Spring is the time for weddings, as the weather is warming and the flowers are in bloom. This month, we had the pleasure of preserving an antique wedding dress made in 1900 from the Elk Grove Historical Museum located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. According to their records, the dress was worn by Clara Schuette, who grew up in the museum’s farmhouse and married Henry Luehring on April 4th, 1901 in the museum’s parlor.
In 2014, a small group of volunteers in Marshalltown, Iowa, met to discuss the restoration of the Fisher Community Center Art collection, which had been untouched since the 1960s. The artworks were in desperate need for repair, care, and cataloguing, so the group set to work filing for grants and hiring specialists to help.
Our conservators come from vastly different backgrounds and specialize in treating countless types of objects, from oil or watercolor paintings to wood furniture to metal sculptures. Each piece is handled with expert attentiveness and care, whether it is large or small. One of our recently completed projects was on the smaller side—an ivory sculpture, measuring just over six inches tall.
The Conservation Center is honored to partner with the Illinois Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums to treat The Annunciation. Please enjoy this video explaining our first phase of treatment for the piece, included in their five-part lecture series, Rosa Mystica: A Journey of Renewal and Restoration.
At 8½ feet tall and 6½ feet wide with over 150 painted figures, James Van Fossan’s “Drama Magnifico” was a sight to behold in our conservation laboratory. The large oil painting, which reportedly took the artist over 4,000 hours to complete, is like a modern version of Rubens’ swirling celestial compositions.
Our conservators love to work on pieces that showcase our city’s extraordinary history. It was a treat for our Paper Department to work on a series of twentieth century membership photographs from the Chicago chapter of the Scottish Rite. The photographs were taken and developed by the Gibson, Sykes & Fowler studio, one of the Chicago’s earliest photography studios that opened as early as 1860.
As art enthusiasts, the staff here at The Center are always eager to witness the transformation of the pieces that enter our care. This month we were captivated by the recent results of a particular piece by Marisol Escobar. Made in 1954 as a gift to her studio mate, Richard Buzzle, Marisol created this stained wooden box out of an old butter crate, then added two stepped doors; this created a shape that is reminiscent of a religious altarpiece. Inside, she sculpted a nativity scene with numerous clay figures, and adorned the doors with metal star cutouts.
Our home base in Chicago has many cultural jems, and The Conservation Center has recently had the privilege of working with one of them- the beautiful Shedd Aquarium. Working closely with us throughout the conservation process, the Shedd Aquarium sent us a work that does not depict one of their thousands of species of fish, as you might have guessed, but rather a portrait of their generous patron and founder, John Graves Shedd.
Louisiana’s most famous female artist, Clementine Hunter, didn’t start creating art until around the age of 50. Born just a few decades after the Civil War, Hunter lived most of her life on the Hidden Hill and Melrose cotton plantation where she worked as a field laborer and domestic worker, respectively. It wasn’t until the mid-1940’s when a visitor of the plantation left behind art supplies that Hunter began to create the art she is known for today.
Crazy quilts – a textile trend in the late 1800s – are often anything but crazy. These one-of-a-kind treasures are intentional statements, consisting of irregular shapes, intricate embroidery, and a myriad of fabrics. When a crazy quilt from 1890 was brought to The Center for treatment, our Textile Conservator was thrilled to work on such a unique piece.
We’re always honored to help preserve family heirlooms, and this treasured family Bible was a joy to watch transform. Our Rare Books Department has handled many Bibles in the past, and one of the most intriguing parts is learning about their histories.
“Poppet” has two definitions: either as an informal British term for an endearingly sweet young girl, or a small figure of a human being used in sorcery and witchcraft. While the portrait Poppet from the Fischer Governor Foundation must refer to the former, she certainly cast a spell on us as she underwent treatment in our Painting Department.
When this darkened painting came to The Center for treatment, we knew we were working with a special piece of history. The subject of this portrait is an unidentified woman dating back to 1860, a time when only those of high status could afford to have oil portraits done of themselves. This piece of information gives little insight into who this woman was and the life she lived.
The West Foundation, which awards grants to the arts and to humanitarian, cultural, and civic organizations centered in the Lakeshore, Wisconsin area, is no stranger to treasures – (read about their stunning Lester W. Bentley mural) but when this autograph book was brought to The Center for treatment, we knew it was something truly special.
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