Military WWII Memorabilia US Coast Guards – Artwork from the National Headquarters – Collection Care Tips for Collectors By Scott M. Haskins, Art Conservator
Fine Art Conservation Laboratories (FACL) was recently awarded a contract to provide art conservation treatments on 29 works of art on paper belonging to the National Headquarters of the United States Coast Guard , “HSCG Historic Art Collection.” If you are a history buff of World War II and a collector of military memorabilia and collectibles then this article contains valuable collection care tips for you and a quick video “fly by” to let you have an insider’s view of this collection of original works of art on paper. Most of the art in the USCG Historic Art Collection is made up of WW2 era combat art by artists who were USCG service members during WW2 and were tasked with recording CG wartime history from CG cutters and shore locations. In addition to WW2 combat art, the USCG Historic Art Collection has a smaller Vietnam combat art collection (currently housed within the CG Art Program collection.) and a small but growing recently painted art collection that commemorates life and historic events in the USCG and predecessor agencies. These 29 original works of art consist of ink washes, watercolors and different types of pencils and constitute a small part of the USCG combat art collection which numbers over 700 pieces. The USCG Historic Art Collection has all types of art in the collection: watercolors, oils, drawings, pastels, ink, pencils, and statues. See the link to the short video at the end of this article. Some works of art are displayed in offices and units at USCG HQ, flag quarters, and when they are on loan, to museums and educational organizations. “We tend to be very selective when loaning the art collection pieces out -‐ we don't do it very often.”