Spit cleaning is a Dickens of a job!

When I was in London for the 2011 Pest Odyssey conference I picked up one of those free tabloid newspapers while riding on the Tube.  I was pleasantly surprised to find an article on conservation on page 3!  Apparently…

Charles Dickens clearly loved a bit of art and craft in his spare time.  The discover of a room dividng screen decoratedd by the great man, using 800 illustrations, was beyond the expectations of historians – who are now cleaning it with gel and saliva.

Read the October 25, 2011 by Hayden Smith in its entirety on the Metro website

 

160 years of varnish and dirt is lifted off by hand and... human saliva

 

One thought on “Spit cleaning is a Dickens of a job!”

  1. Pingback: Saliva: Dirt’s Kryptonite and the Conservator’s Weapon | The Cody Conservation Sensation

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