| PG-50395-08 | Preservation and Access: Preservation Assistance Grants | Woodlawn Museum | Preservation Assessment of 1827 Napoleonic-style Furniture | 1/1/2008 - 6/30/2009 | $5,000.00 | Rosamond | S. | Rea | | | | Woodlawn Museum | Ellsworth | ME | 04605-2320 | USA | 2007 | Interdisciplinary Studies, General | Preservation Assistance Grants | Preservation and Access | 5000 | 0 | 5000 | 0 | A preservation assessment of a rare and nationally significant bed manufactured in 1827 in the Napoleonic style, including its original bed-hangings, valance, curtains, and cornice elements. Accompanying archival materials contain bills of sale, an unused bolt of silk fringe, original drawings and notes made by the upholsterer on the fabrication and installation, and photographs of the bed from 1880 to 1900. A previous assessment of the collections identified this piece as the museum's top priority for preservation.
Woodlawn Museum will engage a team of 3 experts-a textile conservator, a furniture conservator and historian, and a historic bed-furniture specialist to assess, document, and plan for the preservation of its completely original 1827 Best Bed, a unique survival that is a central piece in the museum's collection. The experts will examine and discuss the bed together during a 2 day site visit. Archival material relating to the bed will be thoroughly studied. The final report from the team will fully documents the bed, (including photographs, inventory of parts, and chronology of past use and condition), assess its importance in the national context, and make recommendations for its future conservation and preservation that may be used as a model by other institutions. Woodlawn Museum will partner with students from the local technical and vocational training center who will film the examination and deliberation process and create a documentary of this project. |