Peacock Room Restored

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Summary

On October 10, 1947, James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery of Art is closed for restoration. All four walls of the room are taken down for the leather to be removed, reconditioned, and remounted and for new panels to be constructed. John A. and Richard M. Finlayson of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, perform the restoration. On January 7, 1947, the Finlaysons begin the restoration of the ceiling of the Peacock Room. The ceiling is taken down, and the panels are cleaned, retouched, and mounted on plywood before being returned to position. After the restorations are finished, the Peacock Room reopens to the public on October 13, 1950.

Subject

  • Whistler, James McNeill 1834-1903
  • Finlayson, John A
  • Finlayson, Richard M
  • Freer Gallery of Art Peacock Room
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Category

Chronology of Smithsonian History

Notes

  • Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for the year 1948. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1948, p. 45.
  • Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for the year 1949. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1950, p. 49-50.
  • Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for the year 1951. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1952, p. 51.

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

October 10, 1947 - October 13, 1950

Topic

  • Art
  • Conservation and restoration
  • Restoration
  • American Art
  • Museum conservation methods
  • Exhibitions
  • Ecology
  • Conservation

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