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Hidden History: Inside The Maxwell Street Time Capsule

Hidden History: Inside The Maxwell Street Time Capsule

Recently, The Conservation Center had the honor to work with the Maxwell Street Foundation on an amazing find - a newly discovered time capsule. The capsule was discovered while a church was being demolished; the church where the capsule was discovered was linked to a Dutch congregation near Maxwell Street. Our conservation team opened the capsule and examined the contents inside. One document, in particular, was incredibly delicate. The document was extremely brittle and underwent treatment and storage to keep it safe. Watch as Bozena Szymanski, Senior Conservator of Works on Paper carefully treats this delicate document from the past.

Time Capsules in Print: Safeguarding Decades of The Magazine Antiques Collection

Time Capsules in Print: Safeguarding Decades of The Magazine Antiques Collection

Properly storing magazines is of essential importance to ensure their long-term preservation and safeguard their historical, cultural, and sentimental value. Whether antique, vintage, or contemporary, magazines hold a wealth of information and serve as valuable artifacts of their respective time periods. 

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.

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.

A Fractured Photograph Is Pieced Together Again

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.

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.

A Bright Future: Reviving a Frederick Douglass Print

A Bright Future: Reviving a Frederick Douglass Print

Frederick Douglass changed the course of history with his powerful writing and moving speeches. An escaped slave, Douglass devoted his life to the abolition movement and even became involved in the movement for women’s rights. Douglass also published his own newsletter called the North Star and wrote numerous autobiographies.

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