THE ALASKA FUR ID PROJECT - A VIRTUAL RESOURCE FOR MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION - ABSTRACT

Oct 12, 2026

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The Alaska Fur ID Project is a free online resource developed at the Alaska State Museum, providing an image and data reference set for more than 50 traditionally or commercially used Alaskan animal furs, along with practical observations and analysis techniques. Both guard hair and underfur are evaluated using measurable and visual criteria such as length, diameter range, medullary index and medulla characteristics, pigmentation, banding, scale patterns, and cross-sections, supported by polarized light microscopy. The paper presents the project’s design and methodology as a regional material-identification dataset example, addressing opportunities and limits for fur identification and aiding non-specialist users with an index, glossary, and annotated bibliography.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time9 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Limits of previous fur microscopy references

Regional focus vs species scope

Evidence-based case-by-case identification approach

Article: The Alaska Fur ID Project: A virtual resource for material identification Author(s): Ellen Carrlee and Lauren Horelick Source: Objects Specialty Group Postprints, Volume Eighteen, 2011 Pages: 149-171 Compilers: Sanchita Balachandran, Christine Del Re, and Carolyn Riccardelli © 2011 by The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 320, Washington, DC 20005. (202) 452-9545 [www.conservation-us.org](www.conservation-us.org) Under a licensing agreement, individual authors retain copyright to their work and extend publications rights to the American Institute for Conservation. Objects Specialty Group Postprints is published annually by the Objects Specialty Group (OSG) of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works (AIC) . A membership benefit of the Objects Specialty Group, Objects Specialty Group Postprints is mainly comprised of papers presented at OSG sessions at AIC Annual Meetings and is intended to inform and educate conservation-related disciplines. Papers presented in Objects Specialty Group Postprints, Volume Eighteen, 2011 have been edited for clarity and content but have not undergone a formal process of peer review. This publication is primarily intended for the members of the Objects Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works. Responsibility for the methods and materials described herein rests solely with the authors, whose articles should not be considered official statements of the OSG or the AIC. The OSG is an approved division of the AIC but does not necessarily represent the AIC policy or opinions. THE ALASKA FUR ID PROJECT: A VIRTUAL RESOURCE FOR MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION ELLEN CARRLEE AND LAUREN HORELICK ABSTRACT The Alaska Fur ID Project, online at [http://alaskafurid.wordpress.com](http://alaskafurid.wordpress.com), is a free internet resource developed at the Alaska State Museum. The website provides a reference set of images and data for more than 50 Alaskan animal furs used traditionally or commercially, as well as a compilation of practical observations and techniques for analysis. Both guard hair and underfur were examined for many clues, including maximum length in millimeters, diameter range in microns, medullary index, presence/pattern/appearance of the medulla, pigmentation in the cortex or medulla, banding, scale pattern and its change along the length of the shaft, and cross-sections. Slides mounted with Cargille meltmount and scale casts taken with Duco cement were examined under polarized light microscopy (PLM) . This paper explains the design and methodology of the project as an example of a regional material identification dataset. It also discusses the possibilities and limitations of fur identification by this method. Many previous attempts to use microscopy for hair identification have suffered from the challenges of acquiring and disseminating good quality images as a reference set for the user, as well as limiting themselves to certain measurements while overlooking others. The project utilizes simple design and vocabulary to be accessible to many users, including museum conservators, archaeologists, biologists, forensic scientists, and students. An index, glossary, and annotated bibliography assist the non-specialist user. 1. BACKGROUND Identification of materials in ethnographic, historical, and textile collections is often challenging, with a lack of comparative reference material as one limitation. Correct identification can inform cultural attribution, cultural meaning, trade relationships, historical period, methods of manufacture, and authenticity of artifacts. In the past, museum conservators grappling with fur identification had to rely on outside experts or have a reference set for comparative analysis. Before the advances of digital photography and the internet, photomicrography and publishing the images were limited. Pre

FAQs

What is the Alaska Fur ID Project and who developed it?

It is a free internet resource developed at the Alaska State Museum to support fur identification. The website provides reference images and data plus analysis observations and techniques.

Which features are examined for fur identification in the project?

Both guard hair and underfur are analyzed using criteria including length, diameter range, medullary index and medulla appearance, pigmentation, banding, scale patterns, and cross-sections.

What are the possibilities and limitations discussed for this identification method?

The paper explains the project’s design and methodology and discusses what fur identification can and cannot achieve using this approach, including issues seen in earlier microscopy-based attempts.

Oct 12, 2026

Uploaded by DoDO