By Lolly Bowean, Chicago Tribune reporter
December 7, 2011
In the moments after a hand-printed copy of the congressional resolution approving a 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution signed by Abraham Lincoln arrived at a South Loop graphic conservation firm, six staff members stood in silence, staring at the historic document.
Even with its wrinkles and creases, the 146-year-old artifact with faint, cursive writing that abolished slavery in the United States carried an emotional intensity.
"We all absorbed the moment," said Russell D. Maki, president of Graphic Conservation Co. "You can't help but be affected by the power of having something so significant in your presence. It took my breath away."
Then Maki and his staff began the work of removing the effects of age on the time-worn document.
On Thursday, after more than six months of painstaking work, the restored copy of the resolution will be returned to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield during a brief ceremony, Maki said. It will go on display at the museum beginning Feb. 1, officials said.
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