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Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections LibraryP.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
URL: https://small.library.virginia.edu/
Sharon Defibaugh
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation
MSS 16289 Christine Smith Conservation files, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.
Provenance
Donated by Christine Smith, 20 February 2017.
Historical Note
Christine Smith, a conservator working for Conservation of Art on Paper, Inc. (CAPI), wrote an article in the "Winterthur Portfolio A Journal of American Material Culture" (Volume 38, Number 4, Winter 2003) describing the history of George Washington's last will and testament and the various treatments that it has undergone. Smith not only describes her contemporary treatment of the documents but also the pioneering conservation treatment of the wills of both George and Martha Washington by William W. Berwick, restorer of manuscripts, Library of Congress.
Scope and Contents Note
The Christine Smith Conservation files (1945-2016; 2.69 cubic feet) concern the conservation of the wills of George Washington and Martha Washington. The files contain slide photographs of each page of each will, usually with additional detail photos. Each set of before-treatment slides represents the wills as they appeared in 1998, approximately nine decades after manuscript restorer William Berwick preserved them; the after-treatment slides document the appearance of each will in 2003.
There are also photocopies of materials concerning each manuscript's preservation history, including damage during the Civil War, early restoration attempts, storage formats, and exhibition histories.
For George Washington's will, there bits of the will paper and ink (for future microscopy studies), nine microscope slides of the will's materials, specimens of the translucent paper that Mr. Berwick used to tack together the split sheets prior to silking them, the inlay/mounting paper that he used, and the double-sided mat housings that Christine Smith used. For Martha Washington's will, there are specimens of the inlay paper and silking crepeline.
Other materials included were specifications and papers concerning the new case built to house George Washington's will in 2002, written documentation on the restoration of both wills, papers about an exhibition of the wills held at Mt. Vernon, and audiovisual materials documenting or publicizing the restoration of the Washinton wills.
Arrangement
These files are arranged in two series, Paper Files and Slides (Boxes 1-5) and Audiovisual Materials, Born-Digital Materials and Microscope Slides (Box 6).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Historic preservation -- Virginia.
- Wills -- United States
- slides (photographs)
Container List
- Manuscripts [X031747168] box: 1 folder: 1
Case built for George Washington's Will - Papers and Specifications1 folder(s)2002
- Manuscripts [X031747168] box: 1 folder: 2
Conservation of Art on Paper, Inc. Notes on Project1 folder(s)1998-2003
- Mixed Materials [X031747168] box: 1 folder: 3
George Washington Miscellany1 folder(s)circa 1945-2009
- Mixed Materials [X031747168] box: 1 folder: 4-8
Last Will and Testament of George Washington - Written Documentation5 folder(s)circa 1961-2016English.
- Manuscripts [X031747168] box: 1 folder: 9
Mats Purchase to Rehouse George Washington's Last Will and Testament1 folder(s)2000-2006
- Manuscripts [X031747169] box: 2 folder: 1
Mt. Vernon Exhibition1 folder(s)1998-2002
- Text [X031747169] box: 2 folder: 2
Printed Material1 folder(s)1998-2001
- Slides [X031747169] box: 2 folder: 3-7
Slides documenting the work on the wills, duplicates5 folder(s)circa 1998-2002
- Slides [X031747170] box: 3
Photo Documentation of the Conservation Work on the Last Will and Testament of George Washington , Part 1 of 21 Volumes Three ring photograph storage box.circa 1998-2002
- Slides [X031747171] box: 4
Photo Documentation of the Conservation Work on the Last Will and Testament of George Washington, Part 2 of 21 Volumescirca 1998-2002
- Mixed Materials [X031747172] box: 5
Photo Documentation and Written Documentation of the Conservation Work on the Last Will and Testament of Martha Washington1 Volumescirca 1998-2002
- Mixed Materials Flat_Box: OS Box S-112 Oversize_Folder(Within_an_OSBox): 1 [X031747175]
Materials removed from the George Washington and Martha Washington Wills during the 1999 Treatment at Conservation of Art on Paper, Inc. (CAPI)1 folder(s)1999
- Audiocassettes [X031747173] box: 6
Audiocassette National Public Radio Morning Edition1 Cassettes1999 August 16
- CDs_(Compact_discs) [X031747173] box: 6
"The Last Wills and Testaments of George and Martha Washington" [Conservation] on 4 Compact Disk-R4 itemscirca 1998-2002
- DVDs [X031747173] box: 6
"George Washington Remembers" - Washington reflects about his early days in the French and Indian War, narrated by Roger Mudd1 items2004
- VHS_(Videocassettes) [X031747173] box: 6
"George Washington's Will" on Discovery Channel1 Cassettes2001 February 22
- VHS_(Videocassettes) [X031747173] box: 6
"George Washington's Will" on Hearst-Argyle Television, Washington, D.C.1 items2001 February
- VHS_(Videocassettes) [X031747173] box: 6
"George Washington's Will" on Channel 8, Washington, D.C.1 items2001 February 21
- Slides [X031747174] Artifact: 1
Microscope Slides on the Conservation of Washington's Wills9 itemscirca 1998-2002