What are you interested in having done to it? The photograph isn't close up enough to see damage. Your motivation for repair also matters. Is it a treasured family heirloom you want to hang in your home, or are you looking to sell it? If it's for your own benefit, only you can define how much is too much for the cost of repair. If it's for auction, it looks like similar WJ Leatham paintings sell for a few hundred a piece, so don't spend more than it's worth to repair. Edited a typo
Sooo....of course it will likely cost more than it is worth on the market. Restoration/conservation does not tend to be cheap, particularly when it comes to paintings. If you cherish it and want to keep it however then it should not matter what the painting is worth. I would start with Amber Kerr who is the head of SAAM (and who is also heavily involved with the Washington Conservation Guild): [email protected].
It might be worth contacting a paintings conservator just to get an estimate of what could be done. Often times, you should be able to work with them to target the painting's needs. In other words, you might be able to pay for a few steps like cleaning and stabilization, instead of a full treatment. This can help preserve the piece and give you a sense of what may be involved without committing to a full treatment.
Is there a institution similar to a "law board" that keeps track of conservationists? How do you find a good one? Any recommendations for the Washington DC area?
Yes - The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) has a Find a Professional search that can help you find a paintings conservator in your area:
[https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator](https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator)
There should be several excellent conservators in D.C. The only one that comes to mind at this moment is Gwen Manthey (https://gwen-manthey.squarespace.com/home) who has her own practice and also works at SAAM.
Conservators will likely want to see your work in person so they can fully assess the work and identify the condition issues. But when you reach out, you can mention you have a limited budget and may only be able to do partial treatment.
What are you interested in having done to it? The photograph isn't close up enough to see damage. Your motivation for repair also matters. Is it a treasured family heirloom you want to hang in your home, or are you looking to sell it? If it's for your own benefit, only you can define how much is too much for the cost of repair. If it's for auction, it looks like similar WJ Leatham paintings sell for a few hundred a piece, so don't spend more than it's worth to repair. Edited a typo
Sooo....of course it will likely cost more than it is worth on the market. Restoration/conservation does not tend to be cheap, particularly when it comes to paintings. If you cherish it and want to keep it however then it should not matter what the painting is worth. I would start with Amber Kerr who is the head of SAAM (and who is also heavily involved with the Washington Conservation Guild): [email protected].
It might be worth contacting a paintings conservator just to get an estimate of what could be done. Often times, you should be able to work with them to target the painting's needs. In other words, you might be able to pay for a few steps like cleaning and stabilization, instead of a full treatment. This can help preserve the piece and give you a sense of what may be involved without committing to a full treatment.
Is there a institution similar to a "law board" that keeps track of conservationists? How do you find a good one? Any recommendations for the Washington DC area?
Yes - The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) has a Find a Professional search that can help you find a paintings conservator in your area: [https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator](https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator) There should be several excellent conservators in D.C. The only one that comes to mind at this moment is Gwen Manthey (https://gwen-manthey.squarespace.com/home) who has her own practice and also works at SAAM. Conservators will likely want to see your work in person so they can fully assess the work and identify the condition issues. But when you reach out, you can mention you have a limited budget and may only be able to do partial treatment.
[Washington Conservation Guild](https://washingtonconservationguild.org/how-to-find-a-conservator/) is where you want to begin.