CONSERVING HISTORIC TAXIDERMY
If you are interested in the care and conservation of historically significant taxidermy, I strongly recommend seeking the advice of an experienced professional. Not every taxidermist is well versed in the nuances of restoring and/or conserving taxidermy-it requires an intimate knowledge of historic and modern materials, methods to maintain the integrity of a work, and a nuanced understanding of ethics. I work on restoration, repairs, and conservation at George Dante Studios, where I continue to learn from his lifetime of experience. I am happy to provide a referral if you are interested in these services.
The care of a professional is not just an investment in maintaining your collection now, but an investment in the future! These pieces will outlive us, and continue to impact future generations. Below is a list of links to various texts on the conservation of natural history artifacts. These are provided as a reading list for the curious, and do not replace the advice of an experienced professional. I also recommend checking out the many resources provided by SPNHC and NatSCA.
Click here for a collaborative doc listing taxidermy restoration resources.
Assessment of museum staff exposure to arsenic in taxidermy and specimens
AMNH Article on residual pesticides
David Carter Care and Conservation of Natural History Collections 1999.
Elkin and Norris 2020 Preventive Conservation Collection Storage.
Salick et al 2014 Curating Biocultural Collections: A Handbook.
Storage of Natural History Collections
Cuidado, manejo y conservación de las colecciones biológicas, Yaneth Muñoz-Saba, John E. Simmons
Profiling natural history collections: A method for quantitative and comparative health assessment
The History of Taxidermy: Clues for Preservation by Amandine Pueginot
Conservation of Leather and Related Materials Edited By Marion Kite and Roy Thomson