| In 1994, paper conservationist Reba Fishman Snyder conducted an "archaeological dig" for the Tenement Museum. The site of Snyder's research was not an ancient catacomb or hidden vault - it was the very walls of 97 Orchard Street. With tiny metal spatula in hand, Reba Fishman Snyder examined the many layers of paint and paper adorning these decades-old plaster walls. Snyder would soak the paper and carefully remove small patches for analysis. These samples, some with faint designs, some with maker's marks, and others with barely smudged designs were then examined on-site or taken to a lab for analysis. Now stored in the Tenement Museum's archives, these samples offer a window into the history of 97 Orchard Street.
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