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Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on old paper documents such as books, postage stamps, old paper money and certificates. The name may be a variant form of the English West country dialect term foust and Scots foze, to become moldy.^[1] Alternatively, it may derive from the fox-like reddish-brown color of the stains.^[2] Paper so affected is said to be "foxed".

Foxing is seldom found in incunabula, or books printed before 1501.^[3] Decrease in rag fibre quality may be a culprit; as demand for paper rose in later centuries, papermakers used less water and spent less time cleansing the rag fibres used to make paper.^[4] An early work of art to have been affected by foxing is the Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk, a drawing on paper by Leonardo da Vinci.^[5]

Foxing also occurs in biological study skins or specimens, as an effect of chemical reactions or mold on melanin. Textiles, such as articles of clothing, so affected may also be said to be foxed.^[6]

Aside from foxing, other types of age-related paper deterioration include destruction of the lignin by sunlight and absorbed atmospheric pollution, typically causing the paper to become brown and crumble at the edges, and acid-related damage to cheap paper such as newsprint, which manufacturers make without neutralizing acidic contaminants.^[7]

Causes of foxing

The causes of foxing are not well understood. One conjecture is that foxing is caused by a fungal growth on the paper.^[8] Another is that foxing is caused by the effect on certain papers of the oxidation of iron, copper, or other substances in the pulp or rag from which the paper was made.^[9] It is possible that multiple factors are involved. High humidity may contribute to foxing.

Repairing foxed documents

Foxed documents can be repaired, with greater or lesser success, using sodium borohydride,^[10] proprietary bleaches, dilute hydrogen peroxide or lasers. Each method risks side effects or damage to the paper or ink.

Another method is to scan the image and process that image using a high-level image processing program. This can usually remove the effects of foxing while leaving text and images intact.

In biological specimens

It is generally not advisable to repair study specimens, except perhaps for mechanical damage. Type specimens should – if at all possible – not be altered in any way. If foxing affects the study value of a specimen (e.g. in bird or mammal skins or in insects, where it may affect diagnostic coloration), this might rather be remarked on the specimen label. Color standards^[11] can provide a means of documenting coloration before or in the early stages of foxing.

References

^ Smythe Palmer, Abram (1890). "Folk-Etymology: A Dictionary of Verbal Corruptions Or Words Perverted in Form Or Meaning, by False Derivation Or Mistaken Analogy". Google Books. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
^ "Foxing (PCC) – Wiki". www.conservation-wiki.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
^ Iiams, Thomas M.; Beckwith, T. D. (October 1935). "Notes on the Causes and Prevention of Foxing in Books". The Library Quarterly. 5 (4): 407–418. doi:10.1086/613729. JSTOR 4302211.
^ Dard, Hunter (1978). Papermaking : the history and technique of an ancient craft. New York: Dover. p. 154. ISBN 0-486-23619-6.
^ Piñar, Guadalupe; Tafer, Hakim; Katja, Sterflinger & Flavia, Pinzari (2015). "Amid the Possible Causes of a Very Famous Foxing: Molecular and Microscopic Insight into Leonardo da Vinci's Self-portrait". Environmental Microbiology Reports. 7 (6): 849–859. Bibcode:2015EnvMR...7..849P. doi:10.1111/1758-2229.12313. ISSN 1758-2229. PMC 4959533. PMID 26111623.
^ Mina, Laura (1 November 2019). "Foxy Underpants: Or the Use of Chelators and Enzymes to Reduce Foxing Stains on Early Nineteenth Century Men's Linen Underpants". Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. 59: 3–17. doi:10.1080/01971360.2019.1674604. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
^ "The Deterioration and Preservation of Paper: Some Essential Facts – Collections Care – Resources (Preservation, Library of Congress)". www.loc.gov. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
^ Arai, Hideo (October 2000). "Foxing caused by Fungi: twenty-five years of study". Research Gate. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
^ Kelsey, Marianne (21 January 2023). "What Causes Foxing and Staining in Paper?". Kelsey Book and Paper Conservation. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
^ Masters, Kristin. "How to Prevent and Reverse Foxing in Rare Books". Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
^ Smithe 1974.

Cited Sources

Smithe, Frank B. (1974). Naturalist's Color Guide. American Museum of Natural History. ISBN 978-0-913424-04-9.

Related Works

Smithe, Frank B (1974): Naturalists' Color Guide Supplement. American Museum of Natural History, NYC. ISBN 0-913424-04-8.

Smithe, Frank B (1975-): Naturalist's Color Guide. American Museum of Natural History, NYC. ISBN 0-913424-03-X.
Smithe, Frank B (1981): Naturalist's Color Guide Part III. American Museum of Natural History, NYC. ISBN 0-913424-05-6.
Roberts, Matt; Etherington, Don (1981). Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology. Washington, DC: Library of Congress. ISBN 978-0844403663.