Mask & Wig Club

The Mask & Wig Club was founded in 1889 as a student theatrical organization. In 1894, the club purchased a stable in downtown Philadelphia, which was originally built in 1834 as St. Paul’s E & L. Church and recognized by PHMC as one of the oldest African-American churches in Philadelphia. The structural design to transform the stable into a rehearsal, performance, and clubhouse facility was done by the renowned architect, Wilson Eyre, and the interior decoration by the soon-to-be nationally recognized artist, Maxfield Parrish.

EverGreene performed the cleaning and restoration of oil paintings that were damaged during a fire in March of 2008. The paintings were in two groupings; a series of caricature portraits painted on wood paneling in the Grille Room and a large mural painted on plaster in the Theater. The conservation of the proscenium painting was completed in conjunction with plaster stabilization and restoration and the conservation work was completed in accordance with the American Institute of Conservators Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.

EverGreene’s full scope of work included:

• Production of a full size drawing based on the existing cleaned mural remnants, historic photographs, and tracings of the original remnants
• Production of color details on sample panels to determine original color palette and painting techniques
• Created full size drawings in order to transfer replications to wall using a pounce method
• Overpaint removal
• Application of protective coating and reversible layer prior to the painting of the replica
• Painting of figure directly onto the wall matching Parish’s original application techniques including copy layering, blending, glazing, and brushwork
• Application of varnish to match the surface finish of the surrounding areas