The drawings in this exhibit are from the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA`s mission is to ensure ready access to essential evidence for current and future researchers, and these works of art provide information about actions of Federal officials and help define the national experience. To safeguard this evidence, records held by NARA, including the fragile drawings shown here, must be preserved.
Over time, handling, pollutants, pests, exposure to light, fluctuations in temperature and humidity can damage documents. Inks and paints can fade, bleed, or flake; paper can discolor, weaken, or break. To ensure the safest possible environment for records, NARA`s preservation staff monitors storage conditions in the stack areas and recommends standards for handling the material. They make recommendations for the storage, handling, and environmental requirements for the various formats of official records, such as sheets of paper, bound volumes, photographs, drawings, sound recordings, motion picture footage, and videotapes.
| Special Media Services Division stack area |
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| Still Picture Research Room |
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| Reading the Hygrothermograph |
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| Conservation Laboratory |
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Citation for left side image:
Sketch of the Great Seal of the United
States
By Francis Hopkinson, May 10, 1780 Pencil and ink on paper
7 3/8 " x 6 3/8 "
National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the Continental
and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention
