| prints from flies. Fine prints have been
ruined by being left on a table for a mo-
ment i'll room where flies had access.
| Wood-boring worms assail pictures on
panels only. Rats and mice will, OF course,
| attack paintings, and so print cases should
| be metal-protected behind and beneath,
with glazed fronts.
Hamerton concludes bis article, so useful
| to all housekeeperS, and which applies to
| care of books as well, with some thoughts
on taste III exhibiting our home treasures !;
but that is not necessarily related to the
| subject in hand, which is intended to be of
value to us in preserving favorite pictures
and prints.