National Museums Liverpool Blog - lady lever art gallery

White star liner Olympic - sister of Titanic - looking aft (1920). Reproduced by permission of English Heritage: BL24990/021

To commemorate the Titanic centenary, we're offering you the chance to win an A3 mounted print of either Titanic's sister ship RMS Olympic or the White Star Line's Liverpool offices! 

One runner up will receive a copy of 'Titanic and Liverpool' by Alan Scarth and a photography book which accompanies our current exhibition at the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

To enter, you need to answer this question:

Which photographer(s) were commissioned by the White Star Line to photograph RMS Olympic in 1920? 

a) Edward Chambre Hardman

b) Bedford Lemere & Co

c) Henri Cartier-Bresson

Hint: Check the Lady Lever Art Gallery website!

Send your answer to us at prizedraw@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk  

or by post to: Titanic print competition, National Museums Liverpool, Marketing & Communications, 127 Dale Street, Liverpool. L2 2JH

The competition closes on Thursday 3 May at 12 noon.

Good luck!

Ship model before and after treatment

You may remember in my last post that I had taken a model in great need of conservation to the Lady Lever Art Gallery for demonstration purposes. The model had several snapped yards and masts, and missing blocks. Many people remarked on the blackness of the thick dirt, and how complicated the broken and twisted rigging was, and were interested to know how I would go about treating the model. As the treatment of the model has now been completed, I would like to share some of the treatment processes.

The first challenge was to carefully clean the model. This was more difficult than usual as the model had many small crevices and great care had to be taken to avoid the already damaged rigging. This was undertaken using small cotton wool swabs. Once the model was cleaned to an appropriate level I could then begin the very difficult process of untangling the threads of the rigging, and working out where each broken or missing rope needed to go. Fortunately I have learnt the arrangements and purposes of rigging and so it was not as complicated as it first appeared. Once the spars and yard arms had been re-joined (using wood pins and adhesive), the rigging could be repaired.  Where possible, I saved the original thread, attaching it to new cotton thread at the breakages. In some areas the threads were too friable and needed to be replaced.

The silk flag also required conservation and so was removed. It was very stiff and bent, so I decided to re-humidify it using a sandwich of damp bloating paper, gortex, the flag, and then the same arrangement on the other side. This flattened the flag well. It was still very dirty and so after testing; I cleaned it by soaking in a solution of 5% tri-ammonium citrate (a chelating agent) in water. The silk itself was fragile, and to ensure that it was strong enough to place back onto the model I mounted it onto dyed silk crepeline.

The last problem to address on the model was the lead disease of the fittings on the baseboard. This was crumbling white corrosion product that I removed mechanically under a microscope, before coating with a protective coating. After making replica blocks for the anchor and reattaching the flag to the flag staff, the model was complete and now looks like an impressive ship of war. 

See a larger version of the image above on Flickr to see more detail.

Gemma Thorns

Update: 20/02/2012: See more photos of the model on our Flickr set of before and after conservation. 

Retro fashion and dinosaurs go together on William Brown Street!

Starting on William Brown Street, channel your inner supermodel in the Big Booth at the Walker Art Gallery on 15, 16 & 17 February 2012.  Grab your flares and strike a pose because the photo booth, big enough for the whole family, will be kitted out in a retro style with costumes and props, to celebrate 'Feathercuts and Flares' the Walker’s display of 70s fashion.

Down the hill at World Museum visitors can have a close encounter with beasts of a prehistoric kind in the exhibition 'Age of the Dinosaur' featuring six life-size dinosaurs set in a Jurassic forest of 65 million years ago. Open daily, the admission charges are £6 adults, £3 children and concessions, under 5s free or £14 families. Avoid the queues and book online (no booking fees).

Also look out for the new daily show, 'Chronicle of a Journey to Earth' in the newly refurbished planetarium.

At the Albert Dock and waterfront holiday fun continues with craft activities inspired by the most famous ship of them all, the Titanic, at the Merseyside Maritime Museum (14 & 15 February). While the International Slavery Museum is celebrating the half term with a free showing of Disney’s The Frog Princess (16 February).

From 14-17 February the wonderful new Museum of Liverpool is the place to be for any budding Indiana Joneses. The History Detectives will be exploring the archaeology of Merseyside from the Ice Age right through to the present day, injecting jokes and the occasional tune to help delve into the museum’s archaeological collections.

Out of town, Sudley House is hosting a craft event for children with an eye for style on 16 February. Inspired by the exhibition Costume Drama families can design their own colourful outfits.

At the Lady Lever Art Gallery Chinese New Year celebrations continue with a free performance of the Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra on 15 February.

For more free things to see and do check the website for details.

'The Black Brunswicker' by Millais

The painting depicts an imaginary scene in which a woman says goodbye to a soldier as he leaves for battle. It's a painting full of emotion, the woman seems to be holding the door closed to stop her man from going. Or was she secretly looking forward to some 'me time' after he left so that she could settle down to read the latest Dickens novel...

Often as a conservator, there are not many opportunities to engage with the public. Working in studios undertaking practical conservation work can leave little time for interaction with those who enjoy and visit the collections. So when I was recently given the opportunity to do a demonstration of ship model conservation at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight Village I was eager to accept.

The Gallery is part of National Museums Liverpool, and houses a collection of fine and decorative art. The Lady Lever Art Gallery was founded by William Hesketh Lever, and contains the best of his personal art collection. As part of the education programme, the gallery runs demonstrations of various art related topics, and so I did an afternoon of ship model conservation in one of the galleries.

I chose a model in great need of conservation work, which would also be an interesting example. The wooden model depicts an 18th Century ship of war with 38 guns and fully rigged. Its many areas of deterioration included broken masts, tangled rigging, and lead disease. The model was very dirty and so I set up a table so that I could do cleaning whilst on the gallery.

Whilst it was fairly quiet, the people whom I spoke to were very interested in the conservation and it was great to be able to tell them what we do in Ship and Historic Model Conservation. Many visitors who approached me had not seen the demonstration advertised, and were simply curious as to what I was doing. Equally the visitors were interested in the type of ship the model depicted, and as I had researched this well, was able to explain the historical context which then informs the conservation process. Many were fascinated as to how I would be able to repair the complicated rigging, which requires extensive knowledge of ships rigging.

I thoroughly enjoyed talking to the public about the work we do in the Conservation Centre, as well as being able to share my enthusiasm for maritime history. I found that people were very interested in conservation and many had not heard of the profession previously. And not uncommon for conservators, the popular phrase of the day was “you must have a lot of patience”. 

Christopher Howse from The Telegraph recently enjoyed a visit to Wirral, guided by an updated edition of Nikolaus Pevsner’s architectural guide to Cheshire. He gave the picturesque Port Sunlight village and the Lady Lever Art Gallery a glowing review.  You can read the full article here.  

Here's our own Marketing Officer Ann Flenley to tell us why she loves Wirral and why you should too!

Lady Lever Art Gallery

I love Wirral. It's a relatively undiscovered gem that lies between Liverpool, Chester and North Wales with sandy beaches, endless countryside and golf courses. It really is great place for day trips and family fun in the north west. 

In addition to our own Lady Lever Art Gallery there is plenty to discover, such as Port Sunlight Museum in the same village as the gallery. I also enjoy the odd visit to Church Farm, which is an organic family run farm offering tantalising treats and endless activities to entertain the children.  

Other great attractions worth a mention are; The Floral Pavilion Theatre in New Brighton, The Williamson Art Gallery, the historic Birkenhead Park (famed for being a template for New York’s Central Park!), Ness Gardens, Birkenhead Priory, the Voirrey Embroidery Centre and Spaceport: a family attraction which takes you on an inspirational journey through space.

You can find out more about all the things to see and do in Wirral on the Visit Wirral website.  

If you love Wirral too and want to be in with a chance of winning £50 in a prize draw, then why not take a few minutes to fill in this online survey about Wirral attractions? Easy!

Which country do you think is the most stylish? France? Italy? Japan? We reckon that Spain should be giving the rest of the world some pointers after seeing this fashionable crew of students who recently came to visit our Finishing Touch exhibition!

They would fit right in at the races, wouldn't they?

The group visits Liverpool and the surrounding area every year and they decided to really get in the spirit of the exhibition by trying on the hats that are in the exhibition's resource area. We think they look fab!

They were staying in the region for a month as part of an English language program and cultural experience and told our Curator of Decorative Arts, Alyson Pollard, that they thoroughly enjoyed their visit and are looking forward to coming back again soon.

Are you an adult on a part-time art course or a member of a community art group? We are inviting you to put your creative talents to the test and create a piece of artwork inspired by the collections at Sudley House, World Museum and the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

Perhaps you could take inspiration from the internationally renowned Pre-Raphaelite collection at the Lady Lever Art Gallery, or the only art collection of a Victorian merchant in its original domestic setting at Sudley House, or maybe from objects in World Museum’s World Cultures gallery.

A panel of curators, educators and artists will judge. Winning artists and groups will see their work hung in an exhibition at World Museum and receive prizes. The closing date is 1 August 2011, and winners will be announced by the end of September.

For further information, to book a session, or to download your entry form, please go to: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/inspiredby or contact Kenn Taylor on 0151 478 4977.

'The Scapegoat' by Holman Hunt could be one of the many Pre-Raphaelite paintings that inspires you.

Here's Caitlin Allan, one of our most recent volunteers, talking about her work experience in the Decorative Arts Department...

My name is Caitlin and I have had my work experience at National Museums Liverpool for two weeks. In the first week I visited the Lady Lever Art Gallery for the first time. I was shown around the gallery and learned a lot about the story of the gallery and its collections. I was then asked to choose three pieces from the gallery that really caught my eye and to do some research on them and write up my findings.

I assisted in buying a few modern accessories for an upcoming exhibition ‘The Finishing Touch’, which were to be used in the dressing up section of the exhibition. When I saw them displayed in the exhibition I felt very proud that I was involved in choosing them.

In the second week I photographed accessories related to the forthcoming 'Costume Drama' exhibition due to open at Sudley House in July. I thought this was really enjoyable because photography is one of my favourite hobbies and also gave me more experience in handling clothing. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed the past few weeks and my view of art galleries have changed dramatically. I never knew how interesting they could be! I feel very privileged that I was allowed to have a really interesting placement for my work experience.

When shopping for footwear, there is nothing more satisfying than getting a new pair of boots. This vintage brown leather pair that I'm wearing today are a particular favourite of mine - you can see them here - a bit Victorian I like to think!

So you can imagine my excitement at being introduced to this fab pair of boots, which will be on display later this month at the Lady Lever Art Gallery. They will be shown as part of 'The Finishing Touch', an exhibition of women's accessories from our collections, dating from 1830-1940.

Ladies boots from the exhibition.

The boots pictured here date from around the end of World War 1 and are very practical but still stylish. Apparently they have a design which imitated men's boots of the time and were pretty hard-wearing. I can't believe how they are in such great condition, despite being so old. The fact that women had started to wear this type of footwear reflected their social situation at the time; women were now going out to work and needed to have footwear that would be suitable for this.

It's certainly shaping up to be an interesting and beautiful exhibition. You'll be able to find out about fashion etiquette and how the place of women in society was reflected through the accessories that they wore. 

It opens on Friday 27 May 2011, but in the meantime you can get a sneak preview of some more of the accessories on our Flickr set here.