Conservator in Action! Up-Close with Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP's Asian Prints

Conservator Angela Campbell sits at a computer, surrounded by Japanese prints.

NPS Photo

On April 15-18, 2019, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park hosted paper conservator Angela Campbell, from the Historic Architecture, Conservation, and Engineering Center in Lowell, MA. Angela conducted a survey of Asian, primarily Japanese, woodblock prints. This was her second survey of works of art on paper at MABI, so she is becoming very familiar with the park’s museum collection. To have that continuity of knowledge available on call is a great asset for the park. Angela went item by item through 460 woodblock prints, and with her help we even identified a few that we did not know we had.

Visits from specialists like Angela are so much more than just the final reports of treatment recommendations. While those reports are essential, these visits inevitably lead to staff inspiration and curiosity. During the project, the conservator is like a professor leading the staff in a master class on print history and material science. It is a rare opportunity for the conservator and the park staff to concentrate on such a large quantity of one type of object, and through the experience, both leave enriched with a better understanding.

We learn so much from working closely with conservators about how our museum items are made, which helps us in everything from interpretation to HVAC systems. Condition surveys like this give us object level recommendations, a baseline condition assessment. From those object level observations, we can work to larger scale preservation ideas with our facilities team to build a more holistic stewardship strategy.

With only two prints on regular exhibit, MABI’s collection of Japanese woodblock prints is a rarely seen gem from the park’s collection. For more images of MABI’s collection, check out the online exhibits on our webpage and on Google Arts & Culture (works best on your mobile device) - Yoshitoshi & Hiroshige: Two Masters of Ukiyo-e .