Doll with Bisque Head
 Before Treatment  After Treatment |
Tammy Schmitz is a volunteer in the object conservation lab. For many years she has run her own doll restoration shop. Through a doll club to which she belongs, she learned of several unique dolls in the Ramsey House collection, and she asked if she could help us to preserve them. In the process, she wanted to learn more about the materials, tools, and techniques that conservators use to perform their work. This project has benefited both the MHS and Tammy. We have been able to teach her about some of the tenets of conservation, such as thoroughly documenting all of our treatments with written reports and photographs, which are stored in our permanent records. Additionally, we use only stable, permanent, and reversible materials in treatments. Tammy has also been able to help us considerably. Her expertise with dolls is excellent, and she has been able to fill in significant amounts of information regarding our doll collection. She has been able to repair many of the dolls in ways with which we were not familiar. Tammy has also connected us with the larger doll-collecting universe, which can help us to better understand and appreciate our doll collection.
