Our readers know by now that the Historical Archive’s task is to preserve the documents produced during the company’s activities. Preservation means the conservation and protection over time of a precious asset such as a historical document (which may be on paper, glossy paper, film, etc.). We would like in this in-depth study to talk about an essential aspect of conservation, restoration.
Indeed, since its inception, the SDF Historical Archive has engaged in the recovery and restoration of the most damaged documents for the long-term preservation of the most significant material for the company’s history and that of agricultural mechanisation in Italy. The Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities has declared the Historical Archive and Museum of ‘very important historical interest’, confirming the national interest in its heritage.
The company’s ‘Publicity’ department of the time designed these posters. They could be used in house organs, sales pitches, to accompany brochures and advertising catalogues, or as support for in-house courses organised for mechanics. Thus, we can see why all these tears, holes, moulds, glues, scotch tape, and staples have significantly damaged them. The posters went from hand to hand, hung, rolled up, taken away, and given to dealers. Overuse, misuse, and storage in unsuitable places have meant they have come to us in this poor condition.
It is now hazardous every time these precious documents need to be consulted or shown to visitors in the archive and then returned to the drawers. In such cases, specialised restorers are essential, experts who, respecting the document’s original form and following careful technical analysis, restore it using the same original materials and techniques wherever possible. A good restoration will aim to be recognisable to the expert eye without affecting the overall look of the piece. Thus, skilled hands will restore these documents to their former glory. They will then be digitised and placed in suitable envelopes for preservation. This will allow these important testimonies of our past to be valued and disseminated to anyone interested in discovering and studying them.
We see in these images two heavily damaged advertising posters depicting two significant SAME machines, the Leone 70 and the Explorer 65.
