Regilding Prometheus, 1974

Much of the work of historic preservation involves relearning techniques of the past in order to restore and refurbish the non-structural or ornamental elements in the built environment. In this photograph, James Johnson of Local 129, International United Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, prepares the bronze base of the Rockefeller Center statue of Prometheus—18 feet high and 8 tons—for regilding.

Learn more about ornamental work on historic buildings and public artworks in Landscape of Lost Arts.

Photo by Al-Ben Ness. Painters Distinct Council 9, Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, NYU.