One of the first objects we treated on joining the Polar Museum was the stuffed musk ox head which hangs in the stairwell outside the Director's office. No-one quite knows how or when it came to the Institute, but it has been in the stairwell as long as anyone can remember. It was looking exceedingly dusty after all the building work related to the refurbishment of the Museum and needed a jolly good vacuum.

Underneath the dust the head is in suspiciously good condition. You would expect something so large and woolly to have been attacked by moth or other pests after decades unprotected in a stairwell, unless it was very thoroughly impregnated with a pesticide. Most of the long-lasting pesticides used in the past are toxic, so we always wear protective clothing when handling objects which have been treated in this way. We saved some loose hairs from the musk ox and will analyse these to see if we can find out which pesticide has been used on it.

To clean the head properly we needed to take it off the wall. We covered it in a plastic bag to contain the surface dust while we moved it. The head is heavy and unwieldy, and hangs very high on the wall, so it took four tall strapping people to get it down.

We cleaned the fur with a vacuum cleaner and "smoke sponge", a rubber sponge which you can cut up, and which is excellent for cleaning fur. You can see in the picture below how much dirt came off on the sponge! For the ingrained dirt on the horns we used a "molecular trap", which is made from tacky modified natural rubber. We didn't use any water or cleaning solutions as these could damage the horn and fur.

The musk ox is back on the wall and looks much cleaner now – though it still has rather a lugubrious expression…

Sophie

Hello! Sophie and I joined the Polar Museum about six months ago, replacing Fiona as the conservator after she had moved to New Zealand. We will be updating the SPRI conservation blog soon with more news about what we've been doing here. In the meantime, here's a bit about our backgrounds and a picture of us getting stuck into a fun cleaning project in our first couple of weeks.

Merry Christmas!

Sophie (left) and Christina (right) cleaning a very dusty muskox head: more about this later…

Sophie Rowe

I joined the Polar Museum as conservator in April 2012, and since then have been responsible, with Christina, for caring for the object collection. My conservation specialism is treatment of organic artefacts – that is, objects made from anything that was ever a plant or animal. This covers a wide range of materials from wood to plastic, and includes fur, food, teeth and textiles, all of which we have in this museum. I have a special interest in conservation treatment of Ancient Egyptian artefacts but admittedly these are not well represented in the Polar Museum! For me the great pleasure in working here is that we have such an extraordinarily mixed collection, and in a small team like ours I get to be involved in everything, from mounting exhibitions to improving the storage of the objects. I am also very interested in pest management in museums, and I monitor the insect population in the building regularly, prepared to intervene quickly if any pests threaten the collection.

Christina Rozeik

I came here in May 2012 as the 'other half' of Sophie – we're doing a job share. Fortunately, Sophie and I have known each other for a long time and know that we work well together! Like Sophie, I have a particular interest in the conservation of antiquities, having worked on the redisplay of the Fitzwilliam Museum's Ancient Egyptian and Greek & Roman galleries. However, I am also very interested in the history of science, something that comes from my time at the Royal Institution's Faraday Museum. While at the RI, I worked on objects as diverse as a Wimshurst machine, Michael Faraday's experimental induction coils, and a boomerang used in one of the Institution's Christmas lectures. I have a particular interest in conservation outreach and publication, and hope to be involved with both while at the Polar Museum. I also monitor the environment in the building – the temperature, humidity and light – to make sure that the conditions are suitable for storing and displaying our historic collections.

Greetings from New Zealand.

The new SPRI conservators Sophie and Christina kindly asked me to write a quick update on what I have been up to since leaving SPRI in November 2011.

I emigrated to Dunedin in New Zealand to take up the post of Senior Conservator at the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum. Dunedin is in Otago region of the South Island and has a strong Scottish and Māori heritage.

My initial task has been to prepare objects for re-display during the museum's $37.5m redevelopment. The project was four years in length with the museum being closed to the public for the last two years whilst major building works were carried out. This has resulted in the doubling of the foot print of the museum and exciting new galleries.

Portrait Gallery – old and new technology. (Photo: Steve Munroe)

The museum reopened on Friday 7^th December 2012 with a whakawatea and mihimihi. Mihimihi are introductory speeches which take place at the beginning of a gathering. The museum was then blessed before the Civic ceremony took place.

Part of opening ceremony (Photo: Steve Munroe)

Food is very important and I got the opportunity to try tītī (muttonbird) for the first time, and also to eat some of my absolute favourite, crayfish.

Me and Claire (Registrar) enjoying our kai! (Photo: Steve Munroe)

It has been an exhausting but enjoyable experience, and now everyone is ready for a holiday over the Christmas and New Year period.

This is the pohutukawa or New Zealand Christmas tree.

Don’t forget to pop in and visit the museum if you are ever in this part of the world.

Fiona McLaughlan

As you are probably aware, the new museum space was not the only refurbishment work carried out at SPRI. Downstairs in the basement two new storage areas were created, and a third for large/oversize objects is in the final stages.

So what will go into the new store?

The Lecture Theatre in use (again) as a conservation area.

As you can see from the image, the large objects are predominantly sledges, tents and ration boxes. The image also suggests that I am ‘Super Conservator’ cleaning all these objects by myself, but of course this is not true.

Volunteers surface cleaning objects.

I have been ably assisted in this project by a willing band of volunteers, some of whom also volunteer in the museum (that’s dedication for you).

After some training on conservation cleaning techniques they were all systems go on the sledges. They have been coming back week after week, so I’m pretty confident that they have been enjoying swabbing and vacuuming off muck. As the objects are so dirty (having been stored for years in the attic space), you get quite a sense of achievement when the cleaning is finished.

The deadline of mid-September is tight, but I’m sure we’ll make it; otherwise the students will have to clean objects whilst attending lectures!

(Images © SPRI / Willow Silvani)

Y: 2010/62 – sledge (Photo F. Cahill)

As regular readers of this blog will know, I like boxes. Nine times out of ten they will hold a pleasant surprise and this box was no exception. Unlike the sledge Peter helped me with, this is of the much smaller variety.

Close-up of sledge with equipment (Photo F. Cahill)

The model was originally lent to the Institute for an exhibition in 1987 by Eustace Balfour. The provenance files tell how the model was given to Eustace Balfour’s mother by Edward (Teddy) Evans . However the model is attributed to Petty Officer Edgar Evans, and was made during the Terra Nova expedition 1910-13.

It really is a wonderful object as the sledge is loaded with a variety of equipment including fuel cans, sledging boxes, sleeping bags and tent … the only part missing is the cooker. However the strapping for the cooker is still intact.

The sledge will go on display in our temporary gallery at the end of the year in an exhibition, so it needed some conservation.

I popped it on a cake stand as this is a really useful way of taking images of smaller objects by rotating the stand rather than handling the objects too much. I started to dismantle the sledge and again took lots of images so I would know how to put it back together again.

Sledge dismantled for conservation (Photo: F. Cahill)

The sledge and equipment were generally in good condition, but on the whole dusty and dirty. Some of the metal objects had rusted and I removed the corrosion mechanically with a scalpel under the microscope. The strapping for the cooker was torn and I repaired this with some Japanese tissue adhered to the back as a support.

Sleeping bag pre-conservation	Sleeping bag post-conservation

Sometimes I will replace missing parts on an object if it makes the whole visually more coherent. One of the sleeping bags was missing its ‘strapping’. By examining the bag I could see the impression in the leather where the strapping used to be. I sourced a linen thread of the same colour and thickness and tied it around the bag.

Once I had finished conserving the sledge I reassembled it using the photos I had taken earlier. It is amazing to think that this object was probably made from ‘scrap’ materials found in and around the hut at Cape Evans.

Portrait of Edgar Evans standing next to a laden sledge (Photo: H. Ponting © SPRI)

Although you can’t see the whole of the sledge behind Edgar Evans it is possible to identify objects both on this sledge and the model, in particular the tent poles and sleeping bags.

Don’t forget to visit The Polar Museum in December when this object will be on display in our ‘These Rough Notes’ exhibition.

(Images © SPRI/Fiona Cahill)

Midwinter is an extremely important event in Antarctica. Whereas it is hopefully hot and sunny in the northern hemisphere, Antarctica has 24-hour darkness. It is the knowledge the sun is on its return that is the real cause for celebration. A hundred years ago today Scott and his men also put on a bit of a spread.

Midwinter Day Dinner 22 June 1911 (Photo: Herbert Ponting)

Midwinter Day Tree 22^nd June 1911 (Photo: Herbert Ponting)

It is an important tradition that is carried on to this day. As you can see some things don’t change, namely lots of good food and wine. However smoking is not allowed! The Scott Base mess was being refurbished the year I was there, so we had our dinner in the field store. The crackers were a nod towards Shackleton’s mid-winter celebrations.

Scott Base – Mid Winter Dinner 2007 (Photo: Fiona Cahill)

There are a few more people in Antarctica than in Scott’s day, so Mid Winter greetings are sent to all the bases. Some bases even receive messages from their Heads of State.

A selection of Mid Winter Greetings (Photo: Fiona Cahill)

Scott Base – Mid Winter Greetings (Photo: Fiona Cahill)

It was a very special event, and one I was privileged to take part in. I always think of those long dark Antarctic days at this time of year.

(Images © SPRI/Fiona Cahill)

P.S. The eagle eyed among you may have noticed a bloop in my last blog entry. The image used for Capt Scott’s birthday was in fact the Mid Winter celebration, apologies.

Due to a re-arrangement of the Discovery Case in the museum I am very pleased to announce that there will be an on-going rotation of Dr. Edward Adrian Wilson’s watercolours in this case. Many of them have not been on display before. I have selected the watercolour ‘Curtain Aurora’ because it depicts my favourite polar phenomenon.

Discovery Case with watercolour by Dr. Wilson.

The watercolour will change every 4-6 weeks along with the Archival materials in the Franklin Case.

(Images © SPRI/Fiona Cahill)

I had another opportunity recently to delve into the treasure trove that is the Archives. This time I was looking into the conservation history of our collection of sledging flags. The sledging flags are iconic objects within our collection and appear in many of the photographs taken during the Heroic Era expeditions.

Captain Scott’s birthday dinner. June 6^th 1911 at Cape Evans. (Photo: Herbert Ponting)

As SPRI did not have a conservator until I arrived in 2009, objects requiring attention were usually sent out for conservation. This is what happened with the sledging flags. In the past they have all been netted (to provide structural support) and either sewn or adhered on to a hessian covered backboard (well, it was the 1970s). With Naomi’s assistance I was able to track down the when the conservation was done and by whom.

Volume containing Friends of SPRI meeting minutes.

Excerpt from Friends of SPRI Year End Report July 1970

The Friends of SPRI have had a long relationship with the Institute since they were established in 1946. Read more information about the Friends elsewhere on the SPRI website.

N:275 Sledging flag used by Dr E.A. Wilson, Terra Nova Expedition, 1910-12. Note the horizontal splits in the silk.

As this conservation treatment was undertaken over 40 years ago, some of the sledging flags are starting to deteriorate. I will condition assess each flag and take images of any damage or areas of weakness. We will then use this information to apply for funding to conserve the sledging flags most urgently in need of treatment.

(Images © SPRI/Fiona Cahill)

As you are probably aware The Polar Museum has made the Art Fund prize long list. Yesterday the judges, Michael Portillo, artist Jeremy Deller, Guardian journalist Charlotte Higgins, museums consultant Kathy Gee and Lola Young, Baroness Young of Hornsey came to SPRI to look around the museum, archives, library and stores.

There was a lot of coverage in the press, including an article and video on the Cambridge Evening News website interviewing Michael Portillo about the visit.

The judges also popped into the Conservation Workshop and I spoke to them about conserving the Terra Nova model. Maybe I should start a visitor’s book …

Don’t forget to vote!

Part of a large loan going out to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall is a fully laden sledge used in the BGLE (British Graham Land Expedition) 1934–37 (read more about this expedition).

N.1079a – the BGLE sledge going on loan to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

On the front of the sledge is a curved bamboo band commonly known as a ‘cow catcher’. This is lashed to the main body of the sledge with a rawhide thong. However, as you can see from the image below the lashing has failed. As this failure impacted on the structural integrity of the sledge the decision was taken to remove the old lashing and repair it with a new leather lashing.

The broken leather lashing.

Fortunately for me I was able to enlist help from both within and without the Institute. In conservation we like to repair like with like and use the same techniques originally used wherever possible. For the rawhide lashing I was pointed in the direction of the company Snowsled Polar who very kindly supplied me with a length of lashing for free.

I had used leather in the past to repair armour, but sledges were new to me so I thought there must be someone in a Polar Institute who knows about these things and of course there was, Peter Clarkson.

The leather lashing looking worryingly like a tape worm.

Before we could use the leather I soaked it overnight in a jam jar (I think I mentioned before how useful jam jars are). Wet leather is used because as it dries the lashing shrinks and gives a good tight fit.

Peter and the sledge.

The broken lashing was removed and using a large needle fashioned from a bicycle spoke the leather was ‘sewn’ into the holes.

When in place the lashing was pulled as tightly as possible. The leather shrinking when drying will also give it a good fit. The leather was held in place with brass screws.

The leather does look bright into comparison to the other lashings (although they would have been the same colour originally). In conservation we never want to ‘hide’ any repairs but I may ‘knock back’ or reduce the brightness of the yellow by washing over it was a darker colour so it is not so visually obtrusive. However, by the time it is fully laden there will be plenty of other distractions.

G.C.L. Bertram's dog team and sledge, 20 October 1936. Photographer: G.C.L. Bertram.
Accession number: P51/8/C083

We worked out that Peter was repairing sledges at Halley Bay in the year I was born (and for both our sakes I’m not going to divulge which year that was).

(Images © SPRI/Fiona Cahill)