AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

Collaborative projects have the potential to uncover new perspectives and the ongoing exploration of leather by the Leather Discussion Group (LDG) is no exception. The group, established in 2016 to discuss the effects of leather dyes on leather, has evolved into a much larger project with many facets. What started as a discussion among a small group of book conservators now includes conservators in multiple disciplines as well as leather researchers, suppliers, and leatherworkers in both the US and Europe. The group has learned a great deal about the ways in which people view leather, the philosophies behind its use, and how variations in training and region affect outlooks.

Additionally, recent broad-scale explorations of health and safety concerns, sustainability, and the environmental impact of leather production have led to a reduction in leather use due to a need to perform more research in some of these areas. This, combined with a need for further research on the long-term effects of recent leather treatments and the relative longevity of modern skins compared to traditional (stable) and industrial age (highly unstable) skins has tabled leather use in many cases where this is of paramount importance. Meanwhile, explorations of non-traditional leathers and leather substitutes have added new aspects to the practice that also need further study to establish their relatively stability, or lack thereof, in comparison to traditional leather. The project has led to many surprising discoveries and unearthed copious avenues for future collaborative study, such as with experimental tanning and metagenomic testing. From explorations of the potential effect of animal husbandry on skin quality to historic leather testing methods, research into various aspects of leather longevity is nothing new.

Shifting institutional and client priorities play a large role in the place leather has in any given setting. Where it was once ubiquitous as a bookbinding material, changes in the tanning process, ostensible longevity issues, training, and the availability of alternative materials have created a divide between typical institutional and private client trends. Institutional focus on rehousing or minimal treatment is economical yet often fails to return a book to its fully functioning potential. Meanwhile, individual clients often opt for more leather use with future handling in mind.

Come join the Leather Discussion group and our invited panelists for a lunchtime overview of the most recent undertakings in this explorative project. Among topics to be discussed are the group’s experimental tanning project designed to assess modern leathers’ microbial characteristics in differing tanning environments, the ways previous conservation treatments affect leathers’ conditions, and the launch of a georeferenced database intended to serve as a global repository for past, current, and future leather use and research.