Skip to content

Changing the way we think about linenbacking...

So I have been working on a new term that I will be unveiling with a new website I am working on and would like some thoughts.  I would like to attempt to change what we call linenbacking to a three word phrase "Conservation, Support, and Restoration"  or CSR for short.  As I have argued in past posts I don't think collector's understand what they are getting when they send their posters off to be linenbacked.

Why CSR?  There are clearly three different efforts that are generally focused on (or not).  They can all intermingle but generally from my observations everything falls into these three categories and usually in this order...  Is it a conservation effort, support effort, or restoration effort?

Conservation: Purified materials, archival materials, deacidification, acid buffer, etc.

Support: Such as linenbacking or paperbacking. Spot support... Or none at all...

Restoration: Paper fills, art infilling (reversable/permanent), reprays

Thoughts?

Comments

  • Great idea! As one who has just dived into the hobby with yesterday's first attempt, I've tried to be as faithful as possible with the conservation approach. First reading your article in pulpfixin. My journey also began by printing and reading as much as time allowed the American Institute of Conservation chapters on Paper Conservation. .....if I become proficient at conservation & support, I move into restoration, just how much remains to be seen.
  • Hey Charlie,

    That sounds like a great idea.

    In my opinion I think it would serve the collector community to have a place to go and get a detailed understanding of the differences without having to do so much digging up. 

    As a suggestion: What I personally am most interested are the differences in the theory / technique between: 

    A) The real pro's. People who studied conservation and dedicate themselves to conservation of materials at the academic level. Rare books, etc.
    B) The "pro's" - Without mentioning names. There just seems to be a wide disparity in how these places work / techniques. For example some of them use wallpaper glue other wheat paste, some use the smooth side of the Masa others the textured, etc, etc..
    C) The home brewers - like yourself which in my opinion fall somewhere between A and B.
  • Needs a big old:

    image

     

     

  • I think this is a great idea a Charlie. Good for you. I just wondered why you'd call it "support" rather than..say "backing" which is a more familiar term I thought. That said I congratulate you for getting this far. You clearly know your brief very well! Looking forward to seeing your website :)
  • edited April 2015
    CSR - locally known as the Colonial Sugar Refinery, now with a much diversified operation


    You could call it LALP - Learn About Linenbacking Porfessionals, then build a website with all the information dropped in one unsearchable lump then charge people money to display your official logo, even if they are shonky.

    Provided you don't do the above then the idea is good
  • Just call it Bidll
  • Well I guess it's sort of like how lamp calls movie posters and lobby cards "accessories"... I don't think anything will change, we will always say we had our poster linenbacked or restored. I mean who is going to say I had my half sheet CSRed... But I do think there is a way to present the service as a whole with three basic focuses...
  • Mirosae said:
    I think this is a great idea a Charlie. Good for you. I just wondered why you'd call it "support" rather than..say "backing" which is a more familiar term I thought. That said I congratulate you for getting this far. You clearly know your brief very well! Looking forward to seeing your website :)
    I say support because there are actually other commonly used methods to support paper than actually backing it. For example, encapsulation and starch applications; which I guess they call starch backing...  But in the end, even though they are backing the paper, it is being done to support the paper and give it strength. 
  •  Looking forward to seeing your website 

    Funny, I was reading my old blog post and I referred to this "CSR" concept already - over two years ago! 

    Time has a way.  

    Just to clarify, I still have pulpfixin.com...  My new site will bring together many things I have been working on including conservation and restoration; but among other things I've decided it is time to sell some stuff.  So if you have been wondering what the "MPW" deal on the side bar is, that is the site.  It is called "Movie Poster Works".  I hope to open May 1st.

    My plan is not to offer Conservation, Support and Restoration services but fund the passion through purchasing damaged paper, bringing them back to life, and then selling them on the site... I will most likely move pulpfixin over to this site as my blog so it can be more actively tied with what I am doing...

    Should be a journey for sure.

     
  • Best of luck with the new website Charlie!
  •  Sounds great!...give a shout when it's live! :)>-
  • A great way to channel passion about posters! :)
Sign In or Register to comment.






Logo

For movie poster collectors who know...

@ 2021 Vintage Movie Posters Forum, All rights reserved.

Contact us

info@vintagemoviepostersforum.com

Get In Touch