One of the most high-profile examples of the fading of iron gall ink involves America’s Charters of Freedom—the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution—all three of which are in appreciable danger of being lost through the fading of their ink. The documents have been treated multiple times and are frequently evaluated for condition changes and adjustment of their custom-constructed micro-environments and supports.
Chief of Conservation at the National Archives, Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler, describes her work on the Declaration of Independence and the Transmittal Page of the US Constitution. She also describes the steps taken during treatment of all the Charters and the microclimate encapsulation of the Declaration.