For my third-year internship, I have been working in the Furniture and Frames Conservation department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It has been so exciting to be at this institution and to see how various departments operate in a large museum. The MFA’s collection of furniture, frames, musical instruments, and other wooden objects is so vast, and wonderful to become familiar with. So far, I have helped with gallery cleaning of period rooms, attended meetings for exhibitions and object treatments, assisted with a large group treatment of Japanese architectural panels with the Objects Conservation department, worked on a minor treatment of a wooden eagle, and have begun a treatment project on a sewing table.

The sewing table I am treating is from the 19^th century and was made in China for the export market. It has a lacquered surface with gold decoration and imagery of people, architecture, and nature. The table also has a hinged table top that opens to reveal many compartments filled with different sewing tools, called notions. The notions are intricately carved ivory or bone and include needles, needle cases, thimbles, a tatting shuttle, and other small objects. Researching these objects as well as the conservation methods for treating lacquered objects has been incredibly interesting, since this is my first time working with lacquered furniture. Currently, I have begun consolidating the cracked and tenting lacquer to stabilize the decorative surface. When the treatment is completed, the sewing table will go on display in the Art of the Americas Wing. 

My training at WUDPAC has been influential and helpful for this internship in many ways. My experiences during the program—examining objects, creating treatment proposals and procedures, doing analysis such as cross-section microscopy, and being able to collaborate with others—have helped me feel prepared working in a new institution. I am continuing to learn so much at the MFA and I look forward to what the rest of the year brings at my third-year internship!

—    Lila Reid, WUDPAC Class of 2025