Conserving the Portraits in Old Hall

Hannah Westall Archivist and Curator (Pictures)

There have been portraits in Old Hall from the early days of the College. When the College opened in Girton in 1873, it was the original dining hall. As Girton became established, portraits and other decoration were added to the room, giving it a sense of grandeur. Although it was superseded in 1901 by the current dining hall, portraits remained part of the room’s décor, and today Old Hall has five portraits of former College members on display.

• Henry Richard Tomkinson by Mary Macleod (copy of a portrait by John Collier, oil on canvas, not dated)

• Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon by Emily Mary Osborn (oil on canvas, not dated)

Barbara Bodichon

• Hertha Ayrton by Helena Arsène Darmesteter (oil on canvas, 1906)

Hertha Ayrton

• Fanny Metcalfe by John Bagnold Burgess (oil on canvas, 1889)

Fanny Metcalfe

• Mary Geraldine Duff by Patrick Edward Phillips (oil on canvas, 1956)

Henry Tomkinson and Barbara Bodichon are both commemorated in the College’s coat of arms. Henry Tomkinson (1831–1906) was the Treasurer of the College 1868–1877. Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon (1827– 1891), artist, feminist and campaigner for women’s rights, was both a founder and a funder of the College. Fanny Metcalfe (1829–1897) was also an early supporter of the College. She was joint Headmistress of Highfield School, a private boarding school for girls; as a committed supporter of higher education for women, she was a member of the College’s First Executive Committee 1869–1896.

Both Hertha Ayrton and Mary Duff were students of the College. Hertha Ayrton (1854–1923), born Phoebe Sarah Marks, was an influential scientist. A Girton student 1876–1881, she made many important discoveries, including the connection between current length and pressure in the electric arc. Among her many achievements, she was the first woman elected to the Institute of Electrical Engineers (1899). Mary Geraldine Duff (1904–1995), a Classics student at Girton 1923–1926, was the College’s Assistant Tutor 1933–1938 and later Registrar of the Roll. She went on to become Principal of the Norwich Training School (later Keswick Hall).

The value of these portraits to Girton goes beyond their merit as works of art. They are a visual reminder of the College’s former members, their achievements and how they supported and promoted the College. They remind us how the history of these individuals intertwines with that of the College. However, over time all works of art, especially those on display, will deteriorate owing to light, dust, and unintentional damage. The College, recognising the importance of these portraits, employed Polly Saltmarsh, of Saltmarsh Paintings Conservation, to conserve them. Over the last five years, Polly has worked meticulously to clean, preserve and rectify the accidental damage.

The portraits were removed from their frames, and the dust and debris were cleaned from the reverse of the canvases. The surfaces of the portraits were then cleaned, removing layers of dirt that had built up over the years. Where the canvases were slack, they were re-tensioned, and any impact marks were treated locally with humidity. Any tears in the canvases were reinforced.

The varnish in some of the portraits had degraded and was obscuring the paint below. New varnish was applied to these portraits to even out the surfaces and any areas that were still obscured were retouched with synthetic conservation paint. Some of the portraits had scuffs in the paint, which were also retouched.

All the frames were carefully cleaned, any areas of loose moulding were secured with adhesive, and any losses to the gilding were toned in with artist-quality watercolour. All the portraits were then fitted back into their frames with conservation framing to museum standards. Unfortunately, Fanny Metcalfe’s frame was too damaged to be rescued, so this portrait was reframed. The original frame is now stored in the College Picture Store.

We are hugely grateful to Polly and her colleagues for all the work they did to stabilise these portraits and improve their aesthetic appearance. This conservation work will not eliminate the need for further work in future. All historic collections need monitoring and occasional intervention, and these portraits are no different. However, I hope we can all enjoy these revitalised portraits and the history they tell for many years to come.

All images were taken by Polly Saltmarsh. The portraits in full are available to view on ArtUK, although please note these photographs were taken before conservation: artuk.org

Images 1a & 1b. The reverse of the portrait of Henry Tomkinson before treatment and after treatment. All five portraits were on unlined canvases attached to a wooden stretcher with vertical and sometimes horizontal cross bars and held in their frames with bent nails. After treatment, the portraits were fitted back into their frames with brass strips and screws, and the stretcher bars were lined to prevent any marks from increasing (stretcher bar marks are lines of cracking that occur in the paint along the edges of the wooden bars).

2. Detail of the portrait of Fanny Metcalfe, showing where some of the original varnish had degraded.

3. Detail of the portrait of Barbara Bodichon during surface cleaning.

4. Detail of the frame from the portrait of Barbara Bodichon, showing missing sections of beaded moulding. Replacement sections were made from putty and toned in, along with areas where the gilding was missing.

5. Detail of the portrait of Fanny Metcalfe, showing the discoloured overpaint and a section of paint loss in the face. The overpaint was removed and the chips of missing paint were filled in with putty, and then retouched with dry pigments.

6. The name plaque on the portrait of Mary Geraldine Duff. Unusually the name plaque was cardboard and had split. A new name plaque was commissioned, and the original is now stored in the Picture Store.