Walls and Shelves

Before the museum installation can begin, the first requirement was to finish the walls. Then I needed shelves and cabinets to display and protect fragile items. I liked the look of 19th C. oak cabinetry normally found in old museums so I used stained oak for all woodworking. With my carpentry background, I was able to make vitrines and a bookcase that will hopefully pass muster. These photos from 26 March 2013 show how it looked with mainly bare walls at that time.

Wallpaper almost done with see-through cabinet finished.

Bookcase almost finished. Collection starting to appear.

Skeleton vitrine completed and occupied.

I was impatient to see objects installed. Before I finished construction, there was a lot of dusting required. That was another good reason for glass vitrines whenever possible. It is amazing to see long-hidden items come out into the light again. I missed them. For example, the ostrich and emu eggs were in storage for over two decades. Recently acquired items like the memory jug on the next-to-top shelf were later relocated into new cabinetry. And the skeleton I bought a couple of years ago is finally out of its box and upright in his (?) personal vitrine.