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Full-Text Articles in History

Birds Of Paradise And Environmental Politics In Colonial Indonesia, 1890-1931, Robert Cribb Jan 1997

Birds Of Paradise And Environmental Politics In Colonial Indonesia, 1890-1931, Robert Cribb

Robert Cribb

Pressure to protect the bird of paradise, native to New Guinea and eastern Indonesia, began to develop in the late nineteenth century. Progress was slow, partly because lack of knowledge of the ecology of the birds made it difficult to assess the best way to provide protection, partly because of problems of enforcement, partly because of countervailing interests represented by the trade in pelts.


Cellulose Nitrate Plastic (Celluloid) In Archaeological Assemblages: Identification And Care, Megan E. Springate Jan 1997

Cellulose Nitrate Plastic (Celluloid) In Archaeological Assemblages: Identification And Care, Megan E. Springate

Megan E. Springate

Invented in the mid-19th century, cellulose nitrate (celluloid) is commonly regarded as the earliest synthetic polymer or plastic. As increasing numbers of historical sites dating from the mid-1800s are excavated, cellulose nitrate objects are more frequently found in archaeological assemblages. The inherent instability of cellulose nitrate makes proper handling, storage, and display conditions vital to the longevity of recovered objects. In this paper, the composition, manufacture, and means of identifying cellulose nitrate are summarized. The processes of degradation and means of slowing those processes through preventive conservation are also elaborated.