Creating mounts with magnets for the exhibit "Uncommon Threads"

by Gwen Spicer

I LOVE MAGNETS! There, I said it.  Magnets are perhaps the most amazing and versatile tool in a conservator's toolbox. The more I work with them, the more I am amazed at their possible uses for mount-making, display, transportation, treatment, etcetera. I am sure my love of magnets was solidified  a few years ago while working on the exhibit, "Uncommon Threads", at the Maine State Museum in 2006. A group of us came up with a mounting system to secure artifacts by using rare earth magnets and "attach" them to moveable mounts that were not able to accommodate sewing. This group of individuals included Linda Carroll, Ron Harvey, Judy Mayer, Toosie Scharoun, Dona Smith, and myself. And while this was not a new idea, it was used exclusively throughout the exhibition, which might have been a first.

The exhibit was to travel. So the concept proposed by the conservators and curators was for each artifact, or group, to be mounted to a panel that could be lifted from the travel box, placed in a display case, and then put back in the travel box. In this way, the artifacts themselves would not be touched, just the panels, therefore lowering the handling and potential damage of the artifacts.

Each mount was supported with a layer of DiBond, on top of which were two layers of 1/4" thick Volara. For artifacts that required an additional recess, 1" thick Ethafoam was placed below the Volara layer. The mount size was determined by the grouping of artifacts as some would be alone, and others would be in a small grouping. Once positioned, the upper 1/4" layer of Volara was removed in the outline of the base of artifact. (see photo below).

Cutting out the recesses of the upper layer of Volara.

Each artifact required a different selection and arrangement of magnets due to the artifact's weight and size. We used Rare Earth Magnets (K&J Magnetics), grade N42, nickel plated, in a range of sizes: 1” x 1/8”,  ¾” x 1/8”,  5/16” x 1/16 “,  ¾” x 1/32” and we used galvanized fender washers. Also in a range of sizes.

Washers of various sizes to accommodate various
sized magnets

various sized magnets, separated with containers or bumpers

To create the mount, a paper template of the artifact's interior was made first and then transferred to a blue board. The desired locations of the washers were cut into the top layers, leaving the lower most paper layer intact. Hot melt was used to secure the washer in place, then twill tape ties were created for ease of removal of the boards.  

Internal support with fender washers

The magnets were secured to the mount panels. A hole was cut out for the magnet and hot
melted in place* (please see note about hot melt below). Mylar was used as a separator for positioning.



The edges of the foam were cut slightly larger than needed, they were then adhered together, and lastly a scalpel was used against the DiBond to make the final trim.

A 1” wide Beva strip is applied to the back side of the panels. A strip of ¼”, double-sided, tape is also applied to the inside edge of the Beva strip to give initial hold to the fabric, as well as room for adjustment before the final securing with the Beva. 

The cut out recesses for the each band box before the display
fabric was attached. The magnets are fitted into the lower layer.

The finished mount with the band boxes in position.

Notice the placement of the magnets above. They are in the base of the mount, not left with the artifact.  This is important because the magnets can be recycled and used in a different mount, not left in storage.  Rare Earth Magnets are no longer as cheap as they once were and using them is more efficient than storing them.
For moccasins, a blue board was fitted with a fender washer: one for heel, one for toe. The bottom of the heel muslin support was filled with resin-free polyester fill. The viewing side of the muslin was machine-stitched in a U-shape. The toe was supported with a separate pillow of folded muslin and fill. 

The construction of the internal moccasin
supports with lower supports for the washers.

For the silver gorgets (see image below), the internal shape was created with layers of needle-punch batting. Each layer tapered out from the next. A Magnet/washer was positioned at the center and was fabric covered and secured to the reverse with double-sided tape and hot melt glue*. The Gorget was secured to the mount with Skala thread.

Preparing mounts for the Gorgets with domed batting layers

*An important point needs to be made about hot melt. Rare Earth Magnets have a "Curie Temperature" which means that exposure to heat at (or above) a certain temperature will demagnetize the magnet, therefore rendering it completely "powerless". In our testing, hot melt, when placed directly on these magnets, did in fact demagnetize them. So, to circumvent this, we would place the hot glue on the surface the magnet would be adhered to, wait for it to cool to a temperature where we could put our finger to it, and then place the magnet on it. This worked great, the temperature posed no danger to the magnet and the strength of the bond was not compromised.

Another important point to make about this type of mount is that the magnets were meant to hold the objects in a horizontal position. Therefore, this is very different from using magnets in a vertical mount.  Supporting the weight of an object poses very different demands from the magnets where its full pull force is needed. To support the weight of an object one must evaluate the size and strength of the magnet, the object to be supported, and the angle at which it would be displayed, to name a few.

Since my time in Maine, I've successfully used magnets in several other projects and I've learned enough about magnets to fill a book! If you are a conservator who is not using magnets, you should.
And once you start, I bet you'll love magnets as much as I do...well maybe as much.

The AIC Annual meeting in Indianapolis, IN was a great time to learn more, at the hands-on session: "Ferrous Attraction: The science behind the magic" permanent magnets were discussed and rare earth magnets were tested in small groups.  

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Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Look for Gwen's book, "Magnetic Mounting for Art Conservators and Museums",  available in 2018.

Conserving and then displaying large textiles in a limited space

"Too Big, No space"

by Gwen Spicer

What does one do when they want to display a large textile but have no space?  This is a dilemma that many face, whether it is one large artifact or a group of artifacts.  Conservators will always suggest that an artifact be fully supported.  However, full support can be tricky, particularly when space is a premium in many museums and especially historic sites.  Historic sites were not designed to display artifacts, and flag display can be especially problematic.  Flags are often large, and some flags can be gigantic (for example, garrison flags that can be as large as  20 or 30 feet in any one direction, and so called "mammoth flags" whose hoist edge exceeds 50 feet).  But coverlets or quilts might also be considered large.  Think of the "Aids Quilt" that is literally endless in size.

The Garrison Flag from Fort Niagara, ca. 1812 (that's me on the right)

Many times, mammoth flags are displayed outdoors, over long periods of time, and their sheer weight causes incredible weakness and so tearing is inevitable.  To add to the demise of these huge flags is the storage of such an object.  They are enormous, they weigh a ton, and they beg the question: where could you put me?  The Utah Statehood Flag of 1896 comes to mind (see below) when pondering these obstacles.  That flag measured 74 x 132 feet and was displayed during various occasions from 1896 to 1903.  When hung, it eventually tore under it's own weight, and when stored was in damp locations (the basement or greenhouse) causing it to mold.  The flag was respectfully destroyed, but had it not been, where would it be today?  It's sheer size, coupled with the weight (smaller mammoth flags weigh in excess of 500 pounds!), and its increasing fragility would make it a display nightmare for any museum.  Showing a portion of these flags could be the answer, but how would you support the not-shown portion?  While patches were cut from some of history's giant flags, it appears no one cut a souvenir from the Utah flag.

The Utah Statehood Flag hanging from the Salt Lake Temple, ca. 1900

Vertical display of the Star
Spangled Banner, ca. 1964

Of the great flags in history that were "super-sized", only a few have survived, and the display of these flags is space consuming.  The Star Spangled Banner (see image at right) comes to mind.  The flag hung vertically for years before it became so fragile it required substantial conservation, including a complete change to the way it was displayed.  This particular flag is unique in that it has iconic status and the Smithsonian has ample room to house the 30 x 42 foot flag at a 10 degree angle in a temperature and humidity controlled custom made display room.  But for the average historical society, housing and displaying large artifacts is simply not possible.

Some historic sites have developed ingenious ways to display their flags.  The Pike County Historical Society in Milford, Pennsylvania has mounted their large National flag, the "Lincoln Flag" with two large rollers that displays the flag like a large scroll with the full height of the flag exposed (see image below left).  The smaller area of exposure is displayed in a deep frame with glazing. Only the most important feature of a narrow section of the flag is actually seen.

Jeannie Gourley, an actress in the play performed
in the Ford Theater the night Lincoln was
assassinated, brought home to Milford a large
flag stained with his blood.  It is now known as
the Lincoln Flag.

At the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, New York, they have a group of four Civil War flags from one Regiment.  These silk flags had been on display for many years in a wall cavity (see image below).  They approached SAC about their conservation and preservation.  Their small museum was up on the second floor, accessed by a long winding route.  It was not possible to display the flags there, even if they could be safely transported.

The view of the original wall case with the National,
National with honors, Regimental, and Marker flags

The solution was to encapsulate the flag between sheer Stabilitex.  The stable flag was then wrapped around a three-dimensional mount that was sized to fit inside the cavity in the orientation of its original mounting.  Now the flag is fully supported, historically interpreted, and perhaps better seen by the viewer (see images below).  The other three flags were humidified and rolled for storage.

Re-enactors pose with the flag.

The National flag with honors
returned to its wall case.

Neither of these two flag examples are displayed with conventional methods, however, they balance the support and preservation of the flags, while also allowing the visitors to view them.  In either of these cases, if they were displayed conventionally, this would not have been possible due to space limitations.

Other large artifacts are quilts and coverlets.  To the left and below are a few images of such an exhibition at the Shelburn Museum in Shelburn, Vermont a few years ago, where they successfully balanced preservation and visitor enjoyment of their vast textile collection.

With some thoughtful consideration, large artifacts can be beautifully and purposefully displayed in an abbreviated method, and most importantly, displayed without losing the effect of the object.  Certainly, the majority of large objects cannot be displayed in their entirety, but my assertion is that only a very few large objects MUST be displayed in their entirety.  What do you think?

-More on the Star Spangled Banner and the painstaking conservation efforts taken by the Smithsonian can be found at http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/default.aspx

-More on Large Flags, especially an article about the mammoth Utah State Flag written by John Hartvigsen, can be found in the most recent edition of Raven: a Journal of Vexillology, Volume 19.

also check out NAVA's website at www.nava.org

-More on the Old Dutch Church project can be read in an article "'Mounts Altered; Mounting Textiles to Meet the Needs of Clients" presented at AIC's annual meeting.

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Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Vacuum Vexations and Victories while conserving a large hanging textile

How many times does it take to safely vacuum an 18' x 18' projection screen?  That was the question we asked ourselves on Tuesday while working on-site at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, NJ.

Thomas Edison Laboratory, view of original archway and water tower.

Thomas Edison Laboratory, Library exterior

The screen while rolled.  (It is the cylindric tube spanning
across the top of the clock and upper windows.)

We arrived Monday, December 10th for a four-day stay in New Jersey for the primary purpose of cleaning and repairing the two-story high projection screen located in Edison's library.  The library itself is three floors high and houses remarkable documents attesting to Edison's various certifications and honorary awards, along with numerous volumes dating back to the late 1800's, as well as the screen where Edison would show films to those who visited his laboratory complex.  Needless to say, I found myself overwhelmed and consumed by sheer excitement about the pieces of history surrounding me as I walked around the library to take various photos of the screen, as seen to the left and below.

The screen fully unrolled

The beginning of the treatment process was very simple.  Using the vacuum we brought from the studio, I systematically cleaned the front and back of the bottom portion of the screen while Gwen followed behind with the soot sponge to further loosen any embedded particulates.  The bottom portion of the screen is considerably darker, as seen in the picture above, which we determined was purposefully stained either as a protective coating or as a visual countermeasure to the shadows cast by viewers' heads.  This is only speculation, due to the fact that we do not have an original photo of the screen.  Of course we did not wish to remove this discoloration, only the dirt and dust caked on the surface.  To the knowledge of current park employees, it had been 15-20 years since the last time the screen was unrolled.

Working along, I proceeded to vacuum ever higher with the assumption that when I reached a certain point I would be able to safely proceed with the screen's treatment.  However, such was not exactly the case.  Within the last year or so the site had discarded their backpack vacuum, as well as their scissor lift.  We were then told that it was possible to set up scaffolding behind the screen that would allow me to reach the very top of this immense canvas.  But of course, the scaffolding was not available for our use, and no one had a clue where it was.

Taped attachment

Now here was the predicament: how do I stand on a ladder while holding a small, but still weighty, piece of equipment for an extended period without risking my life in the process?  Holly, one of the park employees, was so kind to find a potential solution to my predicament.  She brought a 3M vacuum, which I could swing over my shoulder.  However, the 3M vacuum unsurprisingly no longer had any of its original brush attachments or a wand extension.  So what did Gwen and I do?  We improvised!  Holly Marino, who works at the Edison site, brought us a wand attachment from another machine which we taped to the hose, then we taped our brush attachment to the wand!

Example of 3M vacuum with only crevice tool

I proceeded to climb up our little step ladder and extend the wand in order to vacuum the backside of the screen as far as I could reach.  It was not long before I started to notice significant cramping in my arm and the strap cutting into my left shoulder, not to mention how awkward it was to maneuver with this huge black box swinging freely around my hips catching on everything.

In addition, I could not control the suction power, which not only resulted in an almost deafening noise, but was also not ideal for the artifact.  After cleaning what I could reach on three of the six canvas panels, I got down and said, "there has to be a better way to do this!"

"the contraption"

On to improvisation part 2.  We removed the wand from the now dubbed black box of misery and attempted to attach it to our vacuum, but only to find that the inner ridge on the wand prevented us from simply connecting the two parts.  We taped the two together, but it was clear that the contraption was nowhere near strong enough.  I indicated to Gwen that I needed a splint of some sort to fix the issue.  She looked around our tools and offered first the small 1/8" thick sticks we use for swabbing, then metal micro-spatulas, both of which I rejected as insufficient support for the task saying, "I need more reinforcement than that!"  After a few seconds Gwen returned with a small chip brush that I taped to the wand and hose as she held it in place.  At this point both of us are giddy with amusement at the lengths we have had to go to so far to come up with a solution.  But that was just the beginning.

Vacuum splint 

Now that the issue of extending my reach was solved, we had to next figure out how to rig the body of the vacuum to the ladder to free my hands for the task.  Gwen had brought small bungee-cord-like elastic bands that I used to hook the vacuum to the step ladder, which worked as I finished doing what I could of the last three panels.  However, I still had over nine feet above me that I still could not reach.  Now it was time for a taller ladder.  With the assistance of another park employee, Walter Baginski, I retrieved a 10' ladder, brought it into the library and slid it under the tables supporting the bottom of the screen and stood it up successfully behind the screen.  The problem arose again of how to keep the vacuum up there with me.  With some clever thought on my part (not to pat myself on the back or anything...wink, wink),  I removed the support strap from the bulky black 3M box and strung it through our machine's handle.  Carrying it up the full height of the ladder, I was able to secure it to the top with the strap, as well as, some of the elastic ties from before.  Gwen handed me the wand and hose, which we had disconnected beforehand, and upon reattachment I was finally good to go!  With the wand fully extended, and standing on the top step of the 10 foot ladder, I was just able to reach the top of the screen and finally vacuum the screen with confident speed, all while Gwen and I are laughing at how ridiculous things get, and the improvisation needed when working on-site away from all your usual tools.

Me at the top of a 10-foot ladder after finally securing the vacuum to the very top.
Thank God I'm not afraid of heights!

Here I am when all is said and done, finally vacuuming after all that hassle, and still with a smile on my face, because after all my effort I was victorious and could proceed with relative ease.  The lesson of the story is of course: where there's a will there's a way.  And my own personal inspiring quote: "Be the hero with a smile on your face because life is too short to sweat the small stuff, or in this case the big and tall stuff!"

written by Nicolette Cook, Assistant Conservator, Spicer Art Conservation, LLC

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Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

My Visit to Thurber's Home

by Gwen Spicer

Earlier this fall I was visiting Columbus, Ohio, when I visited the Thurber Home. For those who do not know James Thurber is was a contributing humorist for the New Yorker in the 1920s and 1930s. He is famous for his short stories, such as the incomparable "The night the bed fell". "The secret life of Walter Mitty" has been a staple of anthologies for decades. His dog cartoons and illustrated poems that first appeared in the New Yorker are justly famous. Much of his work is readily available in the The Thurber Carnival, also adapted for Broadway.



The house is interpreted to the few years that Thurber and his family lived in the house, 1913-1917,  the years that Thurber attended Ohio State University. His family lived in many houses in Columbus, none of which survive. This house at 77 Jefferson Street opened as a museum in 1984.

Two floors can be visited. It is a self-guided tour of the two floors. The visitor is given a brochure upon arrival; each room  has a storyboard. Cartoons and quotes form My Life and Hard Times, are used throughout the house and interspersed with the self-guided tour.

The first floor is furnished as it might have been during the years that the Thurbers lived there. In the second floor, two of the bedrooms are devoted to exhibition spaces. The other rooms on the second floor are offices, but no one seems to mind the presence of visitors. The third floor has been turned into a residence for a visiting writer.

The front bedroom where the parents slept. (TH)

The wallpaper was researched and was reproduced based on recollections of Thurber's younger brother, who was still alive when the house was purchased. He recalled which layer of paper was present when they lived there. As a rental property, many layers of paper were  found, none having been removed over the years.

Due to his eye injury, Thurber was unable to complete a compulsory ROTC course, so OSU would not let him graduate. Later they did give him an honorary degree.

Magnifiers that Thurber used.

His typewriter, one of the few artifacts that was owned by Thurber

One of the intriguing aspects of the museum is that it is not just an historic house where a great and important figure lived. The house has been turned into a living embodiment of writing, humor and education. One can walk into the home and imagine an earlier time, but that also workshops and writing events are also happening on-site and in schools.

The living room in use. (Courtesy of TH)

There are no "do not touch" signs here; rather visitors and program groups are asked to interact with the space. In fact their mission is Thurber House: Where laughter, learning and literature meet. Does that not just make you want to be a part?

Learn more at www.thurberhouse.org. Their blog is http://thurberhouse.wordpress.com
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Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Conserving works on paper of the Native American traditions painted by Ernest Smith

by Gwen Spicer

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and for me, I cannot help but think of corn.  While corn may not have been what you would have thought of, let me explain why it's on my mind.  Corn is everywhere.  Corn is a symbol of the autumnal season.  "Indian corn" with it's beautiful brilliant colors are seen in decorations and corn stalks are tied together and grace lampposts everywhere.  The corn that grows at some of the farms near our studio is used to feed livestock and some cobs are harvested to be used as a fuel source.  And let us not forget corn kernnels, whether creamed or simply buttered, will undoubtedly appear on your Thanksgiving table, I know they will be on mine.

"Woman Preparing Corn" by Ernest Smith

Besides preparing for a big dinner with family, much of my time these days is spent working on items which will be included in an exhibit, "On the Trails of the Iroquois," which will take place in Germany next year.  Having the opportunity to treat such a wide array of Native American ethnology has been a tremendous experience.  I have also read a tremendous amount about the various collections, most notably those at the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC) and the New York State Museum.  Collections of Iroquois ethnology exist due to a huge effort that went into capturing the true essence of daily life in the various tribes through actual objects, garments, illustrations and daguerroetypes by people such as Lewis Henry Morgan, and later by William Stiles.

Another important figure in the preservation of authentic Haudenosaunee (term used by the Iroquois to refer to themselves) was Arthur C. Parker, great-nephew of Caroline and Ely Parker (see blog post for 10/19/12) and director of the Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences from 1924-1945.  In 1934, Arthur Parker initiated a program, The Works Progress Administration (WPA), to essentially rescue the native arts and crafts of the New York Indians before they were lost.

Washing corn after leaching by Ernest Smith

Parker sees that the world perceives American Indian art as nothing more than a souvenir industry dictated by Victorian tastes, which has caused it to be devoid of ethnological value.  He feared the extinction of traditional artistic methods and wanted to save as much as could be preserved.  However, Parker's vision was not just for preservation,  he also thought that a resurgence of true Indian art, and the instruction of these traditional styles to the next generation, would produce new art that may also offer a method of self-support to a financially struggling population.

Through the WPA, artists were provided with all the tools and materials they would need to create art.  This included access to photographs, illustrations, patterns, and tribal elders to provide oral history and folklore.  Most notably used are some of the original illustrations from Morgan.  In fact, if you look at the leggings and underskirt in the painting above, you will see that the woman pictured is "wearing" some of Caroline Parker's clothes.  Arthur Parker is clear however, that there is never any direction of what to create.  Instead, once the artists had been trained, they were encouraged to spontaneously produce their own original art.

Ernest Smith (1907-75), a Tonawanda Seneca, is one of these artists.  In the six years he spends with Arthur Parker and the WPA project, Smith produces 240 watercolor and oil paintings, each one capturing a moment of daily life or illustrating Native American mythology.  Smith's work is wonderful, and clearly some is more simplistic with the image centrally located in the painting, and the background is simply left in the color of the original board.  Other paintings (his "Sky Woman", for example) are the opposite: the paint covers every inch, the images have depth, light, shadow, and movement.  Smith's paintings are filled with symbolism and knowing what the symbols represent makes his work even that much more beautiful and complex.  It is in this way that Smith is truly able to "speak" through his paintings...if you know how to listen to his language.  Visit this link to RMSC: http://www3.rmsc.org/museum/exhibits/online/lhm/IAPpaintings.htm, here you will find beautiful photographs of their collection of Ernest Smith's paintings, plus an in-depth description of the story being told in each painting.

The Three Sisters and the Jo'ka:o turning the squash to ripen

Reverse side of the board that Ernest Smith used.

Ernest Smith, despite his incredible collection of work, remains virtually unknown.  His work survives at both RMSC and the NYS Museum as well as a small collection at the Iroquois Museum and the Smithsonian.
The WPA ended in 1942 when funding dried up and a fire destroyed the building used by the artists.  For all his efforts, Parker's vision was only partially fulfilled.  Art was produced and traditions were recorded.  But the artisans never quite experienced an appreciation for their own unique style and therefore never were successful in selling "real" native art.  The outside world had too strong of an influence and sadly the demand for Indian art reinterpreted into "souvenir style" was what sold, and so that is what artists produced if they wanted to sell their work and therefore survive.


If you would like to read more about the trade industry of the American Indian at this time and how it was effected by not only cultural influence, you must read, "Trading Identities - the Souvenir in Native American Art from the Northeast 1700-1900" by Ruth B. Phillips.  Also interesting is James Gifford's "The Predicament of Culture".  Both of these authors discuss the influence of culture on art and present the inevitable outcome when cultures clash.  It begs the question: is there really "pure" cultural art, or is art evolutionary as cultures develop?


While I ponder that question, I will be treating and cleaning the ethnology of the Haudenosaunee, thinking about Ernest Smith and how I wish he had painted on better archival quality board, and making corn bread for tomorrow's feast.  Ernest Smith's images of early Native American life is humbling and leaves me with an appreciation of how challenging life was for the subjects in his paintings.  It makes me especially thankful for family and traditions, no matter how they have changed.  


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Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

The conservation of Edison's Tin Foil - the lost recording now found.

How does an art conservator, conserve sound?  Sound is made of waves that penetrate the air, that move and bounce, not something that one holds in their hands or sits on your work bench.  Sound is motion that creates vibrations in our ears, not an inanimate object that one observes, cleans, or consolidates:  all of the typical activities that an art conservator performs.

The Edison tinfoil before conservation.

This was the dilemma that was confronted by Art Conservator, Gwen Spicer, earlier this year, when Chris Hunter, Curator and Director of Collections at miSci, (formerly the Schenectady Museum) brought the earliest known full sheet of Thomas Edison's tin-foil to the conservation lab.

Typically when treating an artifact, a conservator can visually observe the changes that are occurring as the treatment progresses, and how these changes are effecting the end product.  All types of tools are used in order to enhance this ability, the use of specific light, magnifiers and microscopes.  But when the end product is the auditory aspect of the artifact, these modern tools are ineffective.

Edison's phonograph serves as the marker for modern sound recording.  It is the beginning of the technology to preserve sound.  Ironically, Gwen Spicer with every tool and technological advance known to conservators, must use the most rudimentary of tools to painstakingly flatten the tinfoil by hand.

It is not what the foil actually looks like that will determine if the sound can be retrieved.  The technology that is used to retrieve the sound will not rely on the surface being absolutely perfect, which is of benefit since the "found" condition of the tin-foil, and the way it was stored, make it impossible to completely flatten.  The tin foil itself is like an archive, with its importance lying in the information that it holds, as opposed to the actual "beauty" of the sheet its self.

When treating this tin-foil, there was a two part aspect to the project.  There was the flattening of the sheet and removing or lessening the folds and creases, which allowed the new technology to better be able to read the surface of the sheet.  The second part was the creation of the sound that was in the bumps and dips of the surface that creates the sound.  As a conservator, you must consider, how much do you touch or hold the sheet so as not to disturb its ability to create the sound?  But of course, that answer is unknown.  In fact, during the treatment there was no real method to know how the treatment was effecting the final outcome.

A next set of experts at California's Berkeley Lab,who would enable the world to finally know what was hidden in this sheet of tin-foil, would ultimately determine if the treatment was effective.  It would only be evident, once they began their attempts to "uncover" the sound.

Tonight, at the GE Theater at Proctor's in Schenectady at 6:30pm, the world will hear the full contents of this Edison tin-foil.  Right now, we know it is a bit longer than one minute, there is some music and a male voice reading "Mary Had a Little Lamb", but the rest is unknown until later this evening.

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Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of objects and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Conserving a textile lantern from The Wide-Awakes

by Gwen Spicer

In this political season, why not think about an earlier campaign?  Imagine you are watching a nighttime parade, full of young men, wearing black oil cloth capes and hats, and carrying lanterns.  It would be the year 1860, just before the election of Lincoln and Hamlin.  You would be watching the Wide-Awake supporters, a group who wanted to ensure that slavery did not spread to the Western Territories, a sentiment felt by all Republicans of the day. The Wide-Awakes were a political group that began in Hartford, Connecticut and quickly spread over the north, spreading as far west as St. Louis, Missouri. 

1860 photograph of the founding Wide Awake club in Hartford,
Connecticut, shows the paramilitary theme of the organization.

The large Wide Awake parade in lower Manhattan was part of a
series of demonstrations in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland,
and Boston during the first week of October 1860.

A large eye emblazoned on their standard attested to their watchfulness over the nation. The group had mottoes like "free soil and free men".  Reports say that these large parades had many oil light torches, but now there are only a few left in existance.
The Columbia County Historical Society is lucky to have one of these.  It is now in their exhibition, Civil War Panorama: Columbia County 1860-1865, open till December 2012.

Smithsonian Institution

The torch banner was quite soiled, but was quite complete for being such an awkwardly shaped artifact.  It was constructed of a wooden box frame that was covered with printed cotton fabric stretched on two sides, the front and back. The sides had been covered with fabric as well, but are now mostly lost.  The top had been kept open.  The box is attached to a tall pole.  Forge iron brackets helped to support the two together.

An example of a lamp

CCHS's torch banner does not have the open eye symbol, but it is printed with Chatham, a mid-size town in the county as well as the phrases "Free soil and free men," with added "Free speech and free homes." In some ways, this torch banner is quite explicit with the issues of the group.  Spattered lighter-colored spots were evident from the oil.

The curator and newly appointed Director, Diane Shewchuk, wanted the artifact preserved, yet, still able to maintain its transparency of light.  Additionally, the cotton fabric needed extra support from its many years of being exposed, yet, often, backings or other supports are opaque.

The inside base of the torch, showing
where the oil lamp was secured.

Positioning and securing the replacement fabric on the sides.

When the torch banner arrived at SAC's studio, it was cleaned throughly. The original cotton fabric layers were reinforced with a sheer fabric that was stretched onto wooden frames that were custom fit inside the wooden armature.  The new fabric was to provide the original cotton with added support and lessen potential bowing.

Once the treatment was complete, we attempted to figure out what the missing sides of the transparency looked like. We had two clues.  One was the remains of a letter that was still attached to the side.  The other was a loose fragment.  In the image below, a possible location was the "N" in the second line down "FREE MEN !" that was located on the reverse side.  By tracing full letters, it was possible to speculate that the sides were also another version of the printed fabric that was on the back side.  Since  all of the cotton was printed, it shows that a number of these transparancies might have been produced.

While positioning the tracing next to the two sizes of "F", the fragment is closest to the "F" of "FREE MEN!" The width of this phrase matches the width of the missing side.  The mystery had been solved.  But figuring out what the missing sides said would not alter the final exhibit of the piece.  The missing sides were covered with a fill fabric (above left image) to blend with the front and back.  For more info on the Wide-Awakes, the Columbia County Historic Society please visit the links below.

The Torch banner on display with a reproduction oil cloth cape.

Visit the museum's website: www.cchsny.org

Also read Luykas ground hog's impressions: http://luykasgroundhog.tumblr.com

www.journalofamericanhistory.org/projects/lincoln/contents/grinspan.html

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Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.