Parchment Bylaws
Late 18th Century; Manuscript ink and graphite on parchment with silk ribbon
The parchment bylaws consisted of two sheets of parchment that were stitched together with silk ribbon. The Japanese paper hinges had failed in some areas and the parchment had some strong distortions due to exposure to a very humid environment from water used to put out a fire. The silk ribbon had also become very brittle from exposure to light. The parchment was released from the mount and the old hinges were removed followed by selective surface cleaning to reduce a very light layer of soot. Thin strips of Japanese paper were threaded through the holes for the silk ribbon to reinforce the weakened silk. Loose pieces of ribbon were adhered to the Japanese paper. The parchment was carefully humidified in sections and then stretch dried to reduce distortions. New Japanese paper hinges were adhered to the verso edges and it was mounted to a tycore panel.
