In 1837, John Deere founded a company in Grand Detour, Illinois, that would later become the largest manufacturer of agricultural machinery in the United States. An American blacksmith and inventor, Deere built his first plow from a broken steel saw blade after realizing that its smooth surface would slide more easily through the sticky prairie soil of the Midwest. His invention helped transform farming throughout the Midwest and, eventually, agricultural practices around the world.

The first John Deere logo appeared in 1873, although it would take several years for the company to register it as a trademark. The iconic "leaping deer" has become the longest continuously used corporate logo among Fortune 500 companies. The oldest known example of the original trademark appears on a No. 80 Shetland Pony walking plow, which has undergone conservation by The Conservation Center to help preserve it for the John Deere Corporation's collection. 

The official portrait of Shelby M. Cullom as Governor hangs in the Hall of Governors on the second floor of the Illinois State Capitol Building. Over nearly 150 years, the painting developed condition issues such as discoloration, tears and deformations in the canvas that required treatment to ensure its preservation for the future. The conservation was made possible by the generosity of Cully Davis, great-great-nephew and namesake of Shelby M. Cullom. 

Few families have left a greater mark on the history of Glenview, Illinois, than the Kennicotts, and their home and land that later became The Grove National Historic Landmark in 1973. An invaluable resource for researchers in archives at The Grove Collection is a scrapbook compiled by Hiriam Kennicott in the 1960s that documents more than a century of family history through photographs, letters, genealogical records, and other important documents. To support its long-term preservation and accessibility for researchers, the Glenview Park District entrusted The Conservation Center with the scrapbook's treatment and digitization. 

"I have seized the light! I have arrested its flight!" — Louis Daguerre, co-inventor of the daguerreotype 

We are always honored to care for family heirlooms and recently had the privilege of treating an ambrotype portrait of a woman whose direct gaze remains striking more than 150 years after it was first captured. 

These videos below are in memory of my dad, Dr. Charles “Bob” Becker. I filmed this footage in November 2025. Little did we know that within a short period of time, he would pass away on January 23, 2026, at age 85. My dad was not only an esteemed and revered horse veterinarian throughout his life, but he was also a masterful blacksmithing artist who practiced his craft until his final days. In fact, just the week before he passed away, he won first place in a creative forging competition.

The Conservation Center recently partnered with Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley to conserve a rare early 20th-century gown designed by Georges Doeuillet. The dress once belonged to Nelle Fabyan, a prominent figure of the Gilded Age and the wife of industrialist George Fabyan. The couple lived at what is now the Fabyan Villa Museum in Geneva, Illinois. 

We were recently delighted to work on an unusual heirloom: a souvenir diascope. Perfectly preserved in time, this diascope contains a small photographic slide of our client’s relatives standing in front of the Grand Cascade at Peterhof Palace, looking directly into the camera. Diascopes were produced in the Soviet Union throughout the 1970s and 80s as souvenir items. These handheld slide viewers came in a range of plastic forms, from decorative to playful, including shells, rockets, and simple geometric shapes. 

Sometimes, we get the opportunity to work on heirlooms so precious they feel like portals to another time. That was the case with two scrapbooks from our client’s mother, found among her belongings, documenting her travels across Europe and filled with postcards, mementos, letters, ribbons, and dried flowers. These volumes are a testament to her younger life and vivaciousness, and we were honored to help preserve and document her adventurous spirit. 

Last year, The Conservation Center had the privilege of conserving a pastel portrait of Helen Plum for the library that bears her name. Not long after that project was completed, another piece of the library’s history came to our laboratories for treatment: the original hand-painted sign that had once hung outside the Helen Plum Library. 

The United States Postal Service has released a stamp featuring a drawing of Phillis Wheatley by contemporary artist Kerry James Marshall. The drawing, titled in full Phillis Wheatley-Peters (1753-1784) African Poet in America, was previously treated and framed at The Center. We were also honored to also display the work in our educational booth during EXPO Chicago 2023.

Cube and 4 x 4 x 1, two white enamel on aluminum sculptures by Sol LeWitt, recently underwent conservation treatment at The Center. Both works reflect LeWitt’s sustained use of modular form as a means of realizing a predetermined system in three dimensions.