“The Mule Deer” by Ernest Thompson Seton. Highlights of the Academy for the Love of Learning collection of Seton Drawings and Paintings/All image rights reserved.
ALL #2023 Reproduction on paper, 20 x 27.7cm. Original dated 1885.
This a reproduction, but was the original art an ink drawing or a lithograph or some other variety of print? Since I have not seen the original, I cannot be sure. If the date is correct, and the work was created when Seton was 25 years old, then the “Ernest T. Seton” signature was likely added much later.
Deer Me
These deer appear out in a field where we can get an unusually good close look. One of them is grazing, although these creatures are generally classed as “browsers,” eating plants that are not grass such as tree leaves, shrubs, acorns, and the like. If they spot you, they may give a moment’s direct stare before bounding away.
Paper Burn
About this specific work of art: The discoloration you see is called mat burn. It occurs when wood pulp acid from an inferior paper migrates into the artwork causing permanent damage such as staining as well as weakening the paper on which the art image is printed. Nearly my first task upon becoming Seton Legacy Curator in 2005 was to unframe and un-mat every artwork in the Academy collection. Not one mat could be salvaged.
The works on paper that had never been matted avoided the fate of this one, although paper going back over a hundred years is most often fragile. Age seems to make older works more susceptible to light damage, although even the most recent works should never be subjected to sunlight or overly bright artificial lighting.
This beautifully rendered work is kept in an acid-free box, that is, in total darkness unless brought out for examination. Other works in our collection are kept in open display drawers. The drawers are kept shut except when someone opens the drawer to take a look. Gallery illumination comes from LED lights which emit little UV radiation. Light causes fading.
In your home, you can choose a standard LED bulb and acid-free mats and backings for your artwork to prolong their life. Otherwise, at some time in the future, your artwork will show the kind of damage we see in this one.