Springing into Action
The following is an article recently written by MCI Intern Anna Zastrow, excerpted from the Spring 2018 Smithsonian Gardens (SG) newsletter.
Conservation of Bouquet Holders in the Frances Jones Poetker Collection
Anna Zastrow, Intern at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute
In preparation for a mass digitization project later this year, Smithsonian Gardens is partnering with the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute to give some TLC to bouquet holders in our Frances Jones Poetker Collection. There small bouquet (or posy) holders were used mainly in the mid to late nineteenth century as both fashionable ornaments and functional object and made of a variety of materials ranging from silver to ivory. Some were designed to be worn on a finger like a ring while others were worn like a brooch. Stay tuned for updates on the project as we photograph, repair and re-house the decorative artifacts.