Paper Conservation
Common Questions & Answers

I found Marianne Kelsey through an internet search looking for a paper conservation specialist. My piece was a painting from East Germany executed on paper in 1968. While the piece had been stored flat for many years, it has signs of acid ageing and small tears along the edges. Transport from Germany required I roll it into a drawing tube which induced a curl in the work. The painting itself gathered a bit of dirt through the years and also required cleaning.

I am happy to report that the painting is in great shape - now clean and expertly repaired and the paper acid neutralized in a process lasting over 10 months. Marianne Kelsey did a wonderful job preserving my painting! She also connected me with an experienced archival framing company that finished the project. I couldn't be happier!

We searched carefully to find someone highly qualified to do the work we needed. We had two lithographs, one Picasso and one Chagall, that we entrusted to Marianne Kelsey to restore. The former had two tears, going into the color, and was rolled. The latter, on rice paper, had been folded and stored in abysmal conditions. She repaired the tears on the Picasso such that we have to really search to find where we think they were. It now looks gorgeous framed. The Chagall was flattened and smoothed, with most of the staining removed. We just picked it up and are thrilled with the transformation (it’s waiting to be framed). Feel safe knowing that your most prized pieces will be carefully attended by Marianne.

Marianne works with meticulous craftsmanship. She has a broad swath of experience as a book conservator both within the industry and as a personal practitioner. She is scrupulous, honest, and careful in her business dealings, and her follow-through is excellent. In addition to being a skilled book conservator, she is a paper and book maker of the finest quality. I am including a photo of a book she made for me,

Marianne recently repaired and restored an important family heirloom - my Grandmother’s Beauty School Diploma from 1936. The damage it had sustained broke my heart. Marianne was professional and empathetic. She totally got how important it was to me. The final product came out better than I had hoped! She also gave me a great recommendation for framing to further preserve this important piece of my family’s history. I would recommend her without hesitation.

I used to contract Marianne when I worked at an art museum. She would do a series of book binding classes. People would come in with no experience and leave with a beautiful book they were proud of! Because of her thorough and patient style people would be so thrilled with their books they would sign up for the whole series. She was great to work with and great with the patrons. She gained a loyal following! I would recommend her for any class she offers and the quality of her work is superb! She is also very kind and easy to work with.

Marianne is an accomplished conservator. When asked locally here in Richmond where I could get a heirloom vellum (parchment) indenture contract preserved and restored, she was highly recommended by staff at the Virginia (Historical) Library.
Worth the trip to Greensboro!
Marianne kept her promises of estimate, duration and finish date. She is so meticulous and knowledgeable of different inks, fabrics and mediums.
You can tell she takes great pride in (as well she should!), and loves her work. A True Master!
★Thank you M.K.!

Over the past few years Marianne Kelsey has helped me with two projects. She restored and preserved a nineteenth-century scrapbook, and just recently she preserved a watercolor that dates, probably, from about 1900. Both items are valued highly by my family; I can’t imagine receiving better service. In Marianne we found supreme expertise as well as a level of personal care that larger shops are unable to provide.

Marianne is a highly skilled conservator. She's a patient listener with her clients, flexible, and passionate about her work. And her results speak for themselves. Her knowledge on paper and book making helps her ability to explain restoration to others unfamiliar with the anatomy of various documents. A wonderful restorer and teacher! Highly recommend.

In a move several years ago, my son discovered an old family Bible that was literally falling apart. It contains original family pages with hand written entries of births, marriages and deaths for several generations in our family (beginning in 1823) that are in remarkable condition, but the front and back covers and parts of the spine were in really bad shape. Some parts of the covers were completely separated from the Bible, pieces of the leather on the spine had come off and some of the pages were falling out or were loose.
Marianne Kelsey did an amazing job in restoring the this family treasure! Using archival materials and her expertise as a conservator, she restored the covers and spine, mended torn pages, resewed loose pages and mounted the beautifully restored spine on the newly rebacked and restored volume. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the newly restored Bible! Now this priceless family Bible can be viewed and enjoyed by future generations in our family!
Thank you, Marianne!