From Storage to Spotlight: Restoring a Ribbon Display
Fair Ribbon Display Now On View in the Expanded Ellwood Green Exhibit
Behind every exhibit is a story, and sometimes, a bit of elbow grease. The fair ribbon display in our newly expanded Ellwood Green exhibit proved challenging to get into exhibitable condition. Proper display and storage are essential for preserving precious objects. When done incorrectly, they can cause irreparable damage.
Fair Ribbon Display c. 1880s
Shirely Nehring, the last private owner of Ellcourt, donated the object in 2011, but it appears to be an original Ellwood family piece from the late 1880s. Unfortunately, the ribbon display was tucked away in the Ellcourt Carriage House and suffered many years of neglect and damage before it was found. The artifact had water and sun damage, a broken glass pane, and was very dirty from being improperly stored for many years. Because many techniques and materials we use today were unavailable in the past, the display was also unsuitably constructed.
To make the display presentable, staff and our fall interns vacuumed the piece and then washed the wood with pure Castile soap and water. They replaced the broken glass with a UV-coated acrylic sheet, which was lighter to hang and protects the fair ribbons from further light damage. Staff hoped to replace the water-stained muslin backing with a new piece of synthetic fabric that was less prone to insect damage. Regrettably, whoever initially assembled the display nailed directly through the fair ribbons. The ribbons proved too fragile to remove and pin to a new backing. Finally, the staff added a French cleat to make hanging the heavy object more secure.
You can now see this remarkable artifact in the Brauer Gallery, located on the second floor of the Visitor Center. The updated Ellwood Green exhibit explores the Ellwood family’s deep ties to agriculture and ranching, with added family photographs, heirlooms, and a hands-on interactive stereoscope featuring a three-dimensional image of a Percheron horse. Don’t miss the rotating display cases nearby—currently featuring the family’s horse brass collection.
Stay tuned for more stories from behind the scenes. Until then, thank you for supporting preservation, education, and community history at the Ellwood House Museum!
An example of the damage to the ribbons with stained muslin in the background.
Antique stereo viewer with postcard of a Percheron horse.