Workshop on the Identification and Care of

Architectural Drawings and Photo-reproductions

 

Stanford University Libraries
June 18-20, 2014
9:30am-5pm

Instructor: Lois Olcott Price, Director of Conservation
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

Course Description

Architectural drawings are not an end in themselves; they are created to illustrate an architectural concept, sell a project, or provide the graphic information to construct a building. A study of the materials and methods used to create architectural drawings therefore provides insights into changes in architectural practice as well as drafting techniques. Drawings, ranging from quick conceptual sketches on tracing paper to annotated working blueprints, also illustrate different phases in the design and construction process. The interpretation and preservation of architectural drawings depends upon an understanding of their role in architectural practice and a knowledge of drafting materials and techniques and the ability to identify them. This workshop will provide an overview of changes in the fabrication and role of American architectural drawings from the eighteenth to the mid twentieth century and then focus on issues of identification, storage and stabilization. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy as an aid in process ID will be discussed and a Bruker Tracer III-V+ portable XRF will be available during the workshop for ID exercises.

What you will learn:

Supports and media used for original architectural drawings

Photo-reproductive processes used for architectural and engineering drawings

Typical deterioration problems associated with each type of material

Housing options and materials

Strategies for setting priorities and choosing the most appropriate housing

Lois Olcott Price is Director of Conservation at the Winterthur Museum and Winterthur Professor of Art Conservation in the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She has published, lectured and consulted widely about architectural drawings and published a monograph on her research in 2010, Line, Shade and Shadow: the Fabrication and Preservation of Architectural Drawings, which won the Historic Preservation Book Prize in 2011.

Format

3-day workshop, mix of lecture and hands-on examination and identification

Who Should Attend

Archivists, collection managers, registrars, conservators, and anyone interested in or responsible for architectural drawings and photo-reproductions.

Registration

Open registration will continue until the class is full (20 participants).

Questions about the workshop can be sent to: info@gawainweaver.com.

Workshop Cancellation Policy:

• Full Refund if requested up to 3 weeks before the workshop.
• 50% of the fee will be refunded if requested between 3 weeks and 1 week before the workshop.
• Cancellations made within one week will not result in a refund.
• If the refund is requested more than 60 days after initial registration AND payment was via Paypal a $30 fee will apply due to Paypal policies.
• Should the workshop be cancelled for any reason, full refunds will be made.