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Frank S. Welsh
Madrid, Spring 2016
Born	Frank S. Welsh (1950-02-11) February 11, 1950 (age 74) Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Alma mater	University of Valladolid, West Chester University
Known for	Historic Paint Analysis
Spouse	Margaret Pearson Welsh
Children	2
Website	www.Welshcolor.com

Frank Sagendorph Welsh (born February 1950) is president of Welsh Color and Conservation, Inc., a consulting firm in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania that specializes in the investigation and microanalysis of historic paint, pigments, wallpapers and fibers in 18th through 20th century structures (a.k.a. Historic paint analysis).

Early life and education

Welsh grew up in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He is the second son of James Conwell Welsh and Suzanne Sagendorph Welsh. He attended the Haverford School in Haverford, Pennsylvania from 1954 -1958, and graduated from Haverford Township Senior High School in 1967. He graduated from West Chester University in Pennsylvania (B.A. January 1971). As a Spanish language major he studied at I.T.E.S.O in Guadalajara, Mexico in the summer of 1968, and the Universidad de Valladolid, Spain in 1970.

He grew up in a historic Main Line home, built in 1699, known as “Castle Beith”. Welsh’s mother, Suzanne S. Welsh was a well-known artist who specialized in the authentic decoration of antique furniture. These two factors greatly influenced his career choice of historic preservation, specializing in the microanalysis of historic architectural paints.

Early career National Park Service

In the early 1970’s he met with James Marstin Fitch at Columbia University and discussed enrolling in their Master’s degree program in historic preservation, especially to concentrate on the study of historic paint research. He recalls that:

“Professor Fitch was the director of the historic preservation program at Columbia. We had a very open discussion about my interests and what I wanted to accomplish. He said that he would like to have me enroll at Columbia, but that he could not offer any course of study specializing in historic paint research. I told him that I had met with architect, Penelope H. Batcheler at the National Park Service in Philadelphia and that she expressed a willingness to mentor me in the field. He commented back to me that if that is the field that I wanted to pursue, then I should study with Mrs. Batcheler rather than come to Columbia. I understood and appreciated his wisdom and took his advice.”

Thus, Welsh began his professional career in the Fall of 1972 as an Architectural Technician for the National Park Service for the Denver Service Center at their field office at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia with architects Penelope Hartshorne Batcheler and Lee H. Nelson. Batcheler was a pioneer and the primary contributor to initiating the research and microanalysis of historic paints in this country, particularly at Independence Hall, through her seminal publication Paint Color Research and Restoration published in 1968 by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).

The projects that he worked on with Penelope Batcheler included the Second Bank of the United States, First Bank of the United States, Franklin Court, and the Thaddeus Kosciuszko House, (all in Philadelphia), and the Thomas Nelson House, Yorktown, Virginia, and the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Consulting career

In 1975 Welsh left the National Park Service and founded the Frank S. Welsh Co., and subsequently, Welsh Color & Conservation, Inc. as a consulting firm specializing in the investigation and analysis of historic paint and wallpaper coatings. His earliest clients were the leading pioneers in the field of historic preservation including: John D. Milner, architect; Roger W. Moss, Jr., author and executive director at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Raymond V. Shepherd, director at Cliveden, property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Orin M Bullock, Jr., architect and author, and Anne St. Clair Wright, president and founder of Historic Annapolis, Inc., Maryland.

Since then Welsh has consulted on the research and restoration of original finishes and colors on over 1,600 restoration projects, which include World Heritage Sites and many national landmarks such as Independence Hall, Monticello, Colonial Williamsburg, and Grand Central Terminal. While the majority of his projects have been historic house museums and private residences, many have been historic churches, schools, lighthouses, bridges, ships, and railroad cars. His favorite preservation projects include Verdmont in Bermuda, the United States Capitol and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. His company has also analyzed paints associated with objects of fine art, such as paintings and antique furniture, for purposes of authentication. He appeared on Fox Business Network's program "Strange Inheritance" featuring his analysis of the paints on a salvaged White House plinth.

Welsh also recalls being the first to associate the phrase “Paint Analysis” in reference to historic preservation:

“As I look back over my work in this field I believe I was the first person to use the term "Paint Analysis" to describe the process of investigating, researching, sampling and analyzing historic architectural paints for restoration. When I started at the National Park Service (NPS) in 1972, Pennelope H. Batcheler, who wrote a piece on the subject for AASLH, titled all of her reports as "Paint Color Research". As I started to work with her on the Second Bank of the United States in Philadelphia and was asked to write up my research and findings on the historic paints and colors there, I proposed calling my report a "Paint Analysis". She liked that and approved my suggestion. Every report thereafter that I wrote for the NPS and later for private clients became a "Paint Analysis" report.

When I wrote my first article that was published in the Old House Journal in August, 1975, (front page) I used the term "paint analysis" for the first time, on page 8 of that issue. Well, ever since then the term has been adopted and used prolifically. Little did I know that this would happen 44 years ago.”

Over the past 44 years Frank S. Welsh has served as a visiting faculty member of the Preservation Institute: Nantucket, a summer program in historic preservation sponsored by the University of Florida at Gainesville. He also served as adjunct Assistant Professor in the Master of Arts in Historic Preservation Program at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. He has guest lectured at leading university graduate preservation programs and conducted workshops for historic site administrators, preservation groups, and restoration crews.

Advanced education

During the 1980s and 1990s Welsh pursued the education he needed to build his knowledge as he continued to give rise to his own specialized field in historic preservation. He recalls that:

“I had to cobble together my own courses of study, reaching out to find them meant going to different institutions and leading individuals to do it. I was fortunate enough to have found them. All told, after 40 years, I have more credit hours than most Master's Degree programs, but yet I have no advanced degree.”

He has earned certificates for advanced study in chemical microscopy at the McCrone Research Institute in Chicago under the mentorship of Dr. Walter McCrone. He also completed advanced courses in American history and chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, geology at Bryn Mawr College with Maria Crawford and scanning electron microscopy at West Chester University.

Awards, appointments and fellowships

• Awarded a Charles E. Peterson Fellowship for advanced study from the Athenaeum of Philadelphia in 1992-1993, Welsh undertook research on early American paints, colors and pigments, and wrote a chapter, "The Early American Palette: Colonial Paint Colors Revealed," for the book Paint In America, published by Preservation Press. This chapter features period color samples from many national historic landmarks, including the Redwood Library, Monticello, Gunston Hall, Independence Hall, and the Miles Brewton House. Welsh's work on historic sites has been featured in both scholarly and popular periodicals, such as Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture, The Magazine Antiques, and Colonial Homes.
• In September 2004, Welsh was appointed Research Associate in the Department of Geology at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, PA. And in the Fall of 2005 the United States Capitol Historical Society awarded Welsh a Fellowship to investigate, research, analyze and publish on the use of brown zinc paint used as a primer on the 1850s cast iron door and window enframements at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
• In November 2007, at the annual meeting of APT in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Welsh received the Anne de Fort-Menares Award for his article: "Paint, Caen Stone, and Acoustical Plaster at the Public Library in Mobile, Alabama," published in APT Bulletin in 2007. The award is presented for the article that best demonstrates excellence in the application of historical research to preservation practice.
• In October 2008, at the annual meeting of APT in Montreal, Canada, Welsh received the Anne de Fort-Menares Award for his article: "Identification of 1850's Brown Zinc Paint Made with Franklinite and Zincite at the U.S. Capitol" published in APT Bulletin in 2008. The award is presented for the article that best demonstrates excellence in the application of historical research to preservation practice.
• In November 2009, at the annual meeting of the Association for Preservation Technology in Los Angeles, California, Frank S. Welsh was inducted into APT's distinguished College of Fellows.
• In November, 2013, the U.S. Senate Commission on Art appointed Frank S. Welsh to the 113th and 114th Congress of the Senate Curatorial Advisory Board.

Publications

Frank Sagendorph Welsh has written and published numerous articles over the past 44 years on the history of painting, paint analysis and on historic paint color.

1. "Report on an Early Wall Stencil in Philadelphia," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. V, No. 2, 1973.
2. "18th Century Sponge Painting in Pennsylvania," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology , Vol. VII, No. 2, 1975.
3. "A Methodology for Exposing and Preserving Architectural Graining," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 1976.
4. "Paint & Color Restoration," The Old-House Journal, Vol. 3, No. 8, August, 1975.
5. Consulting on Identification of the colors on the 1871 Harrison Bros. Color Card for inclusion (page 66) in Exterior Decoration, Victorian Colors for Victorian Houses, Roger W. Moss, Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 1976.
6. "The Art of Painted Graining," Historic Preservation (magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation), Vol. 29, No. 3, 1977.
7. "Documentation of the 1902 Paint Colors of the Florida State Capitol," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XII, No. 2, 1980.
8. "18th Century Black Window Glazing in Philadelphia," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XII, No. 2, 1980.
9. Consulting on the original colors for the early color cards to be included in Century of Color, Exterior Decoration for American Buildings - 1820 / 1920, Roger W. Moss, American Life Foundation, New York, 1981.
10. "Paint Analysis," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XIV, No. 4, 1982.
11. "Restoration of the Exterior Sanded Paint at Monticello," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XV, No. 2, 1983. (Co-author: Charles L. Granquist, Jr.
12. "Authentic Paint Colors for Historic Buildings," Newsletter of the Pennsylvania Trust for Historic Preservation, Vol. 1, No. 4, 1984
13. "Who Is An Historic Paint Analyst? A Call for Standards," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XVIII No. 4, 1986.
14. "Paint Investigation - Three Methods," Communiqué of the Association for Preservation Technology, Technical Note 10, Vol. XV, No. 6, 1986. (Co-author: Thomas H. Taylor, Jr.)
15. "Particle Characteristics of Prussian Blue in An Historical Oil Paint," Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Vol. 27, No. 2, 1988.
16. "Architectural Metallic Finishes in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries - The Great Imitators: Aluminum and Bronze," The Interiors Handbook for Historic Buildings. Washington, DC: Historic Preservation Education Foundation, 1988.
17. "Microchemical Analysis of Old Housepaints with a Case Study of Monticello," The Microscope, Vol. 38, Third Quarter, 1990.
18. Finish Notes, 1993-1997, Newsletter of the Frank S. Welsh Co.
    • Volume 1, No. 1: Colonial Wallpapers and Paints, Pickled Pine
    • Volume 1, No. 2: CIE LAB L*a*b* Color Reference System vs. Munsell, Restoration of Monticello, House Museums & Historic Sites, Dealing with Lead Paint
    • Volume 2, No. 1: Use of Portable Spectrophotometer: Inpainting vs. Repainting, Analysis of Finishes on Historic Chairs
    • Volume 2, No. 2: Conservation of Historic Artifacts Including Statues, Metal Roofing, Stagecoaches, Carts, and Wallpaper
    • Volume 3, No. 1: Restoration of "Tara," Colonial Graffiti, Whitewash Recipes, Dulles International Airport
    • Volume 4, No. 1: Grand Central Terminal, Paint Analysis on a Budget, Workshops, Limed Oak
    • Volume 5, No. 1: Painted Bridges and Paint Crossections
19. "The Early American Palette: Colonial Paints Revealed," Paint in America: The Colors of Historic Buildings, Roger W. Moss, ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1994.
20. "A Polished Paint Layer Crossection in 30 Minutes," The Microscope, Vol. 45, Second Quarter, 1997.
21. "Frank Lloyd Wright’s Use of Wax at Wingspread for Clear Finishes and Paints," The Microscope, Vol. 47, First Quarter, 1999.
22. "Analyzing Historic Wallpapers: Fibers and Pigments," The Microscope, Vol. 49, First Quarter, 2001.
23. "Investigation, Analysis , and Authentication of Historic Wallpaper Fragments", Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2004.
24. "The Microanalysis of Historic Paints and Wallpapers", American Laboratory, Vol. 37, No. 7, 2005.
25. "Grumbacher Artist Palette Collection: 1930’s – Late 1950’s", The Microscope, Vol. 53:4 p.147-159, Fourth Quarter, 2005. (Co-author: Alexander W. Katlan)
26. "Paint, Caen Stone, and Acoustical Plaster at the Public Library in Mobile, Alabama " Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XXXVIII No. 1, 2007. (Recipient of APT”s Anne de Fort-Menares Award for the article that best demonstrates excellence in the application of historical research to preservation practice published in the APT Bulletin during 2007.)
27. “Identification of 1850’s Brown Zinc Paint Made with Franklinite and Zincite at the U. S. Capitol; APT Bulletin: Journal of Preservation Technology, Vol. 39, No. 1, 2008. (Recipient of APT’s Anne de Fort-Menares Award for the article that best demonstrates excellence in the application of historical research to preservation practice published in the APT Bulletin during 2008.)
28. "Restoring the Colors of Thomas Jefferson: Beyond the Colors of Independence", Architectural Finishes of the Built Environment, London: Archetype Publications Ltd., 2009.

Personal

Frank S. Welsh is married to Margaret Pearson Welsh and together they have two children: Elizabeth P. and Amelia S. Welsh. Both his wife and two daughters are graduates of the University of Virginia. He also loves Spain.

References

• "Paint & Color Restoration," The Old-House Journal, Vol. 3, No. 8, August, 1975.
• Sweeney, Thomas W. "Coats of Many Colors: Frank Welsh Pursues the Paints of History", Preservation News, Washington, D.C., September 1989.
• Elsasser, Glen "Cottage Industry: Restoration detectives get Lincoln summer home off 'most endangered list,' work to put it on visitors' must-see list", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL, February 09, 2003.
• Pirro, J. F. "A Colorful Past," Main Line Today, Newtown Square, PA, September, 2005.
• Smith, Jada F. "Want a Real Old White House Memento? Warning: It Won’t Be Cheap", The New York Times, New York, NY, August. 10, 2015.

External links

• Official website

• 1950 births
• Living people
• West Chester University alumni
• Business people from Pennsylvania