Thanks to the generosity of many donors, all of the largest horse-drawn vehicles in our care have been professionally conserved for future generations.
The process is painstaking and expensive. Since carriages were frequently repainted, the original paint scheme is often buried under many others, which must be analyzed and removed—sometimes by careful and tedious dry scraping, sometimes by applying chemicals that penetrate only to a desired depth.
Once the entire vehicle has been treated, areas of paint loss are filled with matching paint. This is called inpainting—also painstaking and expensive! Finally, the entire piece receives a protective coating. The painting, coating, and repairs applied during the conservation process can be easily removed by future conservators. The finished piece is museum-quality, and its historical value has been enhanced rather than diminished by the effort.
Here are examples of some past projects.
