![South Front - Freer, by Unknown, c. 1950, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, SIA2007-0169. South Front - Freer, by Unknown, c. 1950, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, SIA2007-0169.](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-SIA2007-0169-000001/full/full/0/default.jpg)
![Aerial View of Quadrangle, by Tinsley, Jeffrey Wayne 1947-2017, 1993, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, 2002-724 or 93-872.19. Aerial View of Quadrangle](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-93-872-19/full/full/0/default.jpg)
![Freer Gallery of Art Peacock Room - Detail, South Wall, by Unknown, circa 1940, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, SIA2007-0172. Freer Gallery of Art Peacock Room - Detail, South Wall](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-SIA2007-0172-000001/full/full/0/default.jpg)
![Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?id=https://siarchives.si.edu/sites/default/files/attached-images/harmony.jpg&max_h=200)
![Charles Lang Freer, by Unknown (Edward Steichen?), 1916, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, 26873-A or MAH-26873A. Charles Lang Freer](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-MAH-26873A-000002/full/300,/0/default.jpg)
![Aerial View of East and North Sides of Freer Gallery, by Unknown, c. 1923, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, SIA2007-0170. Aerial View of East and North Sides of Freer Gallery](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-SIA2007-0170-000001/full/180,/0/default.jpg)
![Peacock Room - Northeast Corner, by Unknown, circa 1980, Smithsonian Archives - History Div, SIA2007-0173. Peacock Room - Northeast Corner](https://ids.si.edu/ids/iiif/SIA-SIA2007-0173-000001/full/180,/0/default.jpg)
Conservation within the museum began with the hiring of Japanese painting mounters and the establishment of the East Asian Painting Conservation Studio in 1932. This facility remains one of the few in the United States that specializes in the conservation of Asian paintings. The Technical Laboratory was established in 1951 and was the first Smithsonian facility devoted to the use of scientific methods for the study of works of art. Over the years, the work of the Technical Laboratory expanded to include objects, paper, and exhibits conservation. The Technical Laboratory and the East Asian Painting Conservation Studio merged in 1990 to create the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.
Further Exploration
- Chronology of the Freer Gallery of Art
- Bibliography of the Freer Gallery of Art
- Historic Images of the Freer Gallery of Art
Related Collections
- Freer Gallery of Art Records from the Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Historic Picture Highlights of the Freer Gallery of Art
- Collections from the Freer Gallery of Art
- Additional Records and Collections of the Freer Gallery of Art Across the Smithsonian
Other Resources
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