Conserving the Delano Collection of Botanical Watercolors
Image 1: Special Collections Conservator, Kelli Piotrowski consolidating Baccaurea ramiflora, drawing [149].
This summer, the Weissman Preservation Center celebrated the conclusion of a five-year project to conserve and rehouse all 583 watercolors from The Warren Delano collection of Chinese export paintings of fruits, flowers, and vegetables at Harvard’s Botany Libraries. The watercolors were produced by multiple artists, likely in Canton (Guangzhou) ca. 1794-1829 and acquired by Warren Delano, the maternal grandfather of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, during his travels in China. The paintings were made on European papers over graphite underdrawings with plant names inscribed in Latin, Chinese, and English. Although the artists’ names and dates of creation are not recorded, their distinctive hands are clear in their aesthetic decisions and painting techniques, while the approximate dates were determined from watermarks.
Over nineteen conservators, technicians, and graduate conservation interns prepared the collection for digitization by consolidating unstable media, repairing mechanical damage to the paper, and rehousing the collection so it could be safely handled. The team followed the principles of the Weisssman Consolidation Protocol to ensure uniformity in treatment and documentation. Likewise, all team members followed the same approach to paper repair. Regular check-ins between team members and the Senior Archivist, Danielle Castronovo, kept this very large project running smoothly – with a brief hiatus during the pandemic.
Upon completion, Harvard Library Imaging Services digitized the front and back of each watercolor, which you can see in the conserved collection here. We hope you enjoy these exquisite drawings online or in-person just as much as we did!
Image 2: Consolidated areas were marked up in Photoshop and uploaded to the conservation record, which is preserved by Harvard’s Digital Repository Service.
Image 3: Prunus persica, drawing 101, after treatment, image on HOLLIS.
Image 4: Before treatment detail from drawing 101. Photomicrograph taken at 15x.
Image 5: The same area after treatment.