[Nhcoll-l] taxidermy and mold/mildew

Fri Jun 20 14:47:46 EDT 2014

Hi Jessica

These look suspiciously chemical rather than like mold – do the dark spots reduce at all when HEPA vacuumed?  If they are really mold,  that should be the case – they would not necessarily disappear completely, but you would seem some reduction in volume.

Cathy

From: Jessica Cruz [mailto:jessica.cruz at uni.edu]
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2014 9:29 AM
To: Anderson, Gretchen
Cc: Hawks, Catharine; ssullivan at naturemuseum.org; Heather.Thorwald at dmns.org; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] taxidermy and mold/mildew

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I've attached some photos of the specimen that is the most effected. I don't have any experience with diagnosing the various afflictions of natural history collections, so if anyone can provide a little more information on what this might be I would greatly appreciate it.

To be clear, I don't want to dispose of any of these objects simply because they don't look "good enough." To my (inexperienced) eye, the majority of them appear in good condition, and if I can clean/mitigate any mold problems that would be my preferred route. My main concern is that these will be locked in a case again for a number of years and I don't want any infestation to spread to the rest of the birds within the case.

We haven't gone through the official testing for arsenic, and while some specimens have evidence of crystalline powder around the eyes and mouth, most do not. I decided that we should err on the side of caution and treat these objects as though they are contaminated. We do have a hazardous waste disposal team with the university, and I have informed them of what we're dealing with. But like I said, disposal is the last option. Anything we get rid of will be due to the fact that it is unsalvageable and poses a risk to the rest of the collection.

Jess

Exhibit Preparator
University Museums, University of Northern Iowa
jessica.cruz at uni.edu<mailto:jessica.cruz at uni.edu>
319-273-2495

On Thu, Jun 19, 2014 at 9:27 AM, Anderson, Gretchen <AndersonG at carnegiemnh.org<mailto:AndersonG at carnegiemnh.org>> wrote:

I agree with both Steve and Cathy's comments.  Mold seems unlikely, but that should be confirmed, as should the presence of arsenic and mercury. You need to know what you are dealing with.  If they are disposed of, it will be as hazardous waste and that will be costly.

I like Steve's comments.  These specimens are still useful.  They can be cleaned, groomed  and still used!

Good luck!
Gretchen
Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 19, 2014, at 12:42 AM, "Hawks, Catharine" <HawksC at si.edu<mailto:HawksC at si.edu>> wrote:
I would like to add to Steve's excellent comments.

The idea that the specimens have both mold and residues of arsenicals seems unliklely. Arsenic salts are deadly to mold.

It is possible that what is being viewed as mold may actually be salt efflorescences from any number of sources ranging from past treatments to naturally occurring materials, fatty spue, or even darkening caused by the action of mercury choride treatments on sulfur-containing substrates (like hair and feathers) that have been exposed to light after treatment.

Verifying the presence of mold by having a qualified mycologist examine the residues should be the first step. There are indeed, uncomplicated protocols for decontamination should mold be actually present.

Cathy

Catharine Hawks
Conservator
National Museum of Natural History, MRC 106
Research & Collections, NHB 394
Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Office 202.633.0835<tel:202.633.0835>
SI Cell 202.701.8458<tel:202.701.8458>
CH Cell 703.200.4370<tel:703.200.4370>
hawksc at si.edu<mailto:hawksc at si.edu>

________________________________
From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> [nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>] on behalf of Steve Sullivan [ssullivan at naturemuseum.org<mailto:ssullivan at naturemuseum.org>]
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 7:13 PM
To: Heather.Thorwald at dmns.org<mailto:Heather.Thorwald at dmns.org>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Cc: jessica.cruz at uni.edu<mailto:jessica.cruz at uni.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] taxidermy and mold/mildew
Treatment for mold can be better addressed by others but I have $0.02 on the use or disposal of specimens like these...  A few years ago I coordinated the re-exhibition of specimens that sound just like yours.  Ours were on display for the better part of the century with few augmentations or changes.  When they were removed, the specimens exhibited fading, some insect damage, and had accumulated some soot.  But in many cases, the taxidermy was excellent and audiences still responded positively to the artifact.

In our specialties we can often become overly perfectionist. As a taxidermist I am often reluctant to display any specimen that exhibits less than Carl-Akeley-like perfection.  As a curator I want each specimen to have ideal coloration.  As a collections manager,  any sign of insect damage or other agents of deterioration are anathema.  However, as any craftsperson can tell you, most people will not see the imperfections that you see.  In our case, the specimens were removed but not deaccessioned and remained off display for about 10 years.  With significantly less work and expense that would be necessary to create a display using new carcasses, we were able to reuse these older specimens in a new context.

I worked with interns and volunteers to make new bases and refurbish background material as necessary.  Where fading was bad we might simply reposition the bird to make the unfaded side the show side, but in other cases I simply airbrushed color onto the feathers in the way you might when painting a reproduction fish.  In doing this, I used all of the materials a modern taxidermist might (i.e. I was not concerned with specimen “conservation” in the academic sense of reversibility, etc.).  In one case where the feet of a goose had been eaten away by dermestid, I gave him a new puddle to stand in, complete with muddy feet.

Today we have a new multi-media exhibit that uses these old specimens, along with some new ones, that helps Museum visitors identify common birds that show up in their backyard. The exhibit does everything it was intended to from a modern aesthetic and informational perspective.  Additionally, we use the specimens to talk about the importance of historic collections and specimen preservation, institutional activities of the past, changes in taxidermy techniques, negative impacts of buildings, cats, and windfarms on bird populations, and many other issues that are more effectively discussed through the use of these historic and not-so-perfect specimens than they could be with a new specimen.

To be able to show Museum visitors a specimen from the late 1800s that looks (to them) almost as good as one that was accessioned yesterday helps them have confidence in us as stewards of our collections and as users of the natural world.

--Steve

Steven M. Sullivan  |  Senior Curator of Urban Ecology
The Chicago Academy of Sciences and its Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Museum|2430 North Cannon Drive|Chicago Illinois 60614|naturemuseum.org<http://www.naturemuseum.org/>
Collections|4001 North Ravenswood Ave.|Chicago Illinois 60613|projectsquirrel.org<http://projectsquirrel.org/>
P 708-937-6253<tel:708-937-6253> | F 773-755-5199<tel:773-755-5199> | ssullivan at naturemuseum.org<http://UrlBlockedError.aspx>

A century of memories and lessons from the Passenger Pigeon at passengerpigeon.org<http://passengerpigeon.org/>

From:  nnhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nnhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Heather.Thorwald at dmns.org<mailto:Heather.Thorwald at dmns.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 2:03 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Cc: jessica.cruz at uni.edu<mailto:jessica.cruz at uni.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] taxidermy and mold/mildew

I am posting this on behalf of a colleague from the registrars’ listserv.  Please reply to her directly at the address below.  -- Heather

From:  Jessica Cruz, University of Northern Iowa

I am in the process of cataloging and dismantling the ornithology exhibit my museum has had on display for the past 25 years. Naturally, this has yielded some unfortunate surprises. I have found a number of birds that show signs of mold and mildew and wanted to know what people might recommend. Overall, these are not unique specimens so I doubt we will want to invest in conserving them. My initial reaction is to deaccess and dispose of them, but I wonder if there might be some way to neutralize it.

I should also mention that these are birds from the late 1800's/early 1900's, and they are being moved to a new display where they will probably sit for another 20-30 years.

We are assuming these have been treated with arsenic and are taking all proper precautions. I am also working with the University's hazardous materials manager to make sure the birds we have to depose of are taken care of properly.

Thanks!
Jess
Exhibit Preparator
University Museums, University of Northern Iowa
jessica.cruz at uni.edu<mailto:jessica.cruz at uni.edu>
319-273-2495<tel:319-273-2495>

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