Grant Supports Conservation Treatment for Wright Family Artifacts

Special Collections and Archives staff love to share the story of the Wright brothers and their family through the amazing personal papers, photographs, diaries, and printed materials in the Wright Brothers Collection preserved and made available here at Wright State University. Through these items, campus and community visitors can step into the lives of the Wright family while they view and read the materials. Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), awarded by the State Library of Ohio, four significant pieces of Wright family history received conservation treatment this year to stabilize their condition for ongoing research and display.  

Wright State was one of sixteen libraries and archives in Ohio to receive the federally funded Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Conservation and Preservation grant developed to aid in the conservation of historical objects within the libraries’ collections. Our grant provided treatment for:

• Orville Wright’s botany sketchbook, 1887-1888: The deep purple sketchbook with “Plant Notes” in gold lettering on its cover, was Orville Wright’s from his school days, and contains detailed hand-drawn plants and flowers. 
• 1903 Diary of Bishop Milton Wright, father of the Wright brothers: Milton lived with Wilbur and Orville from the time they were born until his death in 1917, and his pocket diaries hold a wealth of insights into the daily lives of the Wright family. Notably, in the 1903 diary, Milton writes of the telegram he received from Orville after he and Wilbur completed the world’s first successful controlled, powered flight on December 17.
• French Legion of Honor Palm and Olive Leaf awarded to Katharine Wright: Katharine, younger sister to Wilbur and Orville, had an immense role in her brothers’ successful invention of the airplane. The French recognized her contributions early on, awarding her their highest honor of a French Legion of Medal alongside her brothers. In 1924, Katharine received the French Legion of Honor Palm and Olive Leaf Decoration, a further recognition of her contributions to society. 
• Octave Chanute’s book Progress in Flying Machines (1894): The Wright brothers studied this book to gain an understanding of what was already known about aeronautics as they embarked on solving the problem of controlled, powered flight. It is a testament to how the brothers viewed the importance of learning what was previously done in order to inform their own work moving forward. 

Prior to the grant project, each of these historic Wright artifacts exhibited structural weaknesses, and therefore staff rarely selected them for public display or presentation. Conservator Laura Moeller of Strange Stock Art Conservation conducted the conservation treatment to repair and stabilize the structure of the items so they can once again be safely displayed during tours and presentations. Conservation of historical artifacts takes specialized training to ensure that irreversible damage does not occur during treatment. Ms. Moeller’s detailed work is nothing short of phenomenal. 

Are you ready to see the results?  Below are before and after treatment photographs of the four iconic items from the Wright Brothers collection.

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Orville Wright's Botany Sketchbook, 1887-1888

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Bishop Milton Wright’s 1903 Diary

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The French Legion of Honor Palm and Olive Leaf Decoration awarded to Katharine Wright in 1924

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Octave Chanute’s book Progress in Flying Machines (1894)

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Thank you to the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and the State Library of Ohio for their roles in making this conservation treatment project possible.