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 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.

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)

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)

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!

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)

The bear was donated to SPRI in the 1970s and has always hung in the same spot. A warning sign beneath the bear gives clues as to how skins are prepared. In the past heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury have been used in the taxidermy process to preserve skins and also as pesticides. Of course these metals are also hazardous to humans, so that’s why it is best not to touch!

A lot of dust was generated during the building works and this can be detrimental to objects as it is hydrophilic (attracts water) and abrasive. So I arranged for a specialist conservator to come in and clean our bear.

Conservator Sophie Rowe getting ready to clean the bear.

In the picture you can see Sophie is wearing a dust mask, this is to protect her from any contaminants in the bear’s fur.

This image is mid conservation. Although the fur doesn’t look any different compare the left eye to the right.

One of the materials Sophie used to clean the fur was smoke sponge. Smoke sponge is a vulcanised natural rubber material, a bit like an eraser. It picks up dirt without depositing it back on the surface again. This is perhaps more of an indicator on how dirty the bear was.

After a morning’s work by Sophie the bear was ready to get back to studying again.

(Images © SPRI/Fiona Cahill)

A lot of time and skill went into cleaning and conserving the display objects and we now have to ensure that the museum environment is not causing any further damage to them.

The objects can potentially be damaged by four things whilst on display; light (particularly from the ultraviolet (UV) end of the spectrum), relative humidity, temperature and insect pests.

We can control and monitor all these dangers and this is done in a number of ways, some hidden and some more obvious!

Amundsen’s marker flag

We have a large number of textiles on display and, on the whole, these are most susceptible to fading caused by UV light and damage by pests. The image above is the black textile marker flag used by Amundsen, which was found near the South Pole by Edward Wilson.

The LightCheck monitor

In the close-up image you can see a blue coloured Light Check monitor to the right of the flag. The blue dye is very sensitive to light and will fade. The colour is regularly compared to a calibration chart to determine the equivalent luminous exposure (ELE). The luminance of light is measured in lux and a lux monitor can be seen in the image below.

LightCheck and UV monitor

In this case, I am taking two light level readings, one using the box in the bottom of the image. This sends data using a radio telemetric system back to my computer and I download this information into a graph. The LightCheck (next to the avittat scissor case in the centre of the image) is a more visual check of any light damage as the blue will fade if exposed to light. In simple terms, we try to keep lux levels low and limit exposure time to prevent the textile fading and becoming brittle.

There are also pheromone traps in the cases containing fur and textile items. These attract moths and they become stuck to the sticky board on the base of the trap. The traps are hidden away out of sight and I monitor them every three months. I am pleased to report they have been empty so far.

Finally I monitor the temperature and relative humidity in the cases and in the museum space. Again these monitors are tucked away out of sight in the cases but there is one visible in the Museum Shop.

Environmental monitor in the Museum Shop

So the next time you are in the Polar Museum have a closer look and see if you can spot the environmental controls.

(Images © SPRI/Fiona Cahill)

After a long and relaxing Christmas break it is all go here again at SPRI.

At SPRI we have a full temporary exhibition program planned up to five years in advance. This is necessary to ensure the research can be undertaken, the objects selected and conserved and the labels written and printed in plenty of time.

Our Sidney Nolan exhibition came down over Christmas and we are currently in the throes of installing our new exhibition.

‘Return to Antarctica: the British Graham Land Expedition 1934-37’

Our new exhibition is heavily objectbased so we are putting all our temporary display cases into action.

While this has been going on I have been downstairs in the Conservation workshop condition assessing and conserving the objects required for display. They are all waiting for installation over the next couple of weeks.

As some of the objects for the temporary exhibition have come from the permanent gallery displays, they have been replaced with objects from another expedition. Two exhibitions for the price of one really. In the beginning though I was very confused as these objects relate to the British Expedition to Graham Land (BEGL)! However, I got my brain around it in the end.

During conservation one of my favourite objects was the HMV gramophone used on the BGLE exhibition. It was in very good condition considering where it had been, and the archival material suggested that it was well used. Fortunately they had more than one gramophone record and these were kept in a separate storage container.

During my time on the ice I also listened to a lot of music but rather than having to lug a gramophone around I had a slightly more portable MP3 player.

It’s amazing to think that in a relatively short space of time, approximately sixty-seventy years, technology has moved on from playing one record at a time to a hand held device holding 2,000 songs.

You can see full information on the exhibition and additional images.

(Images © SPRI/Fiona Cahill)