Tree Planting Ceremony, gelatin silver print (DOP), 1919. Georgetown University Archives; Booth Family Center for Special Collections.
This panoramic photograph on a brittle paper support had rolled and had broken in several vulnerable areas. Conservators carefully flattened the item using a humidity chamber and dried it using light pressured restraints. Surface dirt and grime can affect the chemical composition of historical photographic processes, and as much dirt and grime as possible were removed with latex sponges and swabs. Tears and breaks were mended with Japanese paper and wheat starch paste, and breaks and cracks were also filled with gelatin as needed.