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Tue, 25 Jun 1996 20:49:00 +2000 |
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I was recently asked about the most appropriate methods of
dealing with original food packaging and their contents in a
museum collection. We discussed the problems from a
conservation and human safety viewpoint considering such
points as: risk of pest infestations; unknown ingredients
particularly in medicines that could be harmful or have
decomposed over time into harmful substances; risk of liquids
leaking onto other objects; liquids corroding metal lids; etc.
In my experience, the debate over whether to keep original
packaging and dispose of contents has generally resulted in
either 1. contents being disposed of and the packaging (box,
bottle, bag) kept, or 2. the contents are stored separately from
the original packaging and safely isolated from the rest of the
collection.
The dilemma that this particular museum is now facing,
however, regards canned food from the 1920s and 1930s.
While the can does not pose an attraction for pests, there is the
risk of the contents having deteriorated over time and, perhaps,
the can exploding. From a curatorial viewpoint, the original
labels and packaging are valuable resources, but the contents
can not be removed without altering the packaging.
How have other museums and living history sites dealt with
this problem? Do you have canned food in your collection?
Do you use these on display or store them carefully and use
them only for prototype purposes? Has anyone experienced
'exploding cans'?
Audrey Yardley-Jones
Conservation Co-ordinator
Alberta Museums Association
9829 - 103 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5K 0X9
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