Grand Isle

Wagner Palace Car Company, Grand Isle Private Rail Car, 

ca. 1899. Metal, wood and paint.  

Collection of Shelburne Museum, museum purchase, 1960.  1960-383.

Background

Private rail cars are luxury suites that could be hooked onto trains of various rail corporations. These were a popular mode of travel for the wealthy into the 20th century. As other modes of transportation became available and passenger cars were improved and targeted to the masses, private rail car use and ownership declined. 

The Grand Isle was built in 1899 by the Wagner Palace Car company and appears to have been ordered by the company president William Seward Webb. Wagner Palace Car was absorbed by Pullman in January 1900. It is unclear how actively the Grand Isle was used as a private car until, like many other private cars, it was converted to a business car, CV 86, for the Canadian National Railway in 1939. 

 

Exhibition at Shelburne Museum

In 1960 the Grand Isle, at risk of demolition, was purchased by J. Watson Webb Jr., then director of Shelburne Museum and grandson of William Seward Webb. J. Watson immediately initiated a total restoration project to evoke the grandeur of 19th-century design of these "mansions on rails." The project was completed by 1963, but unfortunately little information was recorded in terms of the work done and the sources of inspiration for the interior design. Shortly before her passing, the Museum founder, Electra Havemeyer Webb commented that the Grand Isle was too far removed from its original presentation and would require a costly and extensive restoration to bring it back. 

The private car, displayed hooked to a locomotive and next to a historic train station building on the Museum grounds, continues to be a favorite attraction especially for young visitors. The public is currently allowed to wander through the halls and larger sitting rooms on their own. 

 

Paint Analysis 


I was introduced to this project as a graduate intern. Issues with paint dramatically lifting off of the surface of interior decorative panels had been ongoing. Museum conservator, Nancie Ravenel, had also recently completed an investigation of the history of painting schemes on the exterior of the car. 


My project goals included:

  • documenting the historic paint layers present on the panels
  • investigating how far back in the history of the car the remaining layers date; providing material evidence for historic decoration in the car
  • investigating material and/or environmental factors contributing to the poor condition of the painted surface
  • developing and implementing a treatment plan for the painted panels that would be compatible with the existing exhibition and maintenance routine 

Treatment Summary

In-depth investigation into the paint history on the panels included taking over 20 physical cross section samples through all the layers of paint each about the size of a child's fingernail. Analysis included visual observation under a stereomicroscope and elemental identification using scanning electron microscopy--energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Historical research using period technical journals of the railway industry and secondary sources supplemented material evidence. A data logger was placed inside the car in order to monitor the environmental conditions. 

Results of the initial investigation revealed that the multiple paint campaigns, particularly those including zinc-based pigments, were not stable on the metal substrates (about half of the panels are metal and half are fiberboard) given the uncontrolled environment, especially the high humidity in the car. 


None of the samples from the panels contained layers corresponding to the earliest finish layers found on samples from painted woodwork elsewhere in the car. The materials identified suggest that the earliest layers remaining on the panels date to c. 1916. Evidence of heat damage and incomplete stratigraphy on some of the panels also suggested previous removal after acquisition at the Museum (post 1963). Evidence was also found of retouching and overall repainting after the 1963 restoration on many of the panels. 

A conservation approach always attempts to preserve as much historic material as possible. In this case it was decided that the metal panels would not be able to be successfully stabilized and preserved without invasive and unrealistic environmental controls imposed on the private car. Therefore, preservation efforts and conservation treatment focused on the fiberboard panels during phase two. Phase three of the project involved safe removal of lead-based paint from the metal panels and repainting of all of the panels by the Museum painters. The new finish color was matched from the historic stratigraphy. The historic paint layers were preserved under a stable isolating varnish applied during phase one. 

 

Project Phases

I. Examination and Research: 

sampling and Material Investigation

II. Conservation Treatment: 

paint consolidation and protective varnish application

III. Aesthetic Compensation: 

application of new decorative finish by Museum Paint Shop; lead paint remediation as needed on unstable panels

Using Format