Conserving the Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment

RESTORING HISTORY

Rare documents are often as difficult to preserve as they are to find in the first place. The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is proud to be the stewards of two especially rare and important documents: a Leland-Boker edition of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln and his Secretary of State, William Seward, and a Senate engrossed copy of the 13th Amendment, also signed by President Lincoln, as well as 36 Senators who co-sponsored the amendment.

When these documents first came to ISMHS as part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, they were in need of extensive conservation work. We started by looking for just the right expert for the project.

Morgan Zinsmeister working to preserve and conserve the Emancipation Proclamation.

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Ultimately, Morgan Zinsmeister, a Washington, DC-based conservator in private practice who is also a senior conservator at the National Archives, was selected to complete the conservation treatment of both documents.

A Hoosier native, Morgan undertook the complex work of removing several old repairs and a paper backing that were applied to the reverse of the document, reducing overall dark yellow discoloration, and finally physically stabilizing the document by applying a new backing and filling losses along the edges.

Getting documents this rare to their intended destination is nearly as complicated as restoring them. At least two people must be with the documents at all times while they are traveling, and the details of the itinerary must be held in relative secrecy. The documents get their own plane ticket, and travel in a case specially-built to protect them during the journey. When asked if accompanying the Emancipation Proclamation on its flight to Washington DC had made her nervous, Traci Cromwell, Director of Collections at the ISMHS, said “Of course! It’s an honor, but it’s also a huge responsibility.”

Once the Emancipation Proclamation had been delivered to Zinsmeister, he got to work. It took Morgan approximately 40 hours to complete the conservation treatment. The preservation efforts didn’t stop there, though. With Zinsmeister’s advice, the ISMHS also created special document cases for both the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment. These cases are completely sealed, protecting the documents from a host of environmental factors that would lead to their deterioration. “The goal,” says Traci, “was to create an enclosure that would be good enough to insure that these documents can remain in them for 30, 40, even 50 years, which should boost their lifespan significantly.”

Emancipation Proclamation Signatures

Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation Signature

In much the same way that the President and Vice President of the United States don’t travel together, neither does the ISMHS send both the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment to the same place at the same time. This meant that the Emancipation Proclamation traveled to Washington, D.C. first, while the 13th Amendment waited its turn. Of course, documents as important as these – which abolished slavery in the United States – don’t just get dropped into the mail.

Zinsmeister holding Emancipation Proclamation

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After the Emancipation Proclamation had been returned to the museum, the 13th Amendment had its turn.

Zinsmeister carefully removed heavy areas of grime on the surface of the parchment (avoiding the areas of text and signatures). The wrinkled and creased parchment was then humidified and flattened. After his painstaking efforts, the document was finally in the best possible shape, and was sealed in its own protective case before being driven back to the museum.

After being carefully catalogued into the museum’s collection, the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation were carefully stored, away from light and other damaging environmental factors, so that they could “rest” before being exhibited.

13th Amendment prior to conservation

The Emancipation Proclamation prior to conservation Cromwell positioning document into case

Because being on exhibit exposes these documents to light and other potentially damaging environmental factors, these two critically important pieces of U.S. history can only be viewed by the public for short intervals.

This is one reason that the ISMHS is so excited to announce that both documents will be on view at the Indiana State Museum from January 10 through January 19, 2015. Morgan Zinsmeister will also travel to the museum during the exhibition to discuss the process of conserving and preserving these very rare documents.

For more information about the exhibition or our collection, please visit www.indianamuseum.org.

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