Sealing of Fluid-Preserved Collections: History of a Technique between Practice of Cabinet and Field Experiences

Characterization of the JAR Sealants in the Fluid Collections of the Muséum National D'histoire Naturelle

“…An important concern present since the early days of fluid collections was how to close a container hermetically to limit the evaporation of the preservative solution (Daubenton 1749) and to limit the influx of oxygen. The study of the history of jar sealing illustrates the clash between the theoretical methods of some investigators and the experimental methods of others, and documents the change over time in established approaches (Pequignot 2019). Jar sealing techniques applied to fluid collections have evolved in close correlation with the evolution of conservation techniques in fluid collections.…”

Beeswax-rosin mixtures in historical wet collection sealants: Qualitative analysis of their composition by DSC and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

“…To limit these phenomena, a particular interest was paid in air-tight sealing techniques since the early XVIIIth century. The know-how of chemists and liquor-makers for chemical apparatus sealing were first adapted, then sealants were specifically developed for wet collections in order to limit as much as possible maintenance operations such as the refilling or replacement of fluids [2,6]. These sealants correspond to pasty substances of variable colors and textures applied between the rim of the jar and the flat glass lid.…”

“…Some of them came with one or several metallic foils and/ or bladders put over the lid and attached with a string under the jars rim. A few historical records and academic papers praise for the performance and durability of one or another type of sealant, but the archives regarding sealing operations are rather poor and do not cover the great variety of sealants observed today in collections [3,[6][7][8][9][10].…”