Todd,

The danger to adjacent collections occurs when biological activity or fermentation occurs in cans and they bulge and can explode in situ. Also other foodstuffs in containers such as cardboard or wood can also be overcome by mold and fungi. These present very real hazards for the staff and visitors as well as the collections themselves. If the container is important and not the contents then you can carefully drill a small hole in the bottom of a can, for example, and evacuate the contents then rise it out with alcohol. After drying the hole can be plugged or filled with an inert and reversible material. When I was consulting with the Alaska State Museum we came across some beer cans that were bulging and discussed the same issue - so you may want to contact conservator Ellen Carlee up there as to what they decided to do in that case.

If the foodstuffs are important then further study and treatment of those may be required. Either storage in isolation from the other collections, freezing, or even freeze drying may all be viable options.

If you have an objects conservator on staff or one who you consult with there you should spend a day with them going through the foodstuffs collection and getting an idea of which items are high priority that need to be addressed.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Senior Conservator and Museum Consultant
Los Angeles CA

On Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 10:08 AM, Topper, Todd <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Hello everyone,

I have some questions about maintaining original food packaging and containers as artifacts. We have been collecting this sort of thing for the past forty to fifty years with the intent to document and present how food was perhaps pre-prepared, stored, marketed, and sold in Colorado. Many of these tins, bottles, and boxes still hold their original contents--such as canned chestnuts, full bottles of Coors beer, or microwaveable TV dinners. Some of these were quite old when we collected them—so may date to the ’20s or ‘30s. Although these have been around for a long time, and most are sealed. I’m concerned about these potentially attracting pests or creating a potentially hazardous/noxious environment when the sealed container eventually fails. Do any of you have policy or procedure in place that deals with such collections?

Thanks,

Todd

Todd Topper

Director of Collections Management

Colorado Historical Society—History Colorado

1560 Broadway

Denver, CO 80202

303-866-4693

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