Chris Clarkson and his Contributions to the Study, Care, and Conservation of Manuscripts and Rare Books at the Walters Art Museum

Abstract

ABSTRACT Early in his career as a rare book conservator Christopher Clarkson worked at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, from February 1977 to August 1979. Hired by the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, Dr. Lilian M.C. Randall, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Clarkson conducted a condition survey of the western European manuscripts and wrote detailed descriptions of their structure and bindings for the first comprehensive catalogue to be published of the collection. Clarkson provided training for Walters staff in the handling and display of early books and, with Randall's support, drafted a lengthy monograph on the subject that included instructions on the fabrication of Plexiglas® book cradles. As Clarkson's time was limited, he was unable to undertake the specialized treatment of manuscripts with broken textblocks and bindings. Recognizing the complex problems of thickly applied media on flexible parchment supports, Clarkson made a significant contribution to the preservation of the Walters collection by recommending important changes to existing protocols, established in the late 1960s, for the consolidation of flaking paint in the manuscripts. The experience that Clarkson had at the Walters was significant, as it shaped his thinking about the role of the conservator in studying and caring for early books and in establishing model preservation programmes for special collections in research libraries as well as museums.