Rag Linen | Online Museum of Historic Newspapers

Beyond collecting and sharing historic newspapers with our readers, Rag Linen also preserves and protects these priceless relics.  Early newspapers were printed on durable rag linen paper and often bound by institutions for long-term storage; however, these newspapers survived countless natural and man-made disasters, including major wars, floods and fires, so many still show scars. Some worse than others.

To help save these  first drafts of history from loss and restore them as close as possible to their original condition, Rag Linen has partnered with one of the top paper conservators in the world.

J. Franklin (Frank) Mowery, a recognized leader and innovator in paper conservation and restoration, is head of conservation at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.  In addition to his full-time work, Frank has maintained a private practice (restorepaper.com) for more than 30 years to help folks like Rag Linen.  His clients include galleries, museums, libraries, dealers and private collectors in the United States and abroad. Among his notable projects are numerous copies of the Declaration of Independence, including a Dunlap broadside, multiple Stone copies, and numerous Force copies (watch this great video on the drafting, signing and copying of the Declaration of Independence).  Frank specializes in early American documents, autographs, old master drawings and prints, and 20th century graphic art.

When it comes to colonial newspapers, like the ones in the Rag Linen collection, damage frequently includes tears, non-archival tape mends, holes, stains and acidification.  On historically significant or severely damaged  pieces, Rag Linen will often turn to Frank Mowery for his expert paper restoration and repair.  Frank is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on leafcasting, or infilling loses with paper pulp on a small papermaking machine.  Below are images of Frank working on a recent Rag Linen newspaper project — the February 17, 1775, issue of the New Hampshire Gazette — which included use of the leafcaster.  Check out more of Frank’s work at restorepaper.com, including his before and after portfolio. For a free estimate on your project, please contact Frank Mowery at 202-468-8644 or restorepaper@yahoo.com.

Photo captions (left to right, top to bottom):

1. The tattered and torn paper placed in the leafcaster awaiting water and paper pulp.
2. Adding the measured amount of paper pulp into the water above the documents being repaired (it is critical to add the correct amount of pulp to match the weight of the original).
3. Stirring the paper pulp in the water above the documents being repaired.
4. Lifting the hold-down grid (which holds the paper in place while mixing the pulp) as the suction begins, which draws the water and paper pulp down to the areas of loss.
5. The casting is nearly complete, the paper pulp has been drawn to the losses, the water passes through the screening material that the documents are lying on, the paper pulp gets trapped and fill the holes.
6. Lifting the wet, but cast (repaired) document out of the leafcaster.
7. The cast (repaired) document being laid on the vacuum suction table to dry.
8. Before and after treatment.

VIDEO: For additional background on the art and science of paper conservation, here is a great behind-the-scenes video filmed in the New York Public Library’s conservation lab.

Highlighting the best of the best history Twitter feeds, below are Rag Linen’s Twitter Top 50 on History (in no particular order), representing our favorite history-related microbloggers.  The list includes educators, historians, authors, enthusiasts, institutions, reenactors, students, genealogists, tour guides and more.  Given the content of raglinen.com, there is a clear slant toward 18th century American history, so feel free to recommend your favorite history-related Twitter accounts in the comments to help provide balance.

@SecondVirginia @amhistorymuseum @EJBrand @historyadv @RevolutionaryPA @MOPrinting @BibliOdyssey @LooknBackward @HistoryLais @mercpol @GentlemanAdmn @BirkbeckEMS @ThomasJefferson @kenhalla @rarenewspapers @bostonhistory @GeoWashington @TheHistoryWoman @EMhistblog @Historianizer @PaulRevereHouse @lucyinglis @bencarp @Boy_Monday @Boston1775 @history_geek @DaintyBallerina @OspreyRich @Medievalists @EarlyAmerica @RagLinen @historytweeter @PocketHistory @HistoryChannel @EMhistblog @AFHistorian @maineroots @jmadelman @HouseHistorian @katrinagulliver @LincolnBuff2 @dancohen @jmcclurken @warof1812 @HistoricNE @ushistorysite @russeltarr @colonialwmsburg @samuelpepys @bschulte

I traveled to Boston this past weekend and witnessed the annual Boston Massacre reenactment commemorating the 240th anniversary of the first blood shed in the American Revolution. During my trip, I had the good fortune of meeting the historians behind TeachHistory, Boston 1775 and Lessons on Liberty.

I was honored to learn that Gary Gregory, founder of Lessons on Liberty and one of the participants in the 1770 reenactment, keeps the Rag Linen app on his iPhone. In fact, I was so flattered, I asked if I could snap a quick photo (at left, click to enlarge). Moments after snapping this pic of colonial iPhone usage, I found another colonial sipping a McDonald’s beverage. I love the juxtaposition.

UPDATE (3/10/10): Coincidentally, the same day this post was published, Colonial Williamsburg launched two free iPhone apps, including one called “Today in the 1770s“.

The Rag Linen 1776 collection begins with important news from Parliament in London at the end of 1775 and concludes with Washington’s victory letter from his headquarters just outside Trenton on December 26, 1776. Between, we make stops to read period reports of the Fortification of Dorchester Heights, the Siege of Quebec, the Declaration of Independence, the pulling down of the equestrian statue of King George III in New York City, the Battle of Long Island and the Articles of Confederation. According to the synopsis for David McCullough’s 1776 book, “The darkest hours of that tumultuous year were as dark as any Americans have known. Especially in our own tumultuous time, 1776 is powerful testimony to how much is owed to a rare few in that brave founding epoch, and what a miracle it was that things turned out as they did.”

New with this collection is a supplemental video to help set the tone and importance of the pieces included in the 1776 collection. Enjoy.

Thanks to the tip from @bostonhistory, we learned today that photographs and video will be banned in the Rotunda of the National Archives, home to the original Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The ban goes into effect February 24, 2010.

For an excellent history on the conservation and preservation of the historic documents, check out NOVA’s “Saving the National Treasures“.

While photos and video will soon be prohibited, you can still download high resolution images of the Charters of Freedom at archives.gov or check out the our poor-quality photos we took while visiting Washington DC in 2009 (below). The documents are stored in $5 million state-of-the-art cases, which are housed in the dimly lit Rotunda of the National Archives.

In 1783, several treaties of peace were signed to formally end the American Revolutionary War.  Since the war had become global, representatives of Great Britain first signed peace treaties with France and Spain in January of 1783. Then, in September, representatives of Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris with the United States of America. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay signed for the United States. As you can imagine, American newspapers packed their pages with content relating to the “Definitive Treaty” when it finally made its way across the Atlantic in October and November of 1783.  The Treaties of Peace 1783 collection contains the following items:

Gentleman’s Magazine (London) – February 1783
Full printing of the Preliminary Articles of Peace with France
Full printing of the Preliminary Articles of Peace with Spain
Full printing of the Provisional Articles of Peace with The Thirteen United States

Newport Mercury (Rhode Island) – May 10, 1783
Full printing of the Preliminary Articles of Peace with Spain
Extensive end-of-war reporting from across Europe and America
Major-General Baron de Steuben becoming a citizen of Pennsylvania

London Chronicle – September 27 to 30, 1783
Full printing of the Definitive Treaty of Paris

Connecticut Journal – October 1, 1783
Excitement stirs as news of the signed peace treaty nears

Pennsylvania Packet – November 1, 1783
News that the “Definitive Treaty” is signed arrives (with rare 18th century headline)

To welcome the new year, we made it easier for you to get Rag Linen on the go. Just visit raglinen.com on your iPhone, iPod, Android, Storm or Pre for our new and improved mobile edition experience. Add our icon to your home screen (bookmark the site on your cell) to read our updates in an instant.

If you prefer to still browse Rag Linen’s regular appearance on your mobile device, there is an option in the footer for you to easily toggle back and forth between views. The new iPhone-friendly version loads even faster and comes with a sleek interface. Enjoy.

To kick-start 2010 and celebrate the redesign of raglinen.com, we have published three exciting new digital exhibits: