The Conservator in His Laboratory

The artist likens this picture of the paper conservator Frank Mowery in his lab at the Folger Shakespeare Library to an image of St. Jerome in his study: “He is a bit of a mad scientist, toiling away in his studio in isolation, yet connected to the universe’s grand design via the accumulated wisdom of the ages in the books around him, his experiments, and his observations. For him, the molecular structure of the books and prints he cares for and the constellations in the night sky have become the same thing; he may not even leave his laboratory anymore.”