Dates

• Existence: 1950    

Biography

Born in Philadelphia, Frank S. Welsh grew up in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, in a historic home known as Castle Beith, built in 1699. The family moved into the house in 1950 and began furnishing it with antiques, a passion particularly embraced by his mother, who later developed a career in restoring and decoratively painting antique Pennsylvania furniture. Through assisting with these projects, Frank gained early exposure to the techniques of refinishing and decorative painting. After graduating from High School in 1967, he pursued a degree in Spanish in College, studying abroad in Mexico and Spain. After graduation he traveled back to Spain in 1972, where a reflective period inspired thoughts of combining interests in historic preservation, restoration, painting, and writing—though the precise path forward remained unclear at the time. A pivotal moment occurred shortly after returning home, during a visit to Independence Hall on July 4, 1972. While touring the site, he learned about the building’s restoration process and the careful research undertaken by the National Park Service to determine its original paint colors. This revelation crystallized his interest in historic preservation and restoration, marking the beginning of a new professional focus. In the weeks that followed, connections were established with National Park Service architects Penelope H. Batcheler and Lee H. Nelson. During discussions about ongoing restoration efforts at Independence Hall, Batcheler’s pioneering work in using microscopy to study historic paint samples came to light. The architects expressed surprise at his interest in specializing in historic paints for restoration—a field that no one had yet considered. Frank’s early curiosity marked the beginning of what would become a broader movement in preservation practices, inspiring others in subsequent decades. Later that summer, a meeting with Professor James M. Fitch at Columbia University revealed that while the university’s graduate program in historic preservation lacked specific courses on historic paint finishes, there was enthusiasm for the concept. When the idea of working with Batcheler at Independence Park was proposed, Fitch offered full support, recognizing the potential to advance this niche specialization. By the fall of 1972, after several months of volunteering at Independence with Mrs. Batcheler, the National Park Service formalized a role for Frank to assist with restoration efforts across buildings in Independence Park, part of preparations for the nation’s bicentennial in 1976.

This appointment signified a pivotal step in advancing the investigation and study of historic paint finishes within the preservation field. Frank's first project at Independence Park was the Second Bank of the United States, designed by William Strickland and completed in 1826. Through this project, he quickly became familiar with architectural terms such as vaults, architraves, cyma recta and cyma reversa, and panel moldings, etc., as well as the intricacies of plasterwork, including brown and finish coats. He learned methods for strategically selecting and gathering samples from painted plaster and wood, discovering how they could reveal both original colors and insights into a building’s construction and alterations. In addition, he gained foundational skills in using a stereo microscope to examine paint layers and their characteristics and was introduced to color-matching techniques using the two-volume Munsell Book of Color. In the fall of 1972, he completed a report on his findings from the Second Bank, titled Paint Analysis. This marked the first use of the term to describe such research and documentation. Previously, Mrs. Batcheler had referred to this work as a "Paint Study." The term Paint Analysis gained widespread acceptance over time, particularly after Frank’s 1975 article, “Paint & Color Restoration,” published in the Old House Journal, where he detailed the process. His article played a significant role in establishing Paint Analysis as a standard term in the field of historic preservation. Frank also investigated the art of painted wall stenciling at the Harper House, a privately owned building in Society Hill, Philadelphia. At Mrs. Batcheler’s urging, he meticulously traced the patterns, collected samples, conducted microanalysis, matched the colors, and documented his findings for the Park’s records. Additionally, both Penny Batcheler and Lee Nelson introduced him to the Association for Preservation Technology (APT) and encouraged him to write an article about the stenciling for the APT Bulletin. With Mr. Nelson serving as editor, the article was published, marking the beginning of Frank’s numerous contributions to the study of historic paints. Following these projects, Frank worked on additional buildings, including Old City Hall, the Deshler-Morris House, and the Longfellow National Historic Site in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Each one offered valuable opportunities to expand his knowledge and expertise. Simultaneously, he took on non-NPS projects referred to him by Mrs. Batcheler, such as several sites in Fairmount Park, Washington’s Headquarters in Valley Forge, and the William Paca House in Annapolis. Together, these experiences laid the groundwork for his transition to private practice, ultimately inspiring him to establish his own business after leaving the Park Service in late 1974.

Shortly after leaving the NPS, Frank was entrusted with three significant projects: Cliveden, a National Trust property in Germantown; the Athenaeum in Philadelphia; and the Peter Wentz House in Worcester, Montgomery County. These projects, and the esteemed professionals who entrusted them to Frank, played a pivotal role in launching his career. Ray Shepard at Cliveden, Roger Moss at the Athenaeum, and architect John Milner in Chadds Ford were among the respected figures who supported and guided Frank during this transformative period. The 1750s Peter Wentz House may have been the most significant project of Frank’s early career. The discovery and documentation of its unique sponge wall paintings, along with the bold blue, yellow ocher, and reddish-brown paint colors, garnered widespread attention. Frank further elevated the project’s impact by reproducing and restoring the wall decorations himself. His findings and the building’s restoration became the focus of numerous articles in popular and professional magazines, as well as his own publication in the APT Bulletin. In 1975, Frank began developing a guideline to help others collect and send paint samples to him. Through numerous collaborations and revisions, this initial guideline evolved into a more comprehensive document, which he titled The Paintpamphlet. Also in 1975, while working on the 1840s Vail House at Speedwell Village in Morristown, New Jersey —a project referred by Charles Peterson—Frank uncovered original graining beneath multiple layers of later paint on the doors in several rooms. His meticulous work in chemically and mechanically exposing the graining to identify the type of wood being imitated resulted in his third publication, guided by Lee Nelson, in the APT Bulletin. This article caught the attention of Charles Granquist, the curator and assistant director at Monticello. Granquist had discovered an original mahogany-grained door in Monticello’s attic and suspected that other doors in the house might also have been grained but were concealed beneath layers of paint. During a phone call with Frank, he mentioned that he had consulted with Lee Nelson, who had highly recommended Frank for the project. Granquist invited Frank to test the doors at Monticello to determine if the original mahogany graining could be revealed without damage. Frank agreed and arranged to travel to Charlottesville. After a few hours of careful testing on a door in the house, he successfully stripped away layers of 19th- and 20th-century paint, uncovering a small section of the original graining. The results thrilled both of them. This trip marked the beginning of a transformative, 20-year relationship with Monticello that would profoundly shape Frank’s life and career.

Shortly after his visit to Monticello, he relocated and established an office on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr. The office was located on the second floor of a commercial building owned by a close friend. Over the next 25 years, the interest in historic preservation expanded exponentially, and so did Frank’s business. Between 1975 and 2000, he transformed his company from a regional startup to a nationally recognized authority in the field. During this period, he significantly increased his contributions to the profession by publishing articles in respected journals and delivering lectures to diverse audiences. His travels took him throughout the Mid-Atlantic, the South, and the Midwest where some of the nation’s most iconic historic sites sought his expertise. In 1981 Frank met Walter McCrone, the world renowned chemical microsopist, from Chicago. This encounter inspired a new direction in his work—applying specialized microanalysis techniques to the study of historic architectural paints and wallpapers. Using the polarizing light microscope, Frank began analyzing the pigments and binders in paint samples. This pioneering work earned him the Charles E. Peterson Fellowship, which supported his research into not just the colors but, importantly, the pigment composition of paints from early American buildings. His findings were later published as a chapter in Roger Moss’s acclaimed book, Paint in America. In 1998, Frank launched a groundbreaking website for his business—the first of its kind in his specialization. The website significantly expanded his reach and led to the incorporation of Welsh Color and Conservation, Inc. In the early 2000s, Frank was invited to study paints in numerous offices and several ceremonial spaces at the United States Capitol, including Statuary Hall. In an office on the Senate side of the Capitol, he identified a primer containing pigments he had never encountered before. The pigments, later identified as the minerals Franklinite and Zincite, led to a fellowship from the Architect of the Capitol. Frank’s research on these minerals and their use in brown zinc paint manufactured by the New Jersey Zinc Company was published in the APT Bulletin and earned him an award from the Association for Preservation Technology (APT) for his groundbreaking study. Throughout his career, Frank’s achievements were widely recognized. In 2009, APT inducted him into its prestigious College of Fellows. In 2013, the Curator of the United States Senate invited him to join the United States Senate Curatorial Advisory Board, further solidifying his reputation as a leader in the field. In 2024, Frank announced his retirement and the closure of his business, marking the end of an extraordinary 50-year career. Over the decades, he met and collaborated with many talented people, published more than 30 research papers and newsletters, traveled to nearly every state—including Hawaii—and worked on over 1,700 buildings across the United States, as well as in Bermuda and St. Croix. He meticulously archived over 50,000 paint samples, creating an invaluable resource for future research. His most notable projects included work on most of the historic buildings in Nantucket, Annapolis, St. Augustine, and Colonial Williamsburg, as well as Union Station in Washington, DC, Grand Central Terminal, Independence Hall, Dulles Airport, the White House, the Castle and the Arts & Industries Building (AIB) of the Smithsonian Institution, Fallingwater, and the state capitols of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and New Jersey. In his final act of stewardship, Frank donated his extensive files and collections to the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, which accepted them unanimously—a fitting tribute to his remarkable legacy.

Publications

Frank Sagendorph Welsh has written and published numerous articles over the past 35 years on the history of painting, paint analysis and on historic paint color. The following is a complete list of his writings. Contact us by e-mail or phone if you have difficulty locating any of these publications. 1. "Report on an Early Wall Stencil in Philadelphia," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. V, No. 2, 1973. 2. "18th Century Sponge Painting in Pennsylvania," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology , Vol. VII, No. 2, 1975. 3. "A Methodology for Exposing and Preserving Architectural Graining," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. VIII, No. 2, 1976. 4. "Paint & Color Restoration," The Old-House Journal, Vol. 3, No. 8, August, 1975. 5. Consulting on Identification of the colors on the 1871 Harrison Bros. Color Card for inclusion (page 66) in Exterior Decoration, Victorian Colors for Victorian Houses, Roger W. Moss, Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 1976. 6. "The Art of Painted Graining," Historic Preservation (magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation), Vol. 29, No. 3, 1977. 7. "Documentation of the 1902 Paint Colors of the Florida State Capitol," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XII, No. 2, 1980. 8. "18th Century Black Window Glazing in Philadelphia," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XII, No. 2, 1980. 9. Consulting on the original colors for the early color cards to be included in Century of Color, Exterior Decoration for American Buildings - 1820 / 1920, Roger W. Moss, American Life Foundation, New York, 1981. 10. "Paint Analysis," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XIV, No. 4, 1982. 11. "Restoration of the Exterior Sanded Paint at Monticello," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XV, No. 2, 1983. (Co-author: Charles L. Granquist, Jr. 12. "Authentic Paint Colors for Historic Buildings," Newsletter of the Pennsylvania Trust for Historic Preservation, Vol. 1, No. 4, 1984 13. "Who Is An Historic Paint Analyst? A Call for Standards," Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XVIII No. 4, 1986. 14. "Paint Investigation - Three Methods," Communiqué of the Association for Preservation Technology, Technical Note 10, Vol. XV, No. 6, 1986. (Co-author: Thomas H. Taylor, Jr.) 15. "Particle Characteristics of Prussian Blue in An Historical Oil Paint," Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Vol. 27, No. 2, 1988. 16. "Architectural Metallic Finishes in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries - The Great Imitators: Aluminum and Bronze," The Interiors Handbook for Historic Buildings. Washington, DC: Historic Preservation Education Foundation, 1988. 17. "Microchemical Analysis of Old Housepaints with a Case Study of Monticello," The Microscope, Vol. 38, Third Quarter, 1990. 18. Finish Notes, 1993-1997, Newsletter of the Frank S. Welsh Co. a. Volume 1, No. 1: Colonial Wallpapers and Paints, Pickled Pine b. Volume 1, No. 2: CIE LAB L*a*b* Color Reference System vs. Munsell, Restoration of Monticello, House Museums & Historic Sites, Dealing with Lead Paint c. Volume 2, No. 1: Use of Portable Spectrophotometer: Inpainting vs. Repainting, Analysis of Finishes on Historic Chairs

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d. Volume 2, No. 2: Conservation of Historic Artifacts Including Statues, Metal Roofing, Stagecoaches, Carts, and Wallpaper e. Volume 3, No. 1: Restoration of "Tara," Colonial Graffiti, Whitewash Recipes, Dulles International Airport f. Volume 4, No. 1: Grand Central Terminal, Paint Analysis on a Budget, Workshops, Limed Oak g. Volume 5, No. 1: Painted Bridges and Paint Crossections 19. "The Early American Palette: Colonial Paints Revealed," Paint in America: The Colors of Historic Buildings, Roger W. Moss, ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1994. 20. "A Polished Paint Layer Crossection in 30 Minutes," The Microscope, Vol. 45, Second Quarter, 1997. 21. "Frank Lloyd Wright’s Use of Wax at Wingspread for Clear Finishes and Paints," The Microscope, Vol. 47, First Quarter, 1999. 22. “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Use of Wax at Wingspread”, Bulletin, The Quarterly Newsletter of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, Vol.10, Issue 1., Winter, 2000. 23. "Analyzing Historic Wallpapers: Fibers and Pigments," The Microscope, Vol. 49, First Quarter, 2001. 24. "Investigation, Analysis , and Authentication of Historic Wallpaper Fragments", Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2004. 25. "The Microanalysis of Historic Paints and Wallpapers", American Laboratory, Vol. 37, No. 7, 2005. 26. "Grumbacher Artist Palette Collection: 1930’s – Late 1950’s", The Microscope, Vol. 53:4 p.147- 159, Fourth Quarter, 2005. (Co-author: Alexander W. Katlan) 27. "Paint, Caen Stone, and Acoustical Plaster at the Public Library in Mobile, Alabama " Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, Vol. XXXVIII No. 1, 2007. (Recipient of APT”s Anne de Fort-Menares Award for the article that best demonstrates excellence in the application of historical research to preservation practice published in the APT Bulletin during 2007.) 28. “Identification of 1850’s Brown Zinc Paint Made with Franklinite and Zincite at the U. S. Capitol; APT Bulletin: Journal of Preservation Technology, Vol. 39, No. 1, 2008. (Recipient of APT’s Anne de Fort-Menares Award for the article that best demonstrates excellence in the application of historical research to preservation practice published in the APT Bulletin during 2008.) 29. "Restoring the Colors of Thomas Jefferson: Beyond the Colors of Independence", Architectural Finishes of the Built Environment, London: Archetype Publications Ltd., 2009. 30. “Microscopical Paint and Color Analysis of the Tovar House in St. Augustine, Florida”, El Escribiano, The St. Augustine Journal of History, Vol. 54, 2017.

Gender

• male

Languages Used

• English

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records: