WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST TELLS US A MORE IN-DEPTH STORY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW.

AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.

THIS IS AN OBJECT FROM THE 1600S.

SO I DID IMAGING AND I DISCOVERED A SIGNATURE AND ONCE WE SAW THAT I THOUGHT OH MY GOODNESS, THAT MAKES ME VERY PLEASED AND IT WOULD BE THE REDISCOVERY OF A PAINTING THAT PEOPLE THOUGHT WAS LOST.

WE REALLY TALK WITH OUR EXPERTS ABOUT WHETHER IT'S $5, $50 OR $50,000.

OUR OWNERS WANT THE SAME KIND OF CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO THEM.

THEY ARE FAMILY THINGS THEY CARE ABOUT.

STILTS HAVE BEEN A PART OF THIS INDUSTRY FOR A LONG TIME.

WESTERN COLORADO GROWERS FOR YEARS HAVE USED A UNIQUE STILT WALKING METHOD.

NOW WE'RE GOING BACK TO STILTS.

I LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE LAUGH.

I CAN SHOW YOU MACHINES THAT WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH.

TWIST I THINK IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO CONNECT THE PAST WITH THE PRESENT.

EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING NOW IS OBVIOUSLY INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST.

WELCOME TO COLORADO VOICES TIMELESS TREASURES.

I AM ANDREA KRAMAR AND I WILL BE YOUR GUIDE AS WE EXPLORE THE WORLD OF ANTIQUES AND RELICS ACROSS THE STATE OF COLORADO.

JOIN US AS WE MEET DEDICATED COLLECTORS AND LEARN THE STORIES BEHIND THEIR COLLECTIONS.

VISIT THE VAST ARCHIVES OF THE HISTORY OF COLORADO AND UNCOVER THE RICH HERITAGE THAT MAKES COLORADO'S PAST COME ALIVE.

I AM AT THE ANTIQUES ROADSHOW WHICH IS FILMING HERE IN LITTLETON AT CHATFIELD FARMS.

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE TREKKED FROM FAR AND WIDE ACROSS THE STATE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UNIQUE TREASURES AND FAMILY HEIRLOOMS.

WE TAKE YOU BEHIND THE SCENES TO LOOK AT WHAT IT TAKES TO PUT ON THIS WORLD RENOWNED PRODUCTION.

AND SHARE SOME OF THE EXTRAORDINARY FINDS IN COLORADO'S OWN BACKYARD.

HERE'S THE THING ABOUT DOING A ROADSHOW.

EVERY SHOW WE LEARN SOMETHING EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS AS WE SIT HERE IN SEASON 29 EVERY SHOW WE LEARN SOMETHING AND WE LEARN HOW TO DO BETTER.

WE NEVER STOP LEARNING BECAUSE 3000 PEOPLE WILL NEVER STOP TO SURPRISE YOU.

WHAT THEY NEED AND WHAT THEY WANT.

WE ARE ALWAYS WORKING TO MAKE IT RIGHT.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD NOT KNOW ABOUT ROADSHOW IS THE LARGE NUMBER OF GUESTS, THE WONDERFUL CREW BEHIND THE LENS, AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS THAT GO INTO MAKING A ROADSHOW SO SUCCESSFUL.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT ROADSHOW HAS A MIDDLE NAME WHICH IS PREPARATION.

OUR CREW IS SO WELL-PREPARED THAT WHENEVER WE HIT THE INEVITABLE SNAG, THEY ARE READY FOR IT.

SO I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT TO CHATFIELD FARMS LAST JANUARY TO LOOK AT THE DENVER BOTANICAL GARDENS CHATFIELD FARMS FOR A POTENTIAL LOCATION.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOOK FOR WHEN WE'RE LOOKING FOR NEW VENUES IS LIKE LOGISTICALLY: IS IT BIG ENOUGH FOR US TO BE THERE?

SO WE HAVE A HUGE SET AND HAVE A LOT OF CREW APPRAISERS, VOLUNTEERS AND OF COURSE THE 3000 OR MORE GUESTS THAT COME TO THE EVENT.

SO WE NEED SOMEWHERE THAT'S REALLY EXPANSIVE THAT'S ALSO GOT A BEAUTIFUL BACKDROP, A LOT OF HISTORY, SOMETHING WE CAN TALK ABOUT YOU KNOW IS IT CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT TO THE AREA, HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT AND CHATFIELD FARMS KIND OF CHECKED ALL THE BOXES FOR US.

WE COME IN AND HAVE ONE DAY TO SET UP FOR THE EVENT ON THE NEXT DAY SO THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE AND MOVING PARTS AND WE ARE PUTTING UP TENTS AND SETTING UP OUR TELEVISION SETS AND SETTING OUT TABLES FOR THE APPRAISERS AND WI-FI AND WE HAVE SECURITY, AND EMTS AND CATERING.

TENTING AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF LOGISTICS THAT GO INTO THAT VERY SHORT PERIOD THAT WE HAVE TO SET UP.

AND THEN ONCE IT'S EVENT DAY WE JUST ARE APPRAISING AND RECORDING SO WE WANT EVERYTHING TO BE FULLY SET THE DAY BEFORE.

THE INTEREST IS GOING TO BE PEOPLE REALLY ENJOYING LOOKING AT WHAT THINGS COST FOR ME, IT'S LIKE OKAY A MALTED MILK IS $0.15 STEAKS, A PLAIN STEAK WAS $0.35.

IT'S AMAZING SO THAT'S THE INTEREST BUT THE VALUE IS PROBABLY IN LIKE $10 OR MORE OUT OF JUST AN INTERESTING KIND OF CURIOSITY.

PEOPLE ARE COMING WITH THE TWO MOST PRECIOUS THINGS THEY OWN, HERE'S THE SECRET.

MOST OF IT'S NOT WORTH MUCH MONEY.

MOST OF US DON'T OWN THINGS THAT ARE WORTH A LOT OF MONEY.

BUT THEY ARE PRECIOUS TO THEM AND SO WE REALLY TALK WITH OUR EXPERTS ABOUT WHETHER IT'S $5, $50 OR $50,000.

OUR OWNERS WANT THE SAME KIND OF CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO THEM.

THEY ARE FAMILY THINGS THEY CARE ABOUT.

THIS IS OLDER THAN YOU ARE.

THIS IS OLDER, VERY OLD.

TELL ME ABOUT IT, WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

SO WE KIND OF HELP THE APPRAISERS FIGURE OUT LIKE HOW TO NARROW DOWN THE STORY THAT FITS REALLY NICELY INTO A THREE OR FIVE MINUTE SEGMENT AND THEN WE KIND OF WALK THROUGH WHAT ARE THE MOST TALKING POINTS ABOUT IT THAT WE WANT TO HIT AND THEN IT'S REALLY JUST WINGING IT AS SOON AS THEY GET OUT THERE.

IT'S REALLY REALITY.

♪ [MUSIC] THERE IS THIS DELICIOUS MIX OF PEOPLE'S SPECIALTIES, AND GETTING THAT RIGHT IS TRULY SATISFYING.

A LOT OF FUN.

AS PART OF WHAT YOU SEE ON ROADSHOW WE DON'T JUST HAVE PEOPLE SHOW UP WHO CAN LOOK THINGS UP ONLINE THEY'RE EXPERTS AND ARE TRULY IMMERSED IN THE SUBJECTS.

THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME STUDYING A LOT OF THEM GENERATIONAL, AND MOST OF THEM LIVE AND BREATHE THE MATERIAL THAT THEY DEAL IN.

WE SEE GOOD STUFF EVERYWHERE BECAUSE PEOPLE KEEP IT AND THEY MOVE AROUND.

WE WILL SEE REGIONAL ITEMS.

NOT SURE WHAT WE'LL SEE HERE IN COLORADO: COLORADO POTTERY, NATIVE ITEMS, A LOT OF RANCHING AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT OUT HERE WILL WE SEE THOSE KINDS OF THINGS?

MAYBE.

MAYBE.

THE QUESTIONS WE'RE ASKED A LOT IS HOW COME ANTIQUES ROADSHOW HAS SURVIVED SO LONG WE ARE ENTERING OUR 29TH YEAR OF PRODUCTION.

I LIKE TO SAY THAT THE REASON IS BECAUSE WE ARE TELLING STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE THAT EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO.

BUT THE SHOW IS ABOUT AMERICAN IDENTITY, HOW PEOPLE GOT HERE AND HOW THE PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE HAVE CREATED ARTS, CREATED ITEMS AND CREATED STORIES FOR US TO TELL.

SOME ANTIQUES AREN'T EXACTLY WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT.

ONE MAN IN EATON HAS BEEN COLLECTING WASHING MACHINES FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS.

EVEN THOUGH HE'S ONLY DONE ONE LOAD OF LAUNDRY HIS ENTIRE LIFE.

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME WHY WASHING MACHINES?

WELL BEING RETIRED AND NEEDING A HOBBY I LOOKED AROUND, I LIKE TO FISH BUT NOT FULL-TIME, I DON'T PLAY GOLF, AND I DETEST BUNGEE JUMPING SO I PICKED WASHING MACHINES.

FOR NO GOOD REASON.

IT WASN'T JUST A BIG BANG SUDDENLY THERE WAS A WASHING MACHINE, IT WAS AN EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS.

PEOPLE FIRST STARTED WASHING WITH THEIR HANDS, AND THEN THEIR FEET.

THE EARLIEST WASHING MACHINE I HAVE IN MY COLLECTION WAS PATENTED IN 1844.

IN 1985 WE BOUGHT A MOTORHOME AND WE HEADED TOWARDS MAINE FOR JUST A RETIREMENT TRIP.

HALFWAY INTO IOWA WE STOPPED FOR LUNCH FOR WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A FARM AUCTION.

I RAISED MY HAND AND BOUGHT MY FIRST WASHING MACHINE.

ON THE FIRST TRIP TO MAINE WE GOT HOME WITH 13 WASHING MACHINES.

I HAD THEM IN MY GARAGE TO START WITH AND THEN I OUTGREW THAT AND I PUT THEM IN THE BARN HERE.

AROUND 1995, I HAD TO BUILD ANOTHER BUILDING.

WE CURRENTLY HAVE ABOUT 1700 ANTIQUE WASHING MACHINES.

IT'S AN INSANE HOBBY.

♪ [MUSIC] NEVER DONE ANY ADVERTISING, ABOUT GIVING TOURS.

BUT IT HAS BECOME SO POPULAR ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO I HAD TO START CHARGING.

NOT THAT I WANTED TO DO THAT, BUT I WANT THEM TO BE SERIOUS ABOUT WANTING TO SEE THE MUSEUM.

IF YOU HAD A BIG PARTY TO MAKE A LOT OF MARTINIS IN THAT THING IN MY TOURS, LIKE TO MAKE PEOPLE GLAD THAT THEY WERE HERE AND I PURPOSELY DESIGNED TOURS OR DID DESIGN TOURS IT'S NOT ALL JUST ACADEMIC HISTORY.

WHICH IS VERY EXCITING TO ME, BUT IT MAY NOT BE TO THE GENERAL MUSEUM GOER.

SO I LIKE TO MAKE IT FUN, I LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE LAUGH, I CAN SHOW YOU MACHINES THAT WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH, I CAN SHOW YOU SOME VERY INTERESTING HISTORY.

TWIST.

♪ [MUSIC] I DECIDED ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO THAT THERE'S A LOT OF WASHING MACHINES THAT HAVE BEEN PATENTED SINCE THE LATE 1700S.

THAT I'VE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND AND PROBABLY JUST AREN'T AVAILABLE.

BUT I TOOK UP LEARNING WOODWORKING, AND I BUILD WHAT I CALL PATENT DEMOS.

BUT SEE YOU PUT YOUR CLOTHES IN THAT CONTAINER, DRIVE ON ROUGH ROADS AND IT WASHES YOUR CLOTHES.

SO I BUILT THIS JUST FROM THAT DIAGRAM.

IM CURRENTLY BUILDING THIS MACHINE.

IT'S AN OLD WASHING MACHINE.

♪ [MUSIC] IN MY MUSEUM I'M RUNNING OUT OF SPACE.

I'M IN A POSITION NOW I WOULD GIVE THE ENTIRE THING AWAY, GIVE IT AWAY IF I COULD FIND A PROPER HOME FOR IT.

MY CONSTANT COMPANION OVER THE YEARS BARBARA WE'VE HAD JUST A WONDERFUL TIME.

WE HUNTED FOR WASHING MACHINES IN FRANCE, GERMANY, ENGLAND, AUSTRALIA, AND SO ON.

AND WE'VE HAD JUST A MARVELOUS TIME TRAVELING THE WHOLE WORLD.

BARBARA HAS BEEN WITH ME EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

SHE INSTRUCTED ME TO DO A LOAD OF CLOTHES.

I FAILED TO SORT THEM AND MY SHIRT CAME OUT PINK MY WHITE SHIRT.

AND SHE HAS NOT LET ME DO A LOAD OF CLOTHES SINCE THAT TIME.

THAT WAS 70 YEARS AGO.

IN EASTERN COLORADO, IN THE TOWN OF LAMARR, ONE FAMILY'S COLLECTION HAS BEEN WITHSTANDING THE WINDS OF TIME.

THIS POWERHOUSE RANCHING FAMILY HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST PRIVATE WINDMILL COLLECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES.

NUMBERING 45.

PRETTY MUCH THEIR ONLY FUNCTION WAS TO PUMP WATER FOR THE RAILROADS.

WHAT THEY DO IS TAKE A CIRCULAR MOTION AND GIVE YOU A DIRECT STROKE TO PUMP WATER.

SO WHEN YOU GO DOWNTOWN TO THE WELCOME CENTER AND YOU SEE THE WINDMILL NEXT TO THE LOCOMOTIVE, THIS WOULD BE THAT WINDMILL'S BIG BROTHER.

THIS WAS ADJACENT TOPEKA AND SANTA FE RAILROAD RIGHT HERE AND HE WANTED TO PUT A DISPLAY UP SHOWING THAT THAT'S HOW THE STEAM ENGINES GOT THEIR WATER.

WE GOT ANOTHER ONE ACROSS THE STREET OVER THERE.

WELL IN THIS PICTURE, THE OLD HOMESTEAD, AND ITS 10 FOOT DIAMETER ECLIPSE WINDMILL PUMPING WATER INTO THE 50 GALLON BARREL THERE.

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO RESTORE THAT.

AND PUT IT BACK TO WHERE IT WAS.

WE COULD NOT FIND THAT WINDMILL ITSELF BUT WE FOUND ONE THAT WAS THE SAME OFF OF A DIFFERENT RANCH AND RESTORED THAT AND INSTALLED IT THERE.

PROBABLY IN 1980.

AND THAT HOUSE STILL SITS TODAY AND THAT WINDMILL IS STILL OVER THERE.

I KIND OF FOUND OUT THERE WAS THIS KIND OF MILL AND THAT KIND OF MILL, AND THAT WAS THE START OF IT.

THIS ONE IS BASICALLY KIND OF CREDITED WITH THE FIRST SELF-GOVERNING AMERICAN WINDMILL.

THAT WAS THE KEY, SELF-GOVERNING, YOU'RE OUT IN ELEMENTS IN THE WIND YOU WANT SOMETHING TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL ITSELF WITHOUT SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL.

AND TO RESTART BACKUP BY ITSELF WITHOUT HAVING TO CLIMB THE TOWER.

SO YOUR MODERN-DAY WINDMILL IS WHAT WE CALL A SOLID WHEEL.

THEY'RE PRETTY STURDY.

THEY WERE DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND THE WIND.

THE WIND INCREASED AND WOULD CLOSE IT UP AND PROTECT ITSELF.

SO WHEN THE WIND GETS STRONGER, CLOSES UP, TAKES ITSELF OUT OF THE WIND, WIND DIES DOWN, COMES BACK.

SO THAT'S KIND OF IF YOU SEE A WINDMILL TODAY, THAT'S HOW IT WORKS.

THE TAIL THE VEIN IS FIXED SO IT DOES NOT CLOSE UP AND BECOME PARALLEL WITH THE TAIL.

SEE THOSE BLADES SHIFT.

THAT'S THE WAY YOUR MODERN TURBINE WORKS.

WE PROBABLY RESTORED AROUND 125 TO 140 WINDMILLS ALTOGETHER.

WE PROBABLY GOT 70 MILLS SCATTERED ACROSS THE UNITED STATES FROM LUBBOCK TEXAS TO BATAVIA, ILLINOIS.

AND NEBRASKA, COLORADO.

SOUTH CAROLINA.

THAT'S 30 GALLON COMMERCIAL BUTTERCHURN WE'VE GONE MORE TO PIPELINE AND SUBMERSIBLE WELLS BUT BACK IN THE DAY WE OPERATED 15 FUNCTIONING PUMPING WINDMILLS ON THE RANCH, PUMPING WATER FOR COWS, NOW THAT NUMBER IS DOWN TO 8 OR 10.

THERE'S BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE THAT YOU MEET IN THE WINDMILL WORLD.

IT'S A GOOD GROUP OF PEOPLE, THEY ARE HERE TO HELP ONE ANOTHER AND LOAN YOU PARTS AND GIVE YOU PATTERNS, DO WHATEVER THEY CAN TO HELP YOU OUT.

I THINK THEY JUST LOVE THAT IS DIFFERENT IT'S UNIQUE FROM A LOT OF THINGS.

SO ALL OVER THAT WINDMILLS ARE TREATING ME PRETTY GOOD.

WITHOUT TAKING A ROAD TRIP AROUND THE STATE, THERE'S ONE PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE LARGEST SECTION OF COLORADO'S HISTORY.

IN DENVER AT THE ARCHIVES AND HISTORY COLORADO HAS THOUSANDS OF RECORDS TUCKED AWAY INTO THE SHELVES.

WE COLLECT AND PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF COLORADO IN THE WEST WE TRY TO COVER ALL OVER THE STATE, WE GOT SOME VERY CONTEMPORARY STUFF AS WELL AS HISTORICAL MATERIAL.

AND IT KIND OF SPANS YOU KNOW 1600S TO THE PRESENT.

IN THE ARCHIVE COLLECTION WE HAVE ABOUT A MILE AND 1/2 OF MANUSCRIPT MATERIALS AND THEN WE HAVE ABOUT 35,000 BOOKS, WE HAVE THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF COLORADO NEWSPAPERS ON MICROPHONE, WE ALSO HAVE ABOUT 4000 MAPS.

HERE'S ONE OF THE OBJECTS FROM THE 1600S.

THIS IS THE 1610 MAP OF MEXICO.

WE ALSO HAVE ABOUT A MILLION PHOTOS IN OUR COLLECTION, THAT'S LITERALLY WE HAVE ABOUT A MILLION PHOTOS AND STILL TRYING TO GET OUR HANDS AROUND WHAT EXACTLY IT IS THAT WE HAVE.

PART OF WHAT I DO IS I TAKE CARE OF ALL OF THAT PAPER-BASED STUFF SO BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS, MAPS, MAGAZINES, AND NEWSPAPERS, AND WE TRY TO DOCUMENT THE HISTORY OF COLORADO SO RESEARCHERS CAN COME LOOK AT IT.

HERE WE GO, WE ARE PUTTING IT ON THE SHELF.

ARCHIVES ARE OPEN TO ANYBODY, WE ARE TRYING TO SCAN A LOT TO GET IT ONLINE BUT OF COURSE NOT EVERYTHING IS ONLINE I WOULD SAY LESS THAN 10% OF THE ARCHIVES AND MATERIALS ARE ACTUALLY ONLINE.

SO THE WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN MOST EASILY INTERACT WITH THE COLLECTION IS BY COMING TO THE RESEARCH CENTER IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT ALMOST ANYTHING IN OUR COLLECTION, AS LONG AS IT WILL FIT IN THIS ROOM WE WILL BRING IT OVER.

WE ARE THE OLDEST HISTORY ORGANIZATION IN THE STATE SO WE'VE GOT HISTORIES OF ALMOST EVERY TOWN IN COLORADO IF THERE'S BEEN A PUBLISHED HISTORY, WE STARTED COLLECTING IN 1879.

THE MUSEUM WAS LIKE A PLACE YOU COULD COME AND THINK ABOUT THE PAST AND NOT HAVE TO BE LIKE IN YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE.

AND I STILL THINK THAT'S TRUE WHETHER PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO CONNECT WITH THEIR ANCESTORS WHO LIVED IN COLORADO AND YOU MIGHT HAVE A CITY DIRECTORY OR PHONEBOOK OR YEARBOOK CONNECTING THEM TO THEIR GRANDPARENTS, GREAT-GRANDPARENTS OR IF THEY ARE TRYING TO LIKE FIGURE OUT WHY IS COLORADO THE WAY IT IS, WE'VE GOT MATERIALS THAT CAN HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE STORY OF THE STATE.

ZEBULON PIKE THIS IS THE BOOK THAT HE WROTE, TALKING ABOUT WHAT HE FOUND.

SO I THINK IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO CONNECT THE PAST AND THE PRESENT AND EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING NOW IS OBVIOUSLY INFLUENCED BY T HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST I LIKE TO SHOW THIS MAP KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST TELLS US A MORE IN DEPTH STORY ABOUT WHATS HAPPENING NOW AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.

PERHAPS NO PLACE IN COLORADO BETTER COMBINES THE PAST AND THE PRESENT THEN IN PALISADE FOR MORE THAN 140 YEARS, FARMERS HAVE BEEN USING THIS SPECIAL SPOT AND SOME INTERESTING TOOLS TO GROW PEACHES.

STILTS HAVE BEEN A PART OF THIS INDUSTRY FOR A LONG TIME.

MOST OF THE 20TH CENTURY HAD STILTS PRIMARILY TO PRUNE PEACHES.

IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY WE SEE THE TREES WERE TALL THEY WERE 14 FEET TALL AND THE LADDERS TO GET UP TO THEM, WE HAVE PICTURES OF 20 FOOT LADDERS.

I MEAN THEY ARE SHAPED LADDERS AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE STILTS SHOWED UP.

WESTERN COLORADO GROWERS FOR YEARS HAVE USED A UNIQUE STILT WALKING METHOD.

YOU GET A LADDER AND GO TO THE TOP OF THE ROOF OF THE PACKING SHED AND YOU WOULD PUT THE STILTS ON AND THEN STAND UP AND WALK IN THE ORCHARD, YOU CAN THIN, PRUNE MUCH FASTER THAN WITH THE LADDER.

PALISADE LIONS CLUB WAS PROMOTING COLORADO PEACHES AND SO THEY PUT ON STILTS THIS PICTURE IS 1958 AND THEY'RE IN CHICAGO.

WHEN I GREW UP THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE STILL WALKING STILTS.

I WAS NEVER REALLY PROFICIENT AT IT.

I'LL BE HONEST MY FATHER DID SOME AND HE ALWAYS SAID IT WAS ABOUT AS COLD A THING AS YOU CAN DO BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT MOVING ENOUGH.

THERE'S A PICTURE OF I THINK FIVE GENTLEMEN GETTING ON THE STILTS THAT WOULD'VE BEEN AT THE HOUSE THAT I GREW UP IN.

IT'S INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS TO FALL WHILE WALKING ON ROUGH SOIL.

THEY EFFECTIVELY FIGURED OUT THAT WITH THE NEW KINDS OF TREES THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE AS TALL.

NOW WE'RE GOING BACK TO STILTS BUT THE STILTS TODAY ARE DRYWALL STILTS AND THERE BETTER STILTS THEY ARE EASIER TO WALK YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AS SKILLED AND WE HAVE SHORTER TREES.

THE STILTS HAVE GIVEN US AN EFFICIENCY THAT HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL.

WHEN IT COMES TO THE WORLD OF ART CONSERVATION, SAVING THE PAST IS A METICULOUS AND DELICATE PROCESS.

AT THE WESTERN CENTER FOR THE CONSERVATION OF FINE ARTS IN DENVER THE WORK COMBINES SCIENCE, ART, HISTORY AND A LITTLE BIT OF MYSTERY SOLVING.

PAINTINGS ARE NOT AS DURABLE AS PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO THINK.

THE MATERIALS NO MATTER WHAT DETERIORATE JUST LIKE HUMANS DETERIORATE, PLANTS.

I'M TAKING GRIME OFF OF THIS AND THEN THIS IS GOING TO HAVE SOME STRUCTURAL TREATMENT BECAUSE IT'S GOT SOME BADLY RAISED CRACKS.

A TYPICAL PAINTING HAS ALSO HAD SEVERAL RESTORATIONS, THAT MAY NOT AND USUALLY WERE NOT DONE BY SKILLED CONSERVATORS BECAUSE THEY WERE DONE IN THE PAST.

ANYONE CAN "FIX" A PAINTING.

THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT CONSERVATORS DO IT WITH THE MATERIALS AND STABILITY AND OVERALL HOLISTIC PRESERVATION IN MIND BASED ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

IT'S VERY HARD TO BECOME A CONSERVATOR YOU SEE TINY LITTLE WHITE BUT NOT WHITE, LIGHT SPOTS.

THERE ARE THREE CONSERVATION OF FINE ART GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES AND EACH ONLY TAKES 10 STUDENTS A YEAR SO THERE ARE 30 GRADUATED CONSERVATORS IN THE UNITED STATES PER YEAR.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW PAINTINGS ARE MADE.

WHICH THEN CAN TELL US WHY THEY DETERIORATED THE WAY THEY DID.

IT'S LIKE MEDICINE, THE FIRST THING YOU LEARN IS WHAT THE HUMAN BODY IS, WHAT IT'S MADE OF, AND HOW IT WORKS AS A SYSTEM.

THEN YOU CAN BEGIN TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEMS.

IT'S THE SAME THING WITH ART.

THESE ARE SOME IMAGES FROM PAINTINGS THAT WE HAVE WORKED ON IN THE PAST, FOR EXAMPLE HERE IS A JACKSON POLLOCK PAINTING THAT WE TREATED IN 2022 AND IT ACTUALLY JUST CAME BACK FOR TREATMENT.

HERE'S THE BOX THAT THAT PILE CAME IN.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TENETS OF CONSERVATION IS THAT ANYTHING WE DO TO A PAINTING IS REVERSIBLE.

I'M USING A CITRIC ACID SOLUTION.

WE USE CITRIC ACID A LOT IN CLEANING.

WE NEVER EVER ADD CONSERVATION PAINTING MATERIALS OVER THE ORIGINAL PAINT LAYER; WE PAINT JUST TINY DOTS BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO EVER GO OVER ORIGINAL PAINT IF WE CAN AVOID THAT.

WE CAN DO WONDERS FOR PAINTINGS.

PAINTINGS CAN LOOK ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE AND WITHOUT HOPE WHEN THEY COME IN AND THEY LEAVE LOOKING BEAUTIFUL WITH CLIENTS OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTION.

OF SEEING THIS FAMILY PAINTING AGAIN LOOKING GORGEOUS AND SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN BE PROUD OF FOR YEARS TO COME.

MOST OF THE TIME WHEN PEOPLE BRING ME PAINTINGS TO DO FORENSIC RESEARCH ON, IT IS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO KNOW WHO PAINTED THE PAINTING?

MAYBE CAUSE THEY WANT TO SELL A PAINTING.

♪ [MUSIC] THE PAINTING IS THE DEPOSITION OF CHRIST WHICH IS WHEN THEY TOOK JESUS'S BODY OFF THE CROSS AND PUT HIM IN THE CAVE.

SO I DID IMAGING AND I DISCOVERED A SIGNATURE A LARGE SIGNATURE.

THAT VERY CLEARLY SAYS JUSEPE RIBERA, 1640 SOMETHING.

AND ONCE WE SAW THAT I THOUGHT OH MY GOODNESS, I THINK THAT THIS PAINTING REALLY COULD BE BY RIBERA.

A LOT OF THE THINGS I'M SEEING SO FAR ARE RIGHT.

IT'S THE RIGHT SCALE IT'S THE RIGHT IMAGERY, BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT COLORS ARE USED, THAT IS THE OUTSTANDING QUESTION IS WHAT PIGMENTS-- THE RED FLASHING LIFE MEANS THAT X-RAYS ARE COMING OUT.

USING XRF WHICH IS X-RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY I CAN ANALYZE A PAINTING WITHOUT TAKING ANY SAMPLES.

WE ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON HER VEIL BECAUSE HER VEIL IS WHERE I'M HOPING WE CAN FIND DISCOLORED SMELT.

THAT CAN GIVE ME A VERY OVERALL PRELIMINARY IDEA OF WHETHER THAT PAINTING COULD BE FROM THE PROPER PERIOD THAT WE ARE IMAGINING THAT IT COULD BE.

WE HAVE SOME COBALT.

THIS IS LOOKING GOOD FOR SMELT.

THAT MAKES ME VERY PLEASED.

IF THE PROVENANCE IS CORRECT IT STILL HAS SOME VERIFICATION THE PROVENANCE IS A WRITTEN HISTORY OF WHO OWNED THE PAINTING, WHEN BUT IF THE PROVENANCE IS CORRECT THIS PAINTING IS ONE THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN FROM RIBERA'S WORK FOR CENTURIES AND THEN HAS BEEN SORT OF LOST.

FOR DECADES.

IT WOULD BE THE REDISCOVERY OF A PAINTING THAT PEOPLE THOUGHT WAS LOST.

IF A MUSEUM OR COLLECTOR OF THIS TYPE OF WORK WERE TO BUY THE PAINTING THROUGH AN AUCTION HOUSE, IT WOULD GO FOR MILLIONS.