This post comes from Ilaria Camerini and Erin Fitterer, Rakow Library interns during the summer of 2018 working on the conservation of Library collections, including the Whitefriars stained glass cartoon collection. Read more about this project and the collection in previous posts.
Ilaria and Erin examine silver gelatin photographs.
This is the fourth year of the annual Whitefriars conservation project, a collaborative effort between West Lake Conservators and the Rakow Research Library. We — Ilaria Camerini and Erin Fitterer — are the lucky paper conservation interns for the summer, and we are excited to contribute to this project.
The Whitefriars stained glass cartoon collection consists of 1,800 rolls of cartoons, or preparatory drawings, for stained glass windows. Because of the way they were originally stored, each roll holds an unknown number of paper artworks. There are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 cartoons, working drawings, and photographs overall.
Since June 4, we have unrolled 40 cartoons from a single roll. These drawings were all made for the Church of Sacred Heart in Lake George, NY. As one might expect, the subject matter of the drawings is primarily religious in nature. There are numerous images of the Holy Family, saints, and angels.
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- Detail of Madonna with Child, CMGL 714017
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- Detail of angels, CMGL 714025
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- Detail of a penitent receiving a blessing, CMGL 714019
Visit the catalog records for each of the above three images to learn more: 714017, 714025, and 714019.
We also found a lot of interesting sketches and marginal notes along the edges of the drawings. As you can see in these next pictures, someone was sketching elements from the designs in the margins: a cross, an anchor, and a heart. The object on the far right that appears to be a broom or brush is actually an aspergillum, an implement of purification. All four images are symbols commonly associated with the Catholic Church. The graphite sketch resembles the subjects of the drawing: there is a heart encircled by light and an aspergillum. These sketches could have been proposed alternatives to the final drawing.
See how the details of the marginal sketch are related to the image of the heart and the aspergillum. CMGL 714009
Many of the sketches are not related to the subject of the drawing. These marginal sketches feature human figures. There is also one that resembles a toothbrush.
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- Detail of a male figure, CMGL 714027
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- Detail of a female figure, CMGL 714027
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- Detail of a toothbrush, CMGL 714008
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- Detail of a face in profile, CMGL 714029
While designing the cartoons, the artist would occasionally make mistakes, or change his mind. How do we know this? Some cartoons show evidence of altered lettering and modified drawings. Sometimes, the artist made these corrections in creative ways. Here, the artist pasted an altered image over the original drawing.
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- The final image, pasted over the original design, CMGL 714025
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- Part of the original design. Note how the backgrounds of the two versions differ. CMGL 714025
In this drawing, there was clearly some issue with the lettering. Rather than paint over the image, the artists scratched out the original drawing and made the necessary changes in graphite.
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- Notice the modified lettering ourlined in red. CMGL 714021
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- Notice the lettering scratched out and modified in graphite, CMGL 714030
We have completed all the treatments planned on the first roll of drawings: surface cleaning with vulcanized sponges, erasers, and brushes; humidification and flattening; mending with Japanese paper and wheat paste. Now they are ready to be digitized.
We are excited to discover more interesting drawings. To see what we find, follow our posts on social media!
The Rakow Research Library is open to the public 9 am to 5 pm every day. We encourage everyone to explore our collections in person or online. If you have questions or need help with your research, please use our Ask a Glass Question service.