This project was full of opportunity in each moment.

 

These 13 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies were donated to the Iron Hill Science Center in Delaware and loaned to University of Delaware's Art Conservation Undergraduates for treatment. I did not start this treatment, but I made sure to finish it. 

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The Before

      Before University of Delaware recieved the piece, the butterflies and its housing were exposed to the elements. It had leaf debris, warping from humidity fluctuation and evidience of pest damage. 

       Before my part of the treatment, the leaves, a majority of the pests and fallen butterfly parts were collected into polyethene baggies.

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Body Parts

      Body parts popping off was an extremely common occurance. It felt like everytime a person breathed a part would fall off. Legs, wings, antennae, and even a couple heads would pop off. 

       Using pigmented methylcellulose, I reconstructed antennae with hair silk. Reconstructing butterfly abdomens was a combination of roll Japanese tissue paper and pigmented methylcellulose. Everything was attached to the specific butterflies using methylcellulose. 

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Housing

     To protect the specimens from external forces, the acidic mounting board was replaced with archival materials (archival paper labels, mounting board, and backboard). A type of shelf was made by inserting wooden slats on the interior sides of the case to create a buffer between the butterflies and the glass pane. In order to blend the new material, I sanded and colored the slats to match the color of the wooden casing before adhereing it to the interior.