One of the most famous portraits of George Washington is getting its first major conservation treatments in decades to keep it from yellowing.
The "Lansdowne" portrait was painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796 and hangs in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.
The 8-foot-by-5-foot painting will be moved to a lab where conservators will use digital x-rays and infrared technology to examine Stuart's artwork beneath the surface so they can decide the best method to rid the painting of the yellowing it's getting from age, reports The Associated Press.
"We are preserving this painting forever, for posterity, and at this point in its history, it needs some attention," chief curator Brandon Brame Fortune, tells AP. "It's still very, very stable. But we want to be sure our visitors are seeing it looking its absolute best."
The portrait has been on display in this museum since 1968 and averages about one million views a day, according to AP.
"Lansdowne" was Washington's first full length portrait that depicted him as a civil leader rather than a military leader.
After Washington's portrait is preserved, conservators will make their rounds to all the American museums with portraits of past U.S. presidents on display to fix them as well.
