The analysis of historical papers is a requirement to estimate their actual condition, to elucidate underlying degradation mechanisms and to design appropriate treatments. Fluorescence labelling of oxidized functionalities followed by gel permeation chromatography yields highly sensitive information about the extent of oxidation and chain scission in cellulosic materials. Additionally, only few milligrams of sample are needed which allows for sampling on selected original materials. These features make fluorescence labelling very attractive for the analysis of topics in the context of paper conservation.