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 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 (Historic paint analysis).
Education
Welsh grew up in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He is the second son of James Conwell Welsh and Suzanne Sagendorph Welsh. He graduated from West Chester University in Pennsylvania (B.A. January 1971). He grew up in a historic Main Line home, built in 1699, known as “Castle Beith”. Welsh’s mother, Suzanne S. Welsh was an 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.
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.
Career
Welsh began his professional career in 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. In 1975 Welsh left the National Park Service and founded 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: Roger W. Moss, Jr., author and executive director at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia 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.
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.
Awards and fellowships
- 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.
Select publications
- "Investigation, Analysis , and Authentication of Historic Wallpaper Fragments", Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2004.
- "The Microanalysis of Historic Paints and Wallpapers", American Laboratory, Vol. 37, No. 7, 2005.
- "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)
- "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.)
- “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.)
- "Restoring the Colors of Thomas Jefferson: Beyond the Colors of Independence", Architectural Finishes of the Built Environment, London: Archetype Publications Ltd., 2009.
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.