Miscellaneous > The Sallyport

Why do 'historians' touch documents without their gloves???

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Sir Knight:
It makes me mad. Oh... it makes me so mad. It makes me so very mad.

Why do I watch documentaries about various things and see people touching 600 year old+ documents without gloves? In the one I recently watched; The Story of Britain, they even use their fingers and rub over the ancient pigments as they explain how wonderful the document is. Then they grab the corners of several pages and play with it as they explain something.

WHY DO THEY DO THAT?  >:(

I remember watching a documentary about stained glass, I think it was anyway. The nice girl in it went to a museum and the man there held the pages without gloves and she asked him why. His excuse was that he knows how to hold them and what amount of pressure to use.

Uh... acidic hands. Moisture transferring to the page from your sweaty fingers holding the old paper.

It's sad when the only thing I can remember about these documentaries is how they touched the manuscripts, not what they said about them all.

B. Patricius:
First off, let me say I agree with you wholeheartedly.

Second, I'm currently working on my studies in Anthropology.  Experimental Archaeology is my emphasis.  One of my professors, when I asked him about this over coffee said, "let me put this to you in a way you can understand.  Ever seen someone who is completely new around guns handle a firearm?  Ever seen a police officer?  I think it's the familiarity, and a minority, take that for granted.  It's the ones that truly show the respect the weapon, or in our case artifact, deserves, that deserve our respect as well."

Thorsteinn:
Are you sure those were originals and not facsimiles? I know that there have been repro's of I.33, Fiore's work, Lichtenauers work, and Talhoffers work made to look original. IIRC Mike Loades own's several of these.

Sir James A:
I would say if it's a book that has been read lots of times, and survived 500+ years, it probably won't do much to it. They may also be wiping it down or cleaning it right after filming? Random guesses.

Sir Wolf:
ya there are so many books in the library of congress that are touched its scary lol.

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