News
Evelyn Radford donates Vera Schultz Tapes
The Marin History Museum Library has received a donation of audio tapes of Vera Schultz talking about her life. The tapes were donated by Evelyn Radford who wrote the biography of Mrs. Schultz titled Vera.
Vera Schultz was the first woman elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors in 1952. She was very active as a supervisor but is best remembered for contacting Frank Lloyd Wright to engage him as the architect for the new Marin County Civic Center. As she herself said, “Why not the best?” She had to support the decision to hire Wright through many problems that arose along the way. Vera overcame them all. The finished product, the Marin County Civic Center, was immediately seen as an architectural treasure and has been named a state and national landmark
The donor of the tapes, Evelyn “Peggy” Radford has a PHD from the University of Hawaii and has taught history many years at local colleges. Vera Schultz contacted her in 1994 to help write her life history. Dr. Radford had already written the book, The Bridge and the Building about the Marin County Civic Center. She was able to take the research for this book and tapes recorded by Vera Schultz to produce a comprehensive biography. The tapes received in the Marin History Museum Library will be catalogued and digitized to make them available for researchers and historians.
“Saucelito” Ferry Painting Restored!
The 1877 painting of the “Saucelito” ferry has been fully conserved, and was returned to the Marin History Museum August 12th. Sebastopol-based conservator Antoinette Dwan successfully returned the painting to its original beauty, in spite of the delicate and compromised condition of the paper. Dwan devoted many hours to conserving this irreplaceable piece of art. Her efforts have revived a painting that was previously unknown to the maritime community.
The Saucelito after recent conservation by Antoinette Dwan.
Condition of the painting as it was received by conservator
As noted in Dwan’s notes “the painting was disfigured by staining, [was] distorted, and [was] attached to a poor quality mount.” The painting was secured in its frame with three wooden shingles. The gaps between the shingles exposed the paper to the elements, thereby creating two prominent vertical stripes. Dwan noted that “the painting was also framed touching the glass on the front and hiding the edges and signature. The painting has been poorly lined with a backing paper that distorts [it].”
With so many complicating factors, and all the difficulties associated with each one, Dwan needed to apply her conservation efforts carefully and at a measured pace.
Conservation measures taken
Antoinette Dwan’s first challenge was to remove the painting from its frame and backing cardboard. After this was accomplished, she placed the painting on the suction table, using this tool to help reduce the stains; however efforts were limited by the painting’s sensitivity. Dwan was also able to minimize the distortions which were caused by an uneven application of the original adhesive. After this she lined the painting with two different types of Japanese tissue and touched up painted areas with gouache (a water-based pigment), the painting was secured with Japanese hinges along all edges and attached to a custom-made archival panel.
Dwan also discovered that the original white gouache, used extensively in the painting for the white ferry and waves, was a lead-based white paint. This was especially sensitive to reducing agents which limited treatment options. She notes, “this is a very fragile painting and conservation was not able to stabilize all condition issues. The delicate gouache prevented washing treatments to reduce the wood stains.”
What we’ve discovered
The Bard brothers were twins, James and John, born in 1815. They began their painting careers early, being recognized for their work by the age of 12. They were known to have painted jointly on their canvasses, but it is unknown how the work was divided because they worked so closely together. After some research into their lives, we have discovered that John passed away in 1856 at the age of 41. James Bard lived another 41 years before passing away at the age of 82 in 1897. When conservator Antoinette Dwan removed the “Saucelito” from its frame the signature and date were revealed. We now know that the painting was signed by “J. Bard” in 1877, confirming that James was the sole artist.
Through research we also discovered that the original Saucelito ferry was built alongside her sister, the San Rafael, by Benjamin C. Terry of Keyport, New Jersey in 1870. Both ferries were fabricated in modules in Brooklyn then transported in pieces by train across the United States before being reconstructed in the San Francisco Bay. These ferries were the only ferries to reach the west coast in this manner.
James Bard painted the Saucelito in gouache, graphite and gold leaf. Due to the delicacy of the paper and media, it can only be displayed for a limited time in a place with low light and temperature control. MHM is currently seeking an appropriate space to display the painting, and we welcome suggestions. To contact our Collections Manager, Michelle Kaufman, please call 415-382-0770, or email her at michelle@marinhistory.org. To find out more about the Bards, contact our Librarian, Jocelyn Moss, and make an appointment to read The Bard Brothers, Painting America Under Steam and Sail, by Anthony J., Jr. Peluso & the Mariners' Museum. To contact conservator Antoinette Dwan, call or email her at 707-824-4742 or adawn@sonic.net.
Riding the Rails Exhibition Honored
On June 13, 2009, the Marin History Museum received the Award of Merit from the North Western Pacific Railroad Historical Society for our exhibition Riding the Rails: Marin's Historic Trains. Chief Curator Dawn Laurant and Curatorial Assistant Holly Gallagher accepted the award on behalf of the Museum.
Museum Receives American Heritage Preservation Grant
The Marin History Museum has been awarded a 2009 American Heritage Preservation Grant, a special initiative of the Conservation Project Support Program in partnership between Institute of Museum and Library Services and Bank of America.
The award will fund MHM's restoration of a fragile mid-twentieth century painting The Saucelito by James and John Bard portraying the maritime history of Marin County. Once treated, the painting will be on exhibit in a gallery with the model of the second ferryboat Sausalito, providing an opportunity for visitors to see the two ships together for the first time.
Wells Fargo donates $10,000 for Brady Collection
Wells Fargo recently donated $10,000 to support the Museum in preserving and cataloging its collection of 65,000 aerial photographs (including prints and negatives) by Ed Brady of Aero Photographers Inc. (API). This collection documents Marin County and California from above from the 1950s through 1980s.
Museum Receives California Heritage Council Award
The California Heritage Council, dedicated to preserving and honoring those places and buildings that have given quality and distinction to the cultural life of California, recently recognized the Marin History Museum for its restoration and preservation of the Boyd Gate House, built in 1879. Executive Director Merry Alberigi accepted the award on behalf of the Museum at the Council’s 46 th Annual Award Ceremony on Thursday, June 22, at the Presidio Golf Club in San Francisco.
Alberigi gratefully acknowledged Museum Board Member and California Heritage Council Member Richard Torney, who nominated the Boyd Gate House for the award. Torney has been instrumental in overseeing the preservation of the building for the past twenty years. Other organizations honored that evening include the Castro Theatre (San Francisco), Napa River Inn/The Still House at Greystone (Napa), San Mateo County Court House and Museum (Redwood City) and Swedenborgian Church (San Francisco).
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