Guardians of the City Conservation Project

History is important to us. SFFD history. San Francisco history. And our history in the community. Preserving history is an important way for us to remember our roots, our legacy, and our mission.

We’re excited to announce that the Guardians of the City have recently completed a project that beautifully conserved two important pieces in their collection.

The first piece is a portrait of Franklin Eugene Raymond Whitney. Whitney served in the SF Volunteer Fire Department, eventually becoming the first Chief Engineer of the paid San Francisco Fire Department in 1866.

The second is a portrait of David Scannell, who was San Francisco’s third elected Sheriff, Chief Engineer of the SF Volunteer Fire Department, and a highly regarded Chief Engineer of the SFFD.

Both pieces are likely from the 1870s, though the artists are unknown.

To return these portraits to their original glory, Guardians of the City reached out to Julie Goldman, a highly skilled, professional paper conservator.

We were honored to help Guardians of the City with this conservation project and congratulate them on the success of all their hard work! The end results are something you should see in person.

For a detailed description of the project, before and after photos, and information about how you can help sponsor future projects, click here.