This card was preserved well. Like any document that has survived many years, this postcard shows signs of aging – the card itself, which may have been white when first produced, is now yellowing and browning. However, the physical structure of the card still holds strong. There is no folding or creases in the card, showing that the previous owners and current owners have took care not to place it wherever, but took care to lay it flat. However, the edges of the card, similar to any document which has survived many decades, are beginning to bend and wither.

            Additionally, this postcard does not contain any writing on the back. This shows that the original owners purchased this card with the intent of preserving it. Like the other postcards in this collection – including all the postcards in this exhibit, none of these cards contain writing on them. George Sleeman, or a Sleeman relative probably purchased these cards at separate occasions and joined them together in a collection. Similar to how we may store collectables now, they may have kept them in a scrapbook or a small box, so they would be protected from the elements and would be kept from creasing.

            Once they reached the University of Guelph Archives however, they were probably preserved with better techniques. Even when we were handling these postcards we were not allowed to have any liquids with us, and the cards were placed in plastic sleeves. We were allowed to take the cards out of the sleeves to handle them, but gently, keeping in mind how fragile these cards may be.