Fact Sheet Gettysburg National Military Park Cyclorama Painting Conservation |
Who:
The Museum Foundation has
contacted with the firms of Olin Conservation Inc., of
What:
The colossal oil painting “The Battle of Gettysburg,” was completed in
1884 by Paul Dominique Philippoteaux. In
the days before TV and movies, the impact of the
The
Problems: Over the years, much of the scenery and sky
were damaged and lost due to poor storage and display. Originally exhibited in
In 1913,
for the 50th anniversary of the battle of
The current
display mounting (stretched at the top only) restricts the painting from
assuming its natural hyperbolic shape (when properly stretched at the top and
bottom). The current Cyclorama building
does not have adequate interior space to correct this problem.
Heating and
ventilating systems in the building pull air through the canvas, causing dirt
to be trapped on the painting surface, which has no protective varnish. The 1961 restoration applied a wax/resin
compound to the back of the canvas. This
compound is now unstable and is accelerating deterioration of the painting.
Treatment Needed: During a recent six-month study of the
painting by Olin & Huston, conservators
determined that the canvas is now too weak to support itself, the lining
material has buckled and failed, and that glue and lining from the 1961 painting restoration are now unstable and needs to
be removed.
The treatment will be conducted in two phases. Phase one may be performed in the present
building and consists of A) cleaning, removal of overpaint, inserts, and grime;
B) taking down sections one at a time and removing the lining canvas and wax
from the reverse of the painting. Phase
two of the treatment will be performed in the new gallery and includes shaping
the painting sections, lining them, and mounting them to a new wall support.
The Cyclorama Painting’s New Home:
The new museum and visitor center will include a new Cyclorama gallery
with a hanging or mounting system to restore the painting to its natural
hyperbolic shape, creating an even tension on all areas of the canvas. The project will include reconstruction of absent
panorama features, the three dimensional objects in the foreground of the
painting that lend realism to the scene.
The new gallery will have its viewing stand at eye level with the
painting’s horizon, and a canopy that hides the top edge of the painting and
actually places the viewer in the scene.
When work will begin: A demonstration project on two of the
painting’s panels took place in November 2003. Work on these two sections, which were removed to another facility, is ongoing.
Author: Katie Lawhom at Gettysburg NMP, October 2003
Release Date: 9 October 2003. Revised: 13 April 2004
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Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325