Magna Carta Conservation Treatment

Magna Carta, during conservation treatment at the National Archives, revealed previously illegible writing through ultra-violet photography. This Inside the Vaults video short follows the National Archives' senior conservators Terry Boone and Morgan Zinsmeister as they remove old repairs, fill areas of loss with conservation paper, and humidify and flatten the document during its conservation treatment, the first phase of its re-encasement and public display.

The document, written on parchment in 1297 with iron gall ink, is one of 17 surviving versions of Magna Carta in the world today and the only copy in North America. It is currently loaned to the National Archives by owner David M. Rubenstein, co-founder of The Carlyle Group in Washington, D.C., and is the only privately owned copy.

Inside the Vaults includes highlights from the National Archives in the Washington, DC, area and from the Presidential libraries and regional archives nationwide. These shorts present behind-the-scenes exclusives and offer surprising stories about the National Archives treasures. See more from Inside the Vaults at http://bit.ly/LzQNae.

• Category

  Education

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  Standard YouTube License