A number of American 19th-century artists and restorers wrote about painting conservation and restoration in published books, and in unpublished journals and diaries. They wrote about the materials and techniques used to restore paintings as well as their beliefs about how a painting should look. This paper presents the conservation practices and beliefs of these 19th-century Americans as recorded by the artists and restorers who treated the paintings. Topics covered include patina and age value, grime removal, varnish removal, saturating canvases with wax, lining and inpainting, as well as preventive measures. A comparison of some of these practices and beliefs with those today reveals many differences, as well as some surprising similarities. The information provided in these books, journals and diaries not only supplies us with information concerning how works under our care have been treated in the past, but may also help us shape our own beliefs about appropriate conservation approaches. -- SCMRE