Question Three Piece Oversized Movie Poster

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FrameOfMind

FrameOfMind

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I have a customer with an original three piece lithograph king kong movie poster. Any suggestions on how to hinge the pieces together using the utmost care with conservation quality. The dimensions when laid out come to 84' tall and 41.5 wide. Im unable to get acid-free foamcore that large, any other material I could use?

Thanks

Victoria
 
48"x96"x 2 mm or 3 mm thick aluminum composite material (ACM) such as ePanel, DiBond, Alucobond, and other brands would make a good substrate. It is thin, lightweight, very rigid, non-hygroscopic, chemically inert and long-term stable. Among the best substrates for preservation framing, ACM is relatively inexpensive; about $35 to $65 per sheet, depending on the brand, size, and how and where you buy it. Most suppliers of this kind of material can cut it to size for you, using a Fletcher-Terry FSC wall-mounted cutter or a similar machine with a disk-type cutter that leaves smooth, rounded edges.

I would suggest lining the surface of the ACM with 4-ply alpha cellulose board and using sturdy pass-through hinges on the poster sections.

For the glazing, an optically coated, 98% UV filtering acrylic would be perfect. Or, if your customer will not pay that cost, use at least 98% UV-filtering acrylic. I'd use a spacer, too, but direct contact would be OK if the framed poster's surface would not be harmed by pressing the acrylic against it, and if it would be kept in a climate controlled environment.
 
I would go with rag and a coroplast backing for a substrate. This issue comes with trying to get the 3 pieces aligned and flat without damaging the art.

I would look into having this mounted to linen. This is beyond my skill set so I would send it out to a qualified person that does this all the time. If you search for linen poster backing you might find something.
 
Here at the ICA we would not recommend the glazing come in contact with the surface of the poster.

Nor would we recommend lining it onto linen, but lining it onto paper with wheat starch paste or possibly Lascaux 360 might not be a bad idea. It might even be possible to put all three pieces of the poster together this way.

The other ideas presented so far all sound plausible.

Whatever happens, this is a big enough job the client might care to consult a conservator about whether or not washing it first would be a good idea.
 
Second the rag then coroplast. We would likely double up on the coroplast as well for strength. Post a pic. I'd love to see this thing. Sounds interesting.
 
http://www.posterconservation.com/
These folk specialize in mounting posters to rag faced linen with rice starch. I have also had them lift, clean, and remount vintage posters.
 
05, why not having it lined on to linen? This has been done with vintage posters for as long as I have been alive.
 
Fabric (linen or cotton) used to be used as it was the only substrate large enough not to require piecing. Now Japanese paper can be used in single or multiple layers (as in scroll mounting) as required. It is less obtrusive than fabric (thinner), and reacts to variations in moisture content similarly to that of the poster's paper (unlike fabric). Piecing is not a problem with Japanese paper backings as watercut edges can be seamlessly joined.

There is a very wide spectrum of poster paper supports. Some are in good condition and printed sections can be joined with strips of Lascaux HV 360/Japanese tissue and hinged as is, some are very brittle and need encapsulating or backing. Some are fine with one Japanese paper backing, some need two or more.

If it is valuable/rare consulting with a paper conservator before any decision is made is a good idea.
 
Dave-

Movie (and other posters) that are "linen backed" are actually mounted to rag paper that has been mounted to the linen.

The linen is stretched on a frame and then the rag paper is mounted to the linen. Then the sheets are mounted to the paper and retouched as necessary. The entire package is then trimmed from the frame and the linen is trimmed with an appropriate border to protect the edges of the poster.

[video=vimeo;15465053]http://vimeo.com/15465053[/video]

Posterfix does a great job and Chris is a master.
 
Yes, that's been the traditional way, and it has proven problematic for the reason Rebecca gives: the woven structure of the fabric and the structure of the paper react very differently to atmospheric conditions, and it is the poster that takes all the stress, and suffers for it. A piece of paper between the fabric and the poster would alleviate some of the stress on the poster.

We recently removed several posters from linen and lined them onto kozo. We could almost hear the paper sigh in gratitude. (It helps that the paper usually gets washed at the same time, removing accumulated acids). We do this to maps all the time.

We seem to be developing a specialty in larger items.


Somewhat related: Cradling panel paintings is a traditional method as well, and has proved even more problematic, though it is still done, because it is the thing that people know (and it looks so good and craftsmanlike from the back, too).
 
Thanks for posting the video clip Rob. I always wondered how they did it. My heart leapt into my throat watching his mounting method - paper conservators are trained in the Japanese methods which are very very different.
 
Thanks for the explanation 05.
 
Acid free foamboard is available in 48 x 96.
 
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