An inside look at the painstaking process of restoring an 18th-century fan — Colossal

Armed with tweezers, a porcupine quill and a level of patience most of us can’t imagine, the Victoria and Albert Museum’s senior paper conservator tackles a tricky restoration project in a new video. Susan Catcher shows us her flawlessly precise process for restoring a damaged 200-year-old fan. She shared insights into her techniques and materials, all of which must be reversible if the project needs to be redone.

The video is one of many in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s conservation series, which includes restorations of Shakespeare’s costumes, Marie Antoinette’s portraits and samurai statues. Watch more on YouTube.