Andrew County Museum Photography Collection Preservation Project

FAIN: PG-50428-08

Andrew County Museum (Savannah, MO 64485-1278)
John M. Emery (Project Director: May 2007 to April 2009)

Hiring a consultant to assess the preservation needs of photographic prints and negatives in various formats that document the history and culture of Andrew County, Missouri, since 1841.

The grant will support a preservation assessment of the Andrew County Museum's photography collection. A consultant will determine the conservation treatment needs of the collection and develop priorities for its organization and housing. The collection consists of several thousand photographs, dating from 1841 to the present. Particular attention will be paid to the needs of the silver-gelatin processes, ferrotypes, and daguerreotypes in the collection. Preservation of the collection is essential to the museum's mission to preserve the history of ordinary rural life in the county. The collection will be the cornerstone of the museum's shift in focus from displaying legacy collections to a new permanent place-based history exhibition which will feature artifacts donated by county residents. The museum's collections are used for permanent and changing exhibitions, educational activities, and genealogical research. The project will run from January to September 2008.