By treating multiple paintings by the same artist, we can learn a lot about that artist’s technique and the materials they used. The Church & Dwight collection allowed us to really investigate the materials used by Gustav Muss-Arnolt and John Henry Hintermeister and place them into the general history of the production and manufacturing of art supplies. In this post, we explore what supplies each artist was using, the history of those supplies, and any discrepancies we found.

Flux Art Conservation was lucky to get to restore a collection of paintings owned by Church & Dwight, Co., Inc. In this post, we want to dive deeper into the life and work of one of the artists: Gustav Muss-Arnolt. After researching and learning more about him over the course of this project, it became readily apparent as to why he was chosen as the artist to paint the images for the two trading card series that featured dogs. Read on to learn more.

In late 2024, Flux was contacted by the Arts Council of Princeton about a collection of paintings owned by Church & Dwight Co., Inc., the makers of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. The collection of paintings, thirty in total, played a large role in the company’s history, particularly its early marketing campaigns. They were the original illustrations for the popular trading cards that Arm & Hammer used to put in its boxes of baking soda. Keep reading to learn more about the history and importance of these painting’s to the company’s history.

You may remember this painting from our previous blog about Documentation. As a refresher, it suffers from cracking, delamination, and scattered losses of paint and ground layers. All of these factors combined made it a good candidate for a full lining treatment.

In 2022, we were contacted by a client that hoped we would be able to restore a collection of antique fire hats, also known as “parade hats.” Of course, everyone fell in love with the hats and their history immediately. This blog will go over the history and the process of treating these hats.

Why do we care about regularly monitoring and documenting the studio’s temperature and relative humidity? Lets dive into this question and the tools we use!

When an art object is brought into Flux Art Conservation for assessment or treatment our first step is to conduct documentation of that object. In this blog we will discuss the types of conservation documentation, why documentation is important and how it is used by conservators in the present and future.

Tears are one of the more challenging problems paintings conservators face. A quick Google search for “canvas tear” brings up a number of articles recommending artists and art owners glue a patch of fabric or paper to the back of the tear and call it fixed. As conservators, we see the aftermath of these failed repair attempts and the additional problems they cause.

If you visit the studio, you might notice some small, white, triangular paper forms scattered throughout the studio. Upon closer inspection, you’ll see that each one is labeled with the date it was placed and its specific location in the studio and that there is a sticky pad on the interior. So, what’s the deal? Read on to find out!

Artists, conservators, curators and other cultural heritage professionals have been studying and trying to understand causes of damage for hundreds of years. In the 1990’s authors began publishing a more formal and comprehensive list of risks to art that we now refer to as the, ‘Agents of Deterioration’.

In this post, we want to talk about an integral part of most canvas paintings: stretchers and strainers and the differences between these two auxiliary supports. Because canvas is a fabric, in most cases, it needs an auxiliary support to help make it a more paintable surface. That auxiliary support is usually either a stretcher or strainer. Let's explore the history and use of stretchers and strainers.

In 2022 we had the honor of working on a very special artifact for the Historical Society of Bensalem Township - a diorama entitled The Signing of the Declaration of Independence. The diorama artistically recreates the iconic scene of members of the Second Continental Congress signing of the Declaration of Independence in what was, at the time, the Assembly Room of Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, PA.

The collaboration between Flux Art Conservation and the James E. Brewton Foundation began in the summer of 2023 with 6 works by James E. Brewton spanning from 1962-1967. The goal of this project was to provide the Foundation with full documentation of the 6 works. This post is a summary of this experience.

Completing the partial restoration campaign of an 18th-century, South American canvas painting of the Madonna and Child.

Flux Art Conservation had the pleasure of conserving this portrait and interviewing Zofia’s daughter about her life, her mother and the importance of the portrait to the family. Written by pre-program technician Leah Aretz.