Art and Artifact Conservation

Monthly Archive: December Art

The Anatomy of a Book: Saving The Naturalist's Library

Posted: March 11, 2015 - 13:33 , by ROM

Books are remarkably durable. Fragments have survived from ancient times, while others have traversed the centuries in near perfect condition. One such example is the St Cuthbert Gospel from the 7th century, the earliest intact European book. But despite the robust structure of the book, the rigours of use and the passage of years cause many fall into disrepair and to require mending.

To X-Ray an Egg: Behind the Scenes of Empty Skies

Posted: September 11, 2014 - 23:50 , by ROM
the flashing sign in the x-ray lab glows white with red text that reads "x-ray room in operation, do not enter"

“That egg is approximately one hundred and forty-four years old,” says Brad Millen, a technician who works in the ROM’s Natural History collections. Suddenly the large speckled shell that sits in the palm of my hand feels just a little bit heavier. I feel the weight of its place in the world - it is the egg of a passenger pigeon, and its species has been extinct for a hundred years.