Cliveden was the stately country home to seven generations of Philadelphia’s socially prominent Chew family. Built in 1763 and inhabited by Chew family members for over 200 years, Cliveden was acquired in 1972 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is one of only 20 museums in the National Trust’s collection. Its buildings, and the history of its occupants are among the best documented and preserved of any colonial site in the United States. Preservation of its artifacts is of paramount importance.

One of Cliveden’s most treasured artifacts is a silhouette of its builder, colonial jurist Benjamin Chew. The image features a cut-paper silhouette mounted on acidic paper board. The board had become severely discolored and was very brittle. A smaller piece of paper, attached to the board and bearing an inscription in iron gall ink, was also discolored. A second artifact, the residence plan for Chew’s downtown Philadelphia townhouse, dates back to 1797 and features ink and watercolor wash on paper. In addition to several tears, the image exhibited foxing stains, watercolor fade and surface dirt. The map contains unique and previously unknown information about the site and layout of the townhouse and its reparation would allow historians to continue research on the Chew family legacy. Both images were evaluated.


These two pieces were tested for stability, then surface cleaned by conservators at the CCAHA. The silhouette and inscription were removed from their mount – an acidic matboard – and re-mounted with wheat starch paste on 2-ply Alpharag® ArtcareTM covered with archival wove paper to replicate the original appearance of the image. The residence plan was washed with calcium enriched deionized water. Tears were mended with Japanese paper and wheat starch paste and the plan was humidified and flattened. Each piece was hinged to window mats and mounts of 4-ply Alpharag® ArtcareTM . An opening was cut in the ArtcareTM back mat of the silhouette to reveal the inscription. The work was then glazed, front and back, to allow viewing of the inscription. Both artifacts were replaced in their original frames for display.


Two priceless artifacts of Colonial America are back on display at Cliveden. The window mats and mounts of Alpharag® ArtcareTM will enhance their longevity and secure these images for enjoyment and study by generations to come.


4-ply Alpharag® Artcare™ as window mats and backing boards for enhanced preservation protection and aesthetics. 2-ply Alpharag® Artcare™ as support behind image. Archival wove paper to replicate original appearance. Japanese paper and wheat starch paste to mend tears.

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