Highlights Archives
Paul Seifert Painting Returns to Wisconsin
In 2005 Peggy Luetscher Romenesko of Columbia, Maryland, and her parents, Wilbur and Nyla Luetscher of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, contacted the Wisconsin Historical Society regarding a colorful painting of their rural Sauk County family farm. They knew that the artist, Paul Seifert, was known across the country as a famous folk painter, but wondered if the Society would be interested in the folksy rendering of their farm then hanging in the Romenesko's Maryland home. The family visited Madison and discussions followed throughout the year. They learned that the Society values the subject matter of paintings very highly — the more stories imbedded in the paint, the more stories to explore and share. Thus, the Seifert painting would make a perfect addition to the collection.
 Peggy Luetscher Romenesko and her father Wilbur Luetscher Because Seifert is well known, Romenesko received interest from the collecting community. After careful consideration, she decided to donate the painting to the Society. "It is important to me that the stories of my ancestors are kept alive, and the best way I knew to do this was to donate the painting to the Wisconsin Historical Society, said Romenesko. "I also wanted my father to be able to share his personal recollections of the history and life of the farm. I am confident that the Wisconsin Historical Society will preserve and share my family's part of Wisconsin history with future generations." Wilbur Luetscher identified all of the elements in Seifert's composition for Society staff and shared family history, photographs, and documents to help flesh out the painting's stories.
As a teacher, Romenesko uses a reproduction image of the painting when teaching her students about life in the past and family history, but she also desired to share those lessons in her home state. Romenesko explains, "I have fond memories of growing up on the farm and of the stories about experiences my ancestors had living there. Recently I did some research on the painting and knew I wanted to share the painting with future Wisconsin generations."
Wisconsin Historical Society Paper Conservator Robin Carlson provided basic conservation treatment in the Wisconsin Conservation Laboratory. Carlson unframed the painting, housed in its original frame with an acidic wood back board, to assess its physical condition. It was in surprisingly good condition, though fragile, with minor staining from the acidic back board and minimal surface dirt and planar distortion. The painting was surface cleaned front and back with dry eraser crumbs to diminish accumulated dust and grime, then humidified and flattened to reduce the distortion that had occurred over time. Carlson then cleaned the frame's original glass and reframed the painting with archival back board materials. These conservation measures produced a brighter, cleaner image and a stable housing environment to protect against deterioration.
Since 1854 the Wisconsin Historical Society has been collecting paintings documenting the people and places of Wisconsin history. Today the collection numbers more than 400, including a significant amount of landscape paintings. The Society also possesses three other watercolor paintings by Seifert: his own farm near Gotham, the Daniel Lewis farm in Dodgeville, and the Jacob Bennett farm in Gotham.
:: Posted November 29, 2006
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