Conserved Objects

The Greensboro History Museum is home to more than 600,000 archival items and over 30,000 three dimensional objects. Many of these artifacts require specialized treatment by a professional conservator. Since 2013, the Adopt an Object program has funded the conservation of the below objects.

Zachary Taylor Daguerreotype, circa 1847
Estimated Conservation Cost: $1550

This daguerreotype of President Zachary Taylor is likely among the earliest photographs of him, probably taken soon after his return from the Mexican War. Although it shows Taylor in civilian dress, it became the basis for an engraving of him in military uniform. The rare daguerreotype is contained in a pressed leather case by William Shew of Philadelphia. (1973.208.1)

Map of North and South Carolina, 1775
Estimated Conservation Cost: $1600

Drawn by Henry Mouzon Jr., this map was used extensively by American, British and French forces during the American Revolution. General Nathanael Greene and Lord Charles Cornwallis surely studied their copies closely before the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781, and the Mouzon map continued to be the best source of information about the Carolinas for several decades after the war. (1976.5.1)

Watercolors of John & Nancy Logan by the Guilford Limner, 1827
Estimated Conservation Cost: $975

These watercolors are among over 70 attributed to the “Guilford Limner,” a traveling artist who produced much of his work in this area. In addition to displaying the artist’s unique skill, these paintings provide a window on life in Guilford County at the time through clothing, furniture and the items held by the subjects. (1939.135.1; 1939.144)

Disfranchisement Document, circa 1890
Estimated Conservation Cost: $550

This rare document contains the names of over 600 African American voters registered in Greensboro. The local Democratic Party apparently produced the list for registrars willing to prevent black citizens from voting, a right guaranteed to them by passage of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870. Visit http://archives.greensborohistory. org/digital/disfranchisement for more information about the document and its historical context. (2011.18.1)

Lunsford Richardson Recipe Books, 1890s–1900s
Estimated Conservation Cost: $2700

Greensboro pharmacist and entrepreneur Lunsford Richardson recorded recipes for the cures with which he was experimenting in these two notebooks. They include his formulas for Chill Tonic, Toothache Drops and the Croup Salve later known as VapoRub. (1987.48.57)

O. Henry Sketch of Porter Drugstore, 1879
Estimated Cost of Conservation: $600

Although best known as a short story writer, O. Henry was also a skilled artist. This sketch shows the interior of his Uncle Clark Porter’s drugstore on S. Elm St., where he clerked as a boy. As Richardson & Fariss in the 1890s, this store was where Lunsford Richardson invented Vicks VapoRub. (2017.19.1)

Image by Micah Brown Photography © 2017

Southern Railway Passenger Train Mural, circa 1909
Estimated Conservation Cost: $29,000

Itinerant artist Harper Bond painted this mural in exchange for room and board at the Clegg Hotel at 368 S. Elm St. The artist’s skill and the mural’s subject attracted a great deal of interest even before it was completed. A newspaper described the artist’s effort as painstaking, for the mural measured more than 30 feet, covering the entire length of the coffee shop. After restoration, the mural was installed in the Denim Capital gallery. (1962.164.1)

Dolls made by Trego Doll Mfg. Co. and Effanbee, circa 1920s
Estimated Conservation Cost: $2300

These rare dolls in their original clothes belonged to Anita Meares Rivers (1912-2010). A graduate of Hampton University with a degree in mathematics and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, Rivers distinguished herself on the faculty at Bennett College and North Carolina A&T State University, and was active in Greensboro’s civic community. (2013.12.2-4)

Dolley Madison Daguerreotypes by Mathew Brady, circa 1848
Estimated Conservation Cost: $2200

Dolley Madison, wearing one of her favorite turbans, posed at Mathew Brady’s studio during the last year of her life. Two rare daguerreotypes made that day were discovered in a Pennsylvania attic in the 1950s. The Greensboro-based Dolley Madison Memorial Association purchased the items and later donated them to the Museum. (1963.87.9-10)

Brass BugleBrass Bugle, circa 1920
Estimated Conservation Cost: $425

This bugle was used by both the African American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars bands for parades and memorial services from the 1930s through the 1950s. It was originally owned by Lieutenant Robert S. Campbell, a World War I veteran who served in the 368th US Infantry Regiment. Later, as an employee at North Carolina A&T State University, Campbell was involved with the campus Drum and Bugle Corps. (2006.44.1)

Civil War CapCivil War Kepi, circa 1862
Estimated Conservation Cost: $1300

Lt. Col. William S. Rankin (1824-1899) wore this forage-style kepi, or cap, during his service in the Confederate Army. Enlisted with the 21st NC Regiment, Co. M, known as the Dixie Boys, Rankin participated in many major battles, and was wounded and captured at Gettysburg. The metal “21 NC” sewn to the crown may have been added by Rankin after the war. (1989.61.1)

Brandt PaintingWatercolor Painting by Warren Brandt, 1942
Estimated Conservation Cost: $825

Born in Greensboro, Warren Brandt (1918-2002) moved to New York after high school, attended Pratt Institute at night, studied at the Art Students League and was an official portraitist in the Army during World War II. A renowned American painter with work in art collections around the world, this painting depicts a busy day at a downtown Greensboro farmers’ market. (1974.60.1)

MssColl#86--Sketchbook1975.Hilda Lanier Ogburn Sketchbooks, circa 1920
Estimated Conservation Cost: $1,700

After training at Converse College in South Carolina and the Art Students League in New York City, Hilda Lanier Ogburn (1895-1984) taught art in Greensboro, and took advantage of the view from her downtown studio to sketch the people she saw passing below. These were illustrations she would later use in her drawings, paintings and unique “scrap sketches.” (1975.89.4-5)

Revolutionary War Knit CapRevolutionary War Knit “Liberty” Cap, circa 1781
Estimated Conservation Cost: $6,000

According to family tradition, this knit cap was worn by local militia officer Captain Arthur Forbis, who fought and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781. One military historian commented that no similar cap from this era has survived. (1926.155.1)