He Whakaputanga: Conservation challenges in displaying an iconic document
He Whakaputanga o teRangatiratanga o Nu Tireni, known in English as the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand, was first signed on 28 October 1835. To celebrate tomorrow’s anniversary of the signing the He Tohu conservation team share their specialist knowledge of this significant taonga.
He Whakaputanga on display in He Tohu
He Whakaputanga is on display in the recently opened He Tohu exhibition at the National Library. The oldest of the He Tohu documents, He Whakaputanga celebrates its 182nd anniversary this week. The document presented the conservation team with some unique challenges as they worked to prepare it for a further 25 years on display.
As with all of the He Tohu documents, work began with a detailed analysis and condition assessment. With a thorough understanding of the documents, such as their condition and vulnerabilities, a range of strategies were developed for preserving them from risks inherent in the materials or those posed by the exhibition and its environment.
The Document Room and cases have been designed with preservation in mind; the management of light in particular, as the already-faded document is still light sensitive. The room is deliberately kept dark and the document is only illuminated after the visitor pushes a button to ensure that light exposure stays below 70,000 lux hours per year. This is the recommended exposure limit established by a technique known as microfade testing, which allows conservators to predict the rate at which inks fade in light. Staying below this limit significantly reduces the risk of fading during the duration of the exhibition.
In addition to this, the positioning of the documents and the lighting systems have been designed to give visitors the best view under limited lighting conditions. The selected colour temperature produces better contrast between the inks and the paper at the low (below 50 lux) light level, while a vertical display allows visitors to get as close to HeWhakaputanga as possible.
He Whakaputanga consists of two sheets of paper around A4 in size. The first sheet, written on both sides, contains the written articles and the signatures of the rangatira/chiefs. The second sheet (known as a codicil) contains additional signatures on one side only. The challenge was to display the document in a way that would display all of the pages while minimising the amount of light on it.
With writing on three of its four sides, the team investigated the possibility of a double-sided display. This was discounted early on as it would have doubled the light exposure. It would also have required significant intervention and conservation treatment to repair its fragile edges, which includes historic damage from rodents and poor storage (this damage occurred prior to 1877, when a facsimile was published by Government Print. The damage can be seen on the facsimile).
The conservation strategy was to exhibit the documents with their historic damage. The option to do interventive repair did not meet exhibition or conservation requirements, so the conservation team created a display that allowed both sides of the document to be viewed. The result is a replica for the non-signature sides of HeWhakaputanga, with the original document displaying the sheets that were signed.
The mounting for He Whakaputanga differs slightly from the other displays in the Document Room. It has a more traditional appearance, with a window mat or opening that one would normally see in artwork hanging in frames. The window mat itself frames the document sufficiently to satisfy expectations by the viewer and allows you to view the whole document; while the replicas mounted behind it gives the impression of a double-sided mount, which maintains the context of the original format. With each side lit independently, it also means that the pages on display can be rotated to further manage light exposure.
The mounting is the only treatment that this document has received and follows established conservation mounting techniques, using acid-free Japanese tissue hinges and wheat starch paste on a high quality museum board. All treatments are reversible yet strong and robust enough to support the documents for the duration of the exhibition.
A detail of the mounting process
Conservator Anna Whitehead working on the document in the conservation laboratory at Archives New Zealand
The original document with signatures in the foreground, and the replica sheets in the background
On installation day He Whakaputanga was placed in the vertical display case, with a recess in the central steel wall able to house the mounted documents. They are held in place in the recesses by the use of magnetic strips all around, like a frame, and as a result are easy to install or de-install.
There are many other preservation features in the exhibition. The room is temperature controlled to 19°C while the case itself has independent humidity control and contains sensors that monitor the light exposure and environmental conditions. Although the Document Room is designed to be a safe repository in the event of an earthquake, the displays are also designed to allow safe evacuation.
Conservators continue to monitor He Whakaputanga closely. Cumulative light exposure is measured continuously and the detailed analysis and documentation, including high resolution imaging and spectrophotometry, means any changes can be identified and remedial action taken.
-This Note was written by Anna Whitehead and Peter Whitehead on behalf of the He Tohu conservation team (Anna Whitehead, Conservator, Archives New Zealand; Peter Whitehead, Collection Care Leader, Alexander Turnbull Library; Vicki-Anne Heikell, Field Conservator, Alexander Turnbull Library, with support from David Adams, Manager Preservation and Repository Services, Archives New Zealand.)
The conservation team would like to acknowledge: Christopher ‘Kit’ Cuttle, MA, FCIBSE, FIESANZ, FIESNA, FSLL, lighting consultant. Kit provided advice and the lighting specification for the exhibition displays.
Bruce Ford, independent conservation scientist. Bruce carried out the microfade testing and investigations and advice into the interactions of iron gall inks and light, which established light exposure limits.
Daniel Reeve, artist, calligrapher and cartographer. Daniel has a history of reproducing the Nation’s constitutional documents, foremost being the Treaty 2 U touring exhibition for Te Papa of the Treaty of Waitangi. Daniel produced the replicas we required.
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