Diorama owned by
Tuskegee University
This diorama, entitled "Large Cotton Plantation-- Slavery Period" is owned by the Tuskegee University and is housed at the university's Legacy Museum. It is one of many dioramas made for the 1940 American Negro Exposition in Chicago. Many of the dioramas made for the exposition were designed by Charles Dawson, a prolific African American designer and artist of the 20th century. Alongside two of my classmates, I was able to work on this incredible object with support from Tuskegee University.
Before treatment images
One of the main condition issues of the diorama is the degraded, discolored state of the cotton. While many possible approaches to treatment of the cotton field were discussed during my time with the object, the diorama's treatment is ongoing, and I did not engage directly with any attempts to clean, replace, or stabilize it.
The diorama was incredibly dusty prior to treatment, with a heavy layer of surface soiling obscuring the subtle color of the ground. The painted background was dirty and marred by what appeared to be the paw prints of a small animal (seen at the center of the diorama).
The basket full of cotton was torn, and there was an entire figure missing from beside the basket, evidenced by empty footprints in the plaster and two screws sticking up from the ground.
Many areas of the plaster ground were cracked and flaking, requiring consolidation.
Surface cleaning
The diorama was brushed and vacuumed overall before heavier areas of soiling were approached with cosmetic sponges. The heaviest accumulations of dirt were cleaned with cotton swabs dampened with deionized water. In areas where the pigment on the plaster was sensitive to water, the area was flooded with odorless mineral spirits before aqueous cleaning.
Consolidation, fills, and inpainting
After surface cleaning, cracks, flaking paint, and plaster were consolidated with Lascaux Medium for Consolidation applied by brush and syringe. Gaps between plaster and wooden surfaces that opened over time due to dimensional fluctuations were filled with Flügger thinned with water, and applied by syringe. Fills were toned with Golden Fluid Acrylics.
Replication of missing figure
Using archival documentation of the diorama's original state, provided by Tuskegee University, a replacement figure was constructed. First, a model was made using oil clay. From this model, a wooden version was planned out and carved from Bass wood. Small details were added to the Bass wood figure using a two part epoxy putty.
The carving process was aided by sharp chisels, knives, and rotary burrs.
The replicated figure in the footprints of the original figure. Rough transitions of the carving were smoothed over with Flügger. It is ready to be painted and secured in place by the next group of conservators to work on the diorama.
In progress photographs
The top image is the before-treatment state, and the bottom image is the in-progress state. Note the partially cleaned painted backdrop and the cleaned ground and figures. The cotton basket in the cart was repositioned to facilitate thorough cleaning, and will be aligned with the original at the conclusion of treatment.
