Book and paper conservation services for both institutions and individuals.
Services
- Book & paper conservation
- Protective enclosures
- Collection surveys and consultation
- Exhibition preparation
- Conservation matting & framing
About Kristi
Kristi Wright, principal of Wright Conservation & Framing, has been active in the book and paper conservation field for twenty years.
Kristi has a Masters in Library and Information Science as well as a certificate of graduate study with a focus on preservation. She is apprentice trained.
She works with both institutions and individuals.
Current Memberships:
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC)
International Association of Book & Paper Conservators (IADA)
International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC)
Guild of Book Workers – Potomac and Southeast Chapters (GBW)
Virginia Conservation Association (VCA)
Washington Conservation Guild (WCG)
Select Publications & Presentations
The Evolution of Bookbinding Leather: Past, Present, and Future: in Suave Mechanicals: Essays on the history of bookbinding Vol. 7. 2022.
Understanding the Material Properties of Leather – Old and New: 2018 Symposium: The Current Use of Leather in Book Conservation, Houston, TX
“Facts and Inferences” – Digitizing Shadows from the Walls of Death part 3: 2018 Circulating Now, Bethesda, MD
Oil on Paper: A collaborative conservation challenge: 2017 Book and Paper Group Annual, Vol. 36
Tracking Color Shift in Ballpoint Pen Ink Using Photoshop Assisted Spectroscopy: A Nondestructive Technique Developed to Rehouse a Nobel Laureate’s Manuscript 2016 The American Archivist, Vol. 79, Issue 1
See a full list on Kristi’s ORCiD
Treatment Examples
Reback
A reback is a technique that repairs a book’s cover if it has separated from its spine. Cloth and leather are two common materials for rebacks. The material is chosen based on the book’s original structure.
Front cover before repair. 
Front cover after repair. 
Front cover before repair 
Front cover after repair
Front cover before repair 
Back cover before repair 
Front cover after repair 
Back cover after repair
Paper Repairs
Washing
Some treatments involve washing paper. This is done to remove degradation from the paper that discolors and weakens the paper over time. Washing helps to restore strength to the paper and can also brighten it.
Here is a comparison of book sections in a new bath (left) and after they’ve been in the bath for several minutes (right). The dark color of the water is due to the degradation products migrating from the paper to the bath.
Connect
I’m best reached via email: kristi@wrightconservation.com
My studio is located in Front Royal, Viginia. Studio hours are by appointment only.
I can often provide ballpark estimates using your photos and descriptions to give you a general idea of treatment costs. Official estimates will be provided after I receive the item. Due to the number of items in my queue and prioritization of time-sensitive projects such as institutional exhibition preparation, treatment turnaround time is often six months or more.
Wright Conservation & Framing is on Facebook