Adopt an Artifact: Civil War Plates

Since the 1930s, Woodman Museum has been home to a Civil War era collection of plates, gifted by Dover's Grand Army of the Republic Charles Sawyer Post 17. These 40 plates, made from copper-plate etchings by Edwin Forbes (1839-1895) of New York City, are titled "Life Studies of the Great Army." Forbes worked as a staff artist for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and he covered the Army of the Potomac during part of the Civil War (1862-1864). His drawings appeared in that publication throughout the war. As a sketch artist, he developed his
skills during the war years and was known for his ability to draw quickly. His primary interest was in recording the everyday activities of soldiers

After the war, Forbes used his wartime sketching experience to produce copper etchings. The plates illustrate army life during the Civil War and depict encampments, active battlegrounds, downtime and different formations of soldiers.  As a collection, "Life Studies of the Great Army" received an award at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.


To conserve these American treasures, each plate must be:
1) Tested for pigments, paper-type, presence of glue
2) Treated to remove soiling (stains and mold), especially due to wood-backing used in previous frames that have since been removed
3) Re-framed using acid-free backing and matting and UV filtering glass

To see an example of a media restoration project that dealt with similar issues, visit http://barbisartconservation.com/Examples3.html">http://barbisartconservation.com/Examples3.html.

To view other adoptable artifacts, visit our website: http://woodmanmuseum.org/adopt-woodman-artifact/ .