Treatment of the Adney Model Canoe Collection

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CCI Newsletter, No. 28, December 2001

Treatment of the Adney Model Canoe Collection

by Janet Mason, Conservator, Treatment and Development Division - Objects

Edwin Tappen Adney (1868-1950) spent a considerable portion of his life researching and building 1:5 scale models of North American watercraft. These models were crafted from bark (birch, spruce, elm, hickory, and basswood), moose hide, sealskin, a variety of woods, spruce root, sinew, leather, and gum, and all of them were meticulously accurate in the significant details that illustrated the cultural diversity of their makers: the curve of the stern, the size and spacing of the lashings, the carvings of the paddles, etc. Each model was carefully identified in black ink on the underside of the hull with information that included the type of canoe and occasionally the place where Adney had studied the original — whether with the owner, in a museum, or from descriptions when no specimen remained. Adney's collection eventually expanded to include models of canoes and kayaks made by others, although none of these had the precision of his own work.

In the 1940s, The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia, purchased about 125 of Adney's models with associated drawings and notes. These models have since been in storage for many years, but the decision was recently made to exhibit them. As part of a grant submission to prepare the models for public display, the Museum approached CCI with a request to conduct a conservation assessment of the collection. CCI was subsequently engaged to treat various models that required extensive work or testing of surfaces prior to cleaning.

One of the models that came to CCI for treatment represented an equipped canoe that had been used by the Hudson's Bay Company. This canvas-covered model (MP127) was 1.87 m (73.5 in.) long, and was filled with miniature fur bundles, provision sacks, paddles, sails, and tarpaulins. Unfortunately it appeared to have served as a toilet for mice, and half of the interior of the canoe plus many of the bundles and sacks had been drizzled with a liquid (probably urine) that had turned dark brown. In addition, a piece of folded fabric representing a tarpaulin and some of the wooden ribs of the canoe had been gnawed. Analysis showed that the brown stain was soluble in water, and expectations were high for removing it.

However, following treatment the stain (although lessened in intensity) was still quite noticeable. Two kinds of bleach used in the treatment of the textile sacks and bundles proved to have little effect. The dark coloration remained and continued to detract from the aesthetic of the model.

A birch bark model (MP89) that represented a three fathom fur trade canoe had not only been badly stained, but 10 ribs were missing and the mice had gnawed the underlying wooden sheaths. The birch bark was badly damaged with large cracks radiating from both sides of one end. Lai Wing Fai (an intern from Hong Kong working in the Objects Lab)¹ gently brought the bark back into alignment, repaired the cracks, and created new ribs to replace those that had been lost.

Another canoe model was badly splayed. In this case the gunwales had spread open and the thwarts had pulled away from one side, breaking the root lacings that had held them in position and leaving a gap of about 5 cm (2 in.). Initially it was thought that the model could be realigned simply by exposing it to solvent vapours to plasticize the bark. Unfortunately the solvent vapours caused the gum on the seams of the bark to run, so a different (and more complicated) approach had to be taken. Lai and Bob Barclay (a senior conservator in the Objects Lab) first removed all of the ribs and allowed the entire hull to spring back into its original shape. To relieve the considerable force that would be exerted by the ribs as they were reattached, the end of each rib was shaved to decrease its length. The removal of original material is not standard practice, but in this case it was essential if the original structure was to be maintained. The ribs were then reattached and the canoe was brought back into correct alignment.

After all treatments were completed (which took about 6 months), the canoe models were prepared for shipment back to The Mariners' Museum. They were wrapped in tissue, placed in slings inside the same boxes in which they had arrived, and then wrapped with additional cotton tapes to secure them in place and prevent movement. Each canoe was thus padded and protected for the journey. These shipping boxes had been designed and made at The Mariners' Museum, and proved to be very successful. The Museum plans to publish or present details on their construction sometime in the future.

The remaining 86 models in the collection will be cleaned by staff and volunteers of The Mariners' Museum. To assist them with this task, CCI has provided 3 days of instruction in writing condition reports and treatment proposals, cleaning to a consistent and desired level, consolidating the gum, and making basic repairs to cracked or broken root, bark, and wood.

When the Adney collection is finally ready for display, it will provide researchers and scholars with primary source material. More information on the collection can be found on the Web site of The Mariners' Museum.

1. For more information on Lai and his work, see CCI Interns.