“Fish Hawk” Plate 81 from “Birds of America - Havell Edition” - J.J. Audubon (1830)
This single plate from the Havell Edition of John James Audubon’s Birds of America had multiple mechanical damages as well as localised acretions of surface dirt. The key aims of this treatment were to improve the aesthetic legibility of the work by removing surface particulates and to arrest the mechanical degradation at the edges to reduce the risk of tears extending into the printed image and to improve the ease of handling