Celebrating GFWC Art & Artifacts!

The Arts and Artifacts Fund, established in 2024 to finance the restoration and preservation of cherished items donated by State Federations and others, has proved to be a great success! Last year, it funded the 2025 cleaning and repair of Mount McKinley, a monumental painting by Sydney Laurence that was donated by GFWC Alaska in 1923 to hang proudly over the music room fireplace. As GFWC’s largest and most important artwork, there was no question which art piece would be conserved first, but what will be next? 

To prioritize future restorations, WHRC Librarian Joanna Church organized an examination of the GFWC Collection by the Washington Conservation Guild on April 11 of this year. Various workstations, managed by a professional conservator assisted by interns and graduate students, evaluated various art objects, including silver, porcelain, paintings, prints, photographs, books, and textiles, including quilts. In all, roughly 125 pieces were examined by a team of over 30 experts.  

The project coordinators are still compiling and scanning the assessment sheets, so the jury is still out, but a lot of knowledge about the collection was gathered within a very short time.

Two likely candidates for restoration are both important collections of prints. One collection is by Helen Hyde (1868-1919), an American artist from California who learned Japanese woodblock printing techniques from masters in Japan and produced prints that often reflected the bond between mother and child. The other is by Gustave Baumann (1881-1907), a German-born artist who moved with his family to the US and became one of the leading figures of the color woodcut revival in America, producing stunning depictions of southwestern landscapes. 

Both collections show some sunlight damage and acid leeching, and they both must be reframed with archival housing and UV-resistant glass. 

One of the most interesting discoveries, however, was that a Jennie June Cookbook from the 1890s, which is held in our archives, may have an arsenic-treated cover. You’ll be glad to know that the book now resides in a protective bag, and guidance for further examination is on the way. 

If you are as proud and fascinated by GFWC’s history and its art and artifacts as I am, and care about their preservation, please consider a donation to the GFWC Art & Artifact Fund.