Kellogg portrait being restored

GREEN BAY - You may not recognize the man in the portrait, but you will no doubt recognize the legacy he left behind.

Rufus B. Kellogg lived in Green Bay in the late 19th century. He founded Kellogg National Bank, which would later become Associated Bank . He also started the Kellogg library, which would eventually become the Brown County Library .

For decades a portrait of Kellogg collected dust at the library. Now, it is being restored.

"This portrait of Mr. Kellogg represents someone who loved this community, who committed his life to the betterment of this community," said Tony Rajer. "All of us, young and old, owe a debt of thanks to this man."

Tony Rajer calls himself an art doctor. He is spending the next month inside the Neville Public Museum cleaning the portrait. Rajer is also smoothing out 75 areas on the painting, using a hypodermic needle to inject adhesive between the layers of canvas.

The portrait, which was painted in 1887, is owned by the Green Bay and De Pere Antiquarian Society . The group purchased it from the library three years ago with other historic artifacts.

"We purchased the painting. We are conserving it," said Carol Jones. "We are going to hold it for future generations."

Jones would not say how much the restoration project is costing but it will be paid for by Associated Bank. In fact, once the conservation is complete, the portrait will be loaned to the bank and put on display.

"The Kellogg is going back to the bank where he originally hung," Jones said.

If all goes according to plan, despite being more than 120 years old, the portrait will look as good as new.

The public is invited to observe the restoration of the Kellogg portrait. People can stop by the Neville Public Museum weekdays between noon and 4 p.m.