GFWC clubwomen from Wisconsin and Oregon join other suffragists in a 1913 parade in Washington, D.C.

WHRC Wish List

The WHRC has revised our Wish List to illustrate the approximate cost of materials needed to support the our mission. These are suggestions to help you plan your giving. At the end of the list, we have included a few links that may be helpful in preserving your own personal or local club collections.

$500-$1000

• Flat file cabinet. A museum quality cabinet will provide better storage and accessibility for blueprint, maps, and larger GFWC photographs.

$250-$500

• “Data-Vac” Vacuum Cleaner with two speed motor and HEPA filter. A museum vacuum cleaner is needed for general housekeeping in the archives and historic rooms of 1734. The special high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter will assist WHRC staff in responding to a mold outbreak or pest infestation.
  
• Narrow, lightweight book cart for transporting archival boxes from the GFWC Archives to the reading room. The WHRC staff needs to be able to lift the empty cart down a small flight of stairs from the archives to the elevator.
  
• Digitization of GFWC Convention records currently on microfilm.   Digitized copies of GFWC’s Convention records can be added to the WHRC’s electronic catalog for eventual access through the website.
  

$50-$100

• Polypropylene photo & print envelopes. Clear sleeves allow for viewing and inspection of photographs or delicate materials without their removal. These sleeves also protect images from dirt and scratches during handling and in storage.
  
• Archival storage system for small objects, including GFWC pins, badges, and ribbons, so that they may be protected and viewed at the same time.
  
• WHRC Research Library book: A Hero to his Fighting Men: Nelson A. Miles, 1839-1925(Peter R. Demontravel, 1998).  Gen. Miles was the second owner of 1734 N ST NW.
  

$25-$50

• pH neutral tissue paper. pH neutral or “acid-free” materials are best suited for long term preservation storage. Tissue paper protects delicate objects from abrasions due to shifting in storage containers and prevents creases when storing textiles. .
  
• Blue-wool standard cards. Each card contains pieces of wool cloth tinted with blue dyes of different degrees of light fastness. These cards will help us measure the effects of light on paintings, textiles, and documents on display.
  
• WHRC Research Library book: The Fulper Book (David Rago, 1993). The GFWC Art Department sponsored a traveling pottery collection from the 1920-30s. A Fulper vase once included in the traveling gallery is on display at Headquarters.

Useful links for preserving your own collection:

Image Permanence Institute features free downloadable calculators so you can evaluate relative humidity, temperature, and dew point in your collection storage areas.There is also an interactive tutorial program called Stored Alive! that lets you explore the ways in which temperature and relative humidity affect the objects in different storage conditions, such as in an attic, parlor, basement, barn, and gallery.

Preserving My Heritage by the Canadian Conservation Institute is an interactive site aimed at helping you care your heirlooms. They offer simple and practical information for preserving every type of family treasure in the “How to Care for” section including books, paintings, china, embroidery, wedding dresses, musical instruments, old tools and utensils, toys, family documents, photographs, and multimedia collections.