The Art of Accessories: A hand-braided hairwork necklace

The Art of Accessories: A hand-braided hairwork necklace

This hairwork necklace is circa 1845 and is part of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts collection in Little Rock, Arkansas. Constructed of braided hair and gold, it arrived at The Center displayed on a fabric-lined mount. The metal components exhibited minimal grime and oxidation, with solder marks on the two clasps that hold the chained cross at the top and the proper right end of the cross. Tears and fraying hair were noted on fourteen braided orbs; the damage varied, including missing material and deformations. The gold cap on the bottom of the cross was also missing. But, the focus of this treatment would be the hairwork beads and cross.

Marooned: A student's homage to his mentor

Marooned: A student's homage to his mentor

The Brandywine School of Artists was a group of impressionist and post-impressionist painters who lived and worked in the Brandywine River Valley region, primarily in Delaware and Pennsylvania, from 1870 to 1920. The artists are best known for depicting people residing along the Brandywine River during the late 19th century.

Philadelphia artist Howard Pyle founded the group. He had been a successful illustrator for books and magazines, but he wanted to teach his students more about color, light, form, space, and composition. He started teaching at Drexel Institute in 1885 before founding the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art. His artistic style influenced many artists, such as N.C. Wyeth, Thornton Oakley, and Frank Schoonover.

Digital Duplicates: Reviving through Reproduction

Digital Duplicates: Reviving through Reproduction

Digitalization is a relatively new way of preserving heritage. Whether family heirlooms or documents of cultural significance, digitizing allows us to keep history safe and share it with others as facsimiles or electronic images. While some items can be safely digitized at home, here at The Center we often see items of extreme delicacy, brittleness, or constructed in such a way that makes do-it-yourself scanning a risky prospect.

Dinner for 30? Treating a 13 Leaf Dining Table

Dinner for 30? Treating a 13 Leaf Dining Table

Families still come together for dinner, but how many are hosting dinner parties? Many households may have seating for two, four, or maybe 8, but these days not many have seating for 30. For affluent families at the turn of the 20th century, the ability to host large dinner parties was a mark of wealth and social standing - a display of opulence. Tables were deliberately designed wider than we see today, as speaking to guests across the table was considered bad manners. And dining room tables also had many leaves to adjust to the perfect length to accommodate that evening's guests.

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Part 1: Reviving The Assumption of Mary

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Part 1: Reviving The Assumption of Mary

The Assumption of Mary is a stunning and powerful image. It is a depiction of the event that gives the picture its name: the assumption of Mary into heaven. At nine feet tall, the commanding size creates a powerful experience that draws in the viewer. It's a captivating work of art, full of movement and life. But years of grime, discolored varnish, and mismatched repaint detracted from the painting.

Talking about Revolution: Treating a 1740 War Drum

Talking about Revolution: Treating a 1740 War Drum

The power of the drum is rooted in its ability to send messages. With the constant tempo of warriors' feet beating on the ground, it summons allies and beats back enemies with the same force. It can be used as an instrument of war or peace, a companion to dance and celebration. During the Revolutionary War, the drum played a vital role in conveying messages, persuading troops to fight, and boosting morale.

Uncovering True Colors: Conserving The Stations of the Cross

Uncovering True Colors: Conserving The Stations of the Cross

Founded in 1837 in Davenport, Iowa, St. Anthony Catholic Church is the second oldest Catholic church west of the Mississippi River. The historic church has evolved over the years, from a small 3-room building shared with the local judicial court and town hall, to merging with neighboring parish St. Mary's Catholic Church in July 2020. As a result of the merger, St. Anthony's has two sets of the Stations of the Cross; one, plaster relief sculptures set in the walls of the church, and the second, large oil paintings from St. Mary's. As John Cooper, Pastoral Associate at St. Anthony Catholic Church shares, "Both sets in their own unique ways, accomplish the artistic purpose of pulling you into the scene with Christ."

Far from Common: The Commonplace Book of Louis de Marillac

Far from Common: The Commonplace Book of Louis de Marillac

Each commonplace book is unique. They are collections of notes, proverbs, ideas, adages, poems, prayers, recipes, and facts. Commonplace books were created to document knowledge from other sources that were important or useful to the reader. The Commonplace Book of Louis de Marillac is part of the Vincentian Studies Collection of DePaul Univerisity, Chicago. Louis de Marillac (1556-1604) was a member of the French aristocracy and the legal guardian of St. Louise de Marillac, who cofounded the Daughters of Charity with St. Vincent DePaul.

A Treasurer Trove of History

A Treasurer Trove of History

Whether you are a history lover, a genealogy buff, or a family storyteller, family documents can be a treasure trove of information. Family documents are sources of valuable knowledge that help paint a picture of your ancestors and the world in which they lived. By storing family documents properly and preserving them for future generations, we can keep these stories alive for generations to come.

Tick Tock! The before and afters of an Intricate 1790s English Clock

Tick Tock! The before and afters of an Intricate 1790s English Clock

Still in its crate, the beauty and intricacy of this 18th-century clock are unmistakable. The clock's many components, from the clockworks to the music box mechanics, the woodworking, and delicately painted metal panels, showcase the craftsman that brought this piece to life in late 18th century England. And now, in the 21st century, a new team of skilled professionals came together to restore this clock's original integrity.

Astounding Science (non) Fiction! Conserving a Pulp Fiction Painting

Astounding Science (non) Fiction! Conserving a Pulp Fiction Painting

Astounding Stories was an American science fiction magazine that began in 1930 when Clayton Publishing launched it to capitalize on the interest in science fiction stories. In the 1930s, it became one of the most popular and influential magazines in the science fiction world; in 1934, it had double the circulation of its science-fiction rivals. While the magazine's title has changed over the years, in 2011, it became the longest-running, continuously published magazine dedicated to the science fiction genre. In fact, the magazine is included in the library of the International Space Station.

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Preparing for Display: Conserving Treasures for the Snite Museum at the University of Notre Dame, Madonna and Child with Saints

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Preparing for Display: Conserving Treasures for the Snite Museum at the University of Notre Dame, Madonna and Child with Saints

As construction continues on the University of Notre Dame's new art museum, the conservation of select paintings from the Snite Museum of Art continues in The Center's laboratory. Scheduled for completion in late-2023, the new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art will increase the University's capacity to display its art collection and accept programs that the current facility, the Snite Museum of Art, cannot because of size restrictions. The Painting Conservation Department and Custom Framing and Fabrications departments recently completed treatment of the 15-century painting Madonna and Child with Saints.

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The Care of Custom Framing: Showcasing the Relics from Loyola University Chicago

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The Care of Custom Framing: Showcasing the Relics from Loyola University Chicago

Conservation is often only half of the treatment plan for many items at The Center. After conservation is complete, our Custom Framing and Fabrication Department is continually called upon to design and construct one-of-a-kind display options for unusual objects.

Rolled Together: Separating Paper & Parchment Documents

Rolled Together: Separating Paper & Parchment Documents

At first glance, it is difficult to know exactly what is happening with this tightly rolled item. When they arrived at The Center, these two documents - one paper, one parchment - had experienced extremely high heat conditions from a fire that consumed a building. They were rolled together in a fireproof box and had contracted and shrunk together because of the extreme heat. The two documents were incredibly brittle and could not be safely unrolled during the initial examination.

Saving The Scottish Rite's Silver Gelatin Prints

Saving The Scottish Rite's Silver Gelatin Prints

One hundred twenty years of dust, grime, soot, and age - the early twentieth-century membership photographs from the Chicago chapter of the Scottish Rite showed their years. The photographs were taken and developed by the Gibson, Sykes & Fowler studio, one of Chicago's earliest photography studios that opened circa 1860.

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A Fractured Photograph Is Pieced Together Again

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A Fractured Photograph Is Pieced Together Again

Antique photography presents a challenging set of condition issues for any conservator. They are inherently delicate and often have significant inherent vices. Inherent vice - also known as an inherent fault - is the object's likelihood of deterioration because of the qualities of the materials initially used, not because of anything that happened to the artwork during its lifetime.

Elevating Women Magazine: "Trailblazing Women in Art" featuring Heather Becker, "Art Conservation Maven"

Elevating Women Magazine: "Trailblazing Women in Art" featuring Heather Becker, "Art Conservation Maven"

The Conservation Center and our CEO Heather Becker are honored to be featured The Northern Trust Institute’s Elevating Women Magazine. “Art Conservation Maven” focuses on Ms. Becker's journey from art student to CEO.

The Legacy Behind a War Telegram

The Legacy Behind a War Telegram

When Mrs. Dahlis Marshall wrote to the United Press in December 1942, she was a recent war widow, seeking answers for the sake of her sons. Her husband George F Marshall, Lieutenant Colonel United States Army, had lost his life in November 1942 during the battle of Oran Harbor, Algeria. Mrs. Marshall received notification of his death through the next of kin notification that so many families received during World War II. But as the mother of two young sons, she knew she needed more details; one day, the children would ask questions, and she wanted to be able to give them answers. Leo Disher, United Press war correspondent, answered the plea. He sent a humble document made from humble materials - a Western Union telegram.

Bamileke Beaded Throne

Bamileke Beaded Throne

Carved wood, fabric wrapped and covered in thousands of meticulously placed seed beads, this chair's owner had one goal when she contacted The Center: "I wanted to make sure it was in its best condition!!" The owner, Lori, inherited the chair from her mother. It was in her mother's gallery in Palm Beach for many years and later was in her home. Before this, the chair's history is unknown; however, the construction and design are consistent with 20th-century Bamileke beaded art.

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