This eighteenth century pastel by the famous Danish artist Jens Juel was in something of a sorry state. Two hundred years of dirt, re-backed at some point with an inappropriate glue stuck to the support had caused cockling and glue spots to appear on the pastel surface, disfiguring the delicacy of the portrait. Julie removed the backing and the various glue spots, flattened the paper support and cleaned the surface restoring it to a luminosity and harmony it had lost. I am most delighted with her work and hope the pastel will look as good as it does now for another 200 years or more, all of this combined with a warm and friendly service.

Julie Fitzgerald has been conserving works on paper for us for the last 10 years. She is without doubt the finest paper conservator we have worked with. The pieces she has conserved for us include fine Japanese woodblock prints by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) and Shuntei Miyagawa (1873-1914); original artworks in gouache on paper by Sir Terry Frost (1915-2003) and a rare surviving Lord Kitchener’s Valet advertising poster by John Judkins (b 1951).

All of the above projects posed their own specific challenges and Julie has always delivered impeccable work. From 19th Century Japanese prints glued to backboards and mounts, to glossy posters crushed and creased in the post, to poorly framed modern art that has developed mould spots; the work is always returned to a museum gallery standard with a full written and photographic record of the process.

Should a work be unsuitable for restoration an assessment is returned quickly and with a full detail of the analysis. An example of this was a 17th Century Map of Tunbridge Wells bought in good faith from a reputable auction house. Julie quickly established that the map although original had been later coloured using modern inks and glue and was unsuitable for restoration. This allowed us to address the nature of the purchase swiftly and effectively.

On occasion Julie has facilitated quality framing, either by personally carrying out the work or introducing an appropriate craftsman for the project.

We have been working in the arts both as artists and university lecturers since the late 1980’s and cannot fault any aspect of Julie’s work. She is a credit to her profession.

L & W Lloyd

The item in need of conservation was a fragile and wrinkled lithographic print from 1913 by the Russian avant-garde artist Natalia Goncharova to illustrate a satirical poem, intentionally printed on poor-quality paper to subvert the sensibilities of the time. Conservation was complicated by the fact that another agit-prop poem from early Soviet times, handwritten in ink about 25 years later by yet another writer known to both poet and artist, is inscribed on the back of the print. Julie was able to restore the sheet to a flat surface and very delicately - and impressively - mount it within a Japanese tissue surround to enable the print to be framed so that both sides can be viewed to illuminate a complex period of social history. I am very pleased with the result, and now feel confident about the integrity and stability of the print - thank you, Julie!