This talk told the true story of what seems like a nightmarish scenario: an object treated 15 years ago finds its way back to the conservator in as bad (or worse) condition than ever. Nancy Love shared this stunning tale of object stewardship gone awry, which covered not only her approach(es) to treating a Native American feathered headdress treasured as a family heirloom, but also offered a chance to reflect on how the conservator and conservation has changed in the 15 years between the first and second treatments.
The first treatment (in 2001) was documented in black and white photos and color slides. The headdress underwent cleaning, loose elements were stabilized, and it was delivered on a custom-made mount to both support and store the headdress.
The second treatment (in 2016) was documented in digital color photos, which witnessed the object’s return with only part of its storage mount, dirty again, and with many of the rawhide attachment points joining feathers to base broken and damaged. For the second treatment, Love tried a different approach to attach the feathers to the headdress, but ultimately found that more closely following the original technique provided a better outcome. In her discussion of the treatment and during the question and answer time afterwards, Love reflected on her willingness to attempt a slightly more interventive approach as an older and more experienced conservator and the importance of trusting an object to “tell” its caretakers what it needs. It was encouraging to hear the second treatment had a considerably higher final pricetag (reflecting the increased prices conservators in private practice can command) and that the object was returned to owners with a renewed awareness of what it takes to care for cherished objects.