"[Graphic Conservation’s] reputation is such that the State of Illinois has twice selected Graphic Conservation to work on their copy of ‘The Gettysburg Address.’ The company is sensitive to both the materials they work on and the clients who bring them in. I would categorically state that theirs is the top paper conservation firm in the country."
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Our Conservation and Preservation Services
Graphic Conservation Company has been serving private clients, museums, historical societies, and other institutions since 1982. Offering the highest quality conservation and restoration of all works on paper, our company can accommodate both single items and large collections. Over the years, our company has been entrusted with the conservation of rare and important items of all kinds, from precious family documents to valuable fine art and collectibles to historical artifacts of national significance. Our full-service lab additionally offers a range of museum-quality preservation services to ensure that your newly conserved work on paper is stored and displayed in a safe and archival way.
Our team of conservators maintains the highest professional standards set forth by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) when performing conservation treatments.
Conserving Works on Paper
At Graphic Conservation Company, our team of conservators treats a wide variety of works on paper. Our extensive experience includes the conservation of art, ephemera, historical documents, and more. Below are just some of the types of paper objects we treat. If you have an item that doesn't fit one of the categories below, feel free to contact us for a complimentary examination and treatment proposal.
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American Heritage Documents
This Abraham Lincoln-signed copy of the 13th Amendment was painstakingly restored in our lab to reduce its extensive wrinkling and increase its legibility.
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Antique Advertising
A very rare item, this promotional baseball poster was cleaned and repaired by our conservators.
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Architectural Drawings
Our conservators cleaned this tissue-thin drawing and removed it from an acidic backing board.
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Atlases
The taped and torn pages and covers of this atlas were cleaned, repaired, and partially re-sewn to strengthen and restore the book.
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Automotive Build Sheets
Torn, wrinkled, and soiled with oil and dirt, this original Corvette receipt was cleaned and repaired with matching antique paper.
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Blueprints
Our conservators removed this blueprint from its backing in order to clean it and repair the pinholes and possible rodent damage in the upper right corner.
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Books
This leather-bound autograph book required repairs to fix its crumbling spine and reduce the paint stains and scratches on its cover.
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Boxes
Our conservators repaired the torn paper and chipped board of this aged box as well as inpainted areas of lost ink.
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Collectibles
Our conservators removed the tape from this miniature paper hat. After cleaning and locally flattening the pieces, they then reassembled the hat.
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Drawings & Prints
To restore the muted color of this print to its former vibrancy, our conservators cleaned it and flushed out its stains.
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Family Documents
Our conservators pieced the fragments of this document back together and then hand painted areas where ink had been lost.
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Fine Art
Our conservators removed adhesive residue from this drawing and reduced the stain that marred Matisse’s signature.
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Globes
By removing the varnish on this globe, our conservators restored the color and clarity of the original design.
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Land Grants
Our conservators humidified this vellum document in order to flatten and clean it and treat the inks on the surface.
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Letters
This fragile handwritten letter required extensive cleaning and tear repair. The repaired letter was encapsulated in mylar to protect and preserve it.
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Maps
Published in four sheets, this large map of the Louisiana Purchase Territory needed cleaning and repair to make the weakened and moldy section on the upper left match the other sheets more closely.
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Newspapers
Commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s nomination to the presidency, this newspaper print required tape removal and stain reduction to restore its condition.
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Old Master Prints
Our conservators removed this 1635 drypoint etching from a damaging mat and also removed hinges that were causing tears in the paper.
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Paper Sculpture
The many layers of paper on this sculpture required careful cleaning and tear repair.
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Pastels
Our conservators cleaned this portrait and removed the tape from the broken-off fragment of board. They then reattached the pieces.
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Photographs
After removing the tape from this signed photograph of Lou Gehrig, our conservators repaired the torn sections using antique paper and hand painted the lost areas.
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Point-of-Purchase Displays
Our conservators repaired this torn board display and inpainted areas where ink had been lost due to insect damage.
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Posters
Measuring almost seven feet high, this poster was cleaned, strengthened, and painted by hand to repair creased areas where the ink had worn away.
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Sports Memorabilia
Featuring the designs of early baseball cards, this poster required extensive treatment to repair its tears and insect damage.
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Vellum
Our conservators humidified and flattened this 1907 certificate and reattached the loose seal.
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Wallpaper
Our conservators removed a layer of newer wallpaper and adhesive residue on site in order to clean and repair the historic wallpaper underneath.
