The West Virginia Division of Culture and History announced today that Page Conservation of Washington, D.C., has completed restoration on eight more governor’s portraits and they will be returned and re-hung next week on the hallway walls of the State Capitol Building’s main floor. This is the second group of portraits the company has restored. Upon delivery of this group of oil paintings, the final ten portraits will be picked up.
The portraits that are being returned include Ephraim Morgan, Emanuel Wilson, Matthew Neely, Okey Patteson, William McCorkle, Aretas Fleming, Clarence Meadows and Jacob Jackson.
Page Conservation specializes in restoring paintings which are in distress because of dirt, yellowing varnish, cracks, and support problems that can cause distortions. The restoration project began last year after Division staff began noticing loose canvas, discoloration, environmental changes and blanching. The company has, in some cases, had to do inpainting in areas of damage or missing paint.
Upon completion, 30 governor’s portraits will have benefitted from the restoration process. The restoration project is a collaboration between the Division of Culture and History and the Department of Administration.
For more information, contact Jacqueline Proctor, deputy commissioner of the Division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 120.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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