Here We Go ’Round Again: Cleaning Linseed Oil from Carousel Animalsatthe Shelburne Museum

Abstract

For many years, Shelburne Museum's collection of 40 Dentzel carousel animals had been maintained by yearly application of linseed oil over the original paint. By the time professional conservation was established at Shelburne in 1982, the linseed oil coatings had already darkened considerably, obscuring the brilliant colors. Removal of the linseed oil coatings began in 1985; 14 of the 40 figures have been cleaned to date. The evolution of the cleaning methodology reflects developments in cleaning of painted surfaces over the past 20 years. Most of the animals have been cleaned by conservation graduate students under the supervision of Shelburne's objects conservator during summer work projects; cleaning a carousel animal is an excellent learning experience. An “Adopt a Carousel Animal” program has proven to be a successful method of funding these conservation projects.