Preservation week and the importance of preserving artifacts

A week devoted to the preservation of cultural heritage is a wonderful week indeed! We get many phone calls and email messages asking for advice or help to care for artifacts from families and museum collections.  Sometimes, the items in question are in need of care from a professional conservator, but other times the items are just not being kept as carefully as they could.  The most frequent advice we give to those looking for proper storage and care is threefold:                          

1. Watch the temperature and relative humidity of your storage/display area.  You do not want large fluctuations in either; temperature should be between 65 and 70 degrees F, and RH should always be below 50%.  The chart below illustrates the ideal conditions for the safe-keeping of artifacts.  
2. Direct light is a NO-NO!  Keep your items out of the light. Light damage is accumulative and irreversible.  "No light" is therefore the best possible environment, especially for your paper, textile and upholstered items.  
3. Use acid-free materials to support and store your collection. 

If the only thing you can do is the three items listed above, it is a great start!  The recommendation of the above three items is always followed with the next three questions:

1. How in the world do I determine relative humidity?
2. What can I cover my windows with? OR is there a UV protecting glass I can use?
3. What is "Acid Free"?

As luck would have it, there is an answer for each of these questions.

1. Relative Humidity, temperature, and light exposure can be determined quite easily and with no great expense using a HOBO data logger.  If that is just way more than you think you need, then just keep in mind the guidelines above: between 65 and 70 degrees F and below 50% humidity.
2. Cover your windows with curtains or light blocking/filtering shades or light blocking/filtering cling-style window films.  Cover your lights with diffusers.  And use UV filtering plexiglass on your framed artifacts.  And if you want to measure what kind of light a particular room or area is receiving, you can use British Wool Fading Cards to determine that.  Bottom line = Light is bad!
3. An in-depth discussion about Acid Free materials can be found in our October 2013 blog entry entitled:  "What is Acid Free?"

ALA, the American Library Association reports that after the first comprehensive national survey in 2005 of the condition and preservation needs of the nation's collections, "it was reported that U. S. institutions hold more than 4.8 billion library items. Libraries alone hold 3 billion items (which represent 63% of the whole).  A treater trove of uncounted additional items is held by individuals, families, and communities.  These collections include books, manuscripts, photographs, prints and drawings and objects such as maps, textiles, paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and furniture, to give a sample.  They include moving images and sound recordings that capture performing arts, oral history, and other records of creativity and history.  Digital collections are growing fast, and their formats quickly become obsolescent, if not obsolete".

The survey showed that, "some 630 million items in collecting institutions require immediate attention and care. Eighty percent of these institutions have no paid staff assigned responsibility for collections care; 22 percent have no collections care personnel at all. Some 2.6 billion items are not protected by an emergency plan. As natural disasters of recent years have taught us, these resources are in jeopardy should a disaster strike. Personal, family, and community collections are equally at risk."

And because of these statistics and the survey information, Preservation Week was born. Libraries and cultural heritage institutions are encouraged to use Preservation Week to connect with their local communities "through events, activities, and resources that highlight what we can do, individually and together, to preserve our personal and shared collections." If you couldn't attend a presentation in your community or anywhere else, here is a youtube link to ALA's past "Preservation Week" presentations, covering various topics on how to care for your collection. 

Of course, if in doubt about the way you are caring for (or storing) an item, or a collection, contact us!  We are happy to help. And if you think your item or collection falls into that category of the "630 items that require immediate attention and care," contact us sooner than later.

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Gwen Spicer is an art 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 artifacts is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.

Lincoln Presidency and Assassination bring a world of memorabilia to be conserved

April 14th marks the 150 anniversary of the fateful day when President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater, dying of his wounds early the next morning.

The memorabilia items that we see linked to this great president are in no short supply. Items that are either directly related to him, or related to some event that included him, are prized. In 20 years of private practice at SAC, clients have brought a multitude of Lincoln iconography to be conserved. And that doesn't even include the items linked to him from the Civil War or the Abolition of Slavery. Lincoln truly was prolific and his image on an item often meant it was kept.

Textile banners like these commonly appeared
with bunting and were hung on a building.
Private Collection.

The artifacts we have treated have been in textile form, like the banner (above), transparency sign (further below), or silk ribbon (furthest below). Objects, like the gloves worn to Lincoln's funeral (immediately below). Paper, like letters believed to be from Lincoln, or letters and newspaper clippings that spoke about him, his presidency, or his untimely death.

These leather gloves were worn to Lincoln's funeral. Surprisingly, we
consulted with another collector on a very similar pair, also worn to
Lincoln's funeral, but by a completely different person.
Owned by the NYS Millitary Museum.

Objects from Lincoln's presidential campaign are also highly prized, like the campaign banner below.

This transparency sign, made of cotton and mounted on a wooden
frame box to be illuminated by candle, is owned by the
Columbia County Historical Society in New York. 

This silk ribbon, from the 1860 Presidential election
suggesting "A. Lincoln for  president" and "H. Hamlin
for Vice-President".  Private Collection.

Often when a client brings an item relating to Lincoln or any other historic figure, they want the item to be substantiated. Is it real, is it from the actual event, or was it from an anniversary to commemorate the event? This is usually unknown, yet they want to conserve the item because of the image of Lincoln and because, after all this time, he is still regarded as a great president.

Interestingly, many items that we treat are what is considered ephemera, and therefore were originally not meant to last (such as the campaign ribbon, or the cotton transparency sign). This of course means that these items arrive at the studio in quite fragile condition. And although many of these artifacts have been kept carefully, these items that were meant to be short-lived are just inherently delicate. It is also interesting that often a client wants their Lincoln ephemera placed in an archival mount or storage, but does not want to change the look of it (meaning that they want to keep the wrinkles in the paper or fabric, and the marks that make it look old). Perhaps it feels more "authentic" if the object's history of use is still clearly visible.


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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.

Textile Conservation of First Lady Angelica Van Buren's dresses

By Barbara Owens, SAC staff

There is so little known about this intriguing First Lady. We discussed at length the mystery of Angelica Van Buren's wedding gown in our post on August 1, 2012. The dress, which is the subject of that post, is said to be her wedding gown. If you want to read about the connection (or lack of) between that dress and the dress she wears in her official white House portrait, visit our blog post here.

This stunning bodice is truly eye-popping. The color is still
amazingly vibrant, this dress must have been a show-stopper.

In that post, the information we discovered about Angelica portrayed her as a warm gentle spirit who wholeheartedly accepted her role as First Lady, despite her young age and despite the fact that she did not have to take on this responsibility. At 21 years old, she agrees to serve as first lady at the request of her widowed father-in-law, President Martin Van Buren.

Angelica is young and beautiful. She brings a fresh look to the White House, and although she will be fiercely criticized by Van Buren's foes as being aristocratic-like, she is nonetheless the daughter of a hugely successful southern plantation owner. She is wealthy in her own right and has a clear style befitting a woman of her upbringing and social status.

This style became very clear to us at SAC when we were asked to re-house several dress sets belonging to Angelica. Each of the components of these dresses were beautifully made, the colors (especially the purple dress) were wonderful. And even though they have faded in the 170 or so years since she wore them, you could easily imagine Angelica making her official entrance as hostess of a White House dinner, with all heads turning to see this fashionable young lady.

The matching bodice to the bodice pictured above and skirt of the exact pattern/color. Here you can more
clearly see the white dots in the fabric, these are not as prominently visible in the other purple pieces.
Here you can also see the shattered silk under the armpits.

The components of the dress sets are in fair to poor condition, with the most compromised parts being the parts soiled from perspiration. In these areas the silk was shattering and much of the fabric here was vulnerable to loss.

The dress sets are referred to as such because each consists of pieces that would be put together as a set to make a dress. Each of the components we treated clearly went with another piece. The purple skirt matched the purple bodices and the black bodice, the pink silk skirt matches the the pink silk bodices, and could easily be paired with the black velvet bodice. The only bodice that does not seem to have perfect match is the purple bodice with the ribbons at the sleeve. Its matching skirt may no longer exist.  Also, it seems to be of a different era than the other dress components, perhaps that is why it just does  not "go" with them. But interestingly, it bears a very strong resemblance to the wedding dress (pictured below).

This particular bodice did not have a skirt which accompanied it. However, it seemed to "go" with the
 black velvet bodice pictured below. The "pink" bows at the sleeve had a matching bow that had been
detached from any of the pieces.  Perhaps it was meant to be placed at the front of this bodices.

The dresses were only to be re-housed for storage. Each dress component received a padded support to reduce the folds and therefore crushing of the dress. The dress sets were placed into acid free boxes with slings to reduce handling while examining or moving the dress components from their storage boxes.

The dresses in this "set" were labeled as such because many had interchangeable parts. The pink bodice with poof sleeves (below) is the same fabric/color as the bodice to the left. Each could be worn with the pink skirt, in the same color/fabric.

Here three of the bodices are grouped to be stored together.  

An up-close photo of the sleeve of the purple bodice. Here you can clearly see previous
repairs,the staining from perspiration, and most importantly the detail of the fabric.

The exact date that these dresses were made or worn is not known for sure. Angelica serves as First Lady from 1839 to 1841 and then spends several years at the Van Buren estate in Kinderhook, New York, which is the location of the National Historic Site. When one looks at the style of the dresses and compares them to standard fashion "plates" of the 1830's they are clearly lacking the "leg-of-mutton" sleeve of the early 1830's, but certainly take on the late 1830's look as indicated below.

This is a wonderful image from the Museum of Costume. Notice the model with her back to us shows
that infamous "leg-of-mutton" sleeve, while the model who faces us shows a gown silhouette that
could easily be in keeping with the dress components from the Van Buren NHS.

The 1840's fashion standards may be more clearly met with these dresses. As Susan Jarrett writes on the history of Fashion and Dress section of the website www.maggiemayfashions.com: "By the mid 1840s, the shape of the skirt took on a bell shape and stiff crinolines along with multiple layers of petticoats became necessary to aid in lifting the circumference of the skirt. Double flounced skirts became quite popular. Bodices of the late Romantic period typically had basque waists (or elongated waistlines which ended in a point at the front). Necklines were round, V-shaped, and wide for both day and evening wear." This description seems to best fit the dress sets above. But below is an 1855 painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter with some similar necklines to what we see in the wedding dress or purple bodice with bows. Hmmm…the mystery continues.

Keep in mind that Angelica's dresses are at about 170 years old. They were clearly cared for, and are a glimpse into a relatively unknown life of the 8th First Lady of the United States. While the dresses will need to undergo full conservation treatment in the future, they are now being housed and stored in a way which will not hasten that treatment. Their padded supports and archival storage materials will allow for their safe keeping. 

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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.

Tape. Good intentions with bad results, and how to store artifacts that really should have been conserved.

In keeping with the theme of storage, today's blog deals with the difficulty of storing objects that have an adhesive of some type integrated with the material of the artifact or incorporated in the mounting of the object.

Too often an artifact is delivered to SAC studio with tape or glue applied to it in some way. Torn paper is often "repaired" with Scotch-style tape or masking tape, which over time becomes a hard, discolored, brittle mess, leaving behind a stain where it was applied. Prints, lithographs and watercolors sometimes arrive glued to poster boards or mats with rubber cement or some other glue. Samplers and framed textiles often receive the same treatment. And the most common "repair" work we see is the mending of  a torn flag, rug and wall textile with Duct Tape, which is sadly regarded by many as the cure-all of any rip or tear.

This silver Duct tape was applied to the reverse side of a silk rug. Luckily the Duct tape
 was only on the rug for a relatively short time. The removal could have been much worse.

We actually have a file of photographs labeled "good intentions". Here we keep a visual record of the repairs done with the best intentions, that sadly had negative repercussions as the artifact (along with the glue or tape) aged. Of course the applier of the adhesive had good intentions, and at the time, the fix must have seemed like the perfect thing. If only they knew that in the future, the "fix" would need its own fix.

We also have a file of articles and resources that discuss at length the removal of tape and glue. Immersion, poultice, rolling, scraping, scoring, suction table, they all have merits and drawbacks and that actually is not what we will cover here. Instead the focus is on storage and what to do with an artifact that has been taped or glued but cannot be treated for whatever reason.

Let's face it, not every artifact can go to the conservator's studio for treatment, yet it may not be best suited to go into indefinite storage because it contains dangerous or unwanted materials.

Q: So what is the best method to store an item that has conservation needs?

A: The quick answer is store it in a cold, dark environment, with low humidity.
       And remember that prevention is better than a cure. Check on the piece often (like every 6 months).

Adhesives are complex things. For instance, unless you have tested a particular tape, you probably cannot easily identify the plastic used to make the carrier, or the chemical composition of the adhesive applied to it.

Here an aged piece of duct tape has separated into several pieces, the silver
back of the carrier, the "fabric" of the  carrier, and the sticky adhesive.

In Franca Manganelli's 1982 article, Careless Use of Adhesive Tape she speaks frankly, "The damage caused is particularly serious as it cannot be undone. The yellowish brown stains left by adhesive tape can never be removed, and if they penetrate from the back of the paper (where the adhesive is generally applied) to the front side, they permanently spoil…in addition the paper becomes fragile and consequently more likely to tear." She goes on to state, "The obvious conclusion is that appropriate information campaigns need to be organized so that these regrettable accidents will no longer occur in the future."

Here is a compound tape repair. The masking tape has clearly dried and left behind a stain,
the duct tape in this treatment was still strongly adhered to the paper and was quite sticky.

So, if you must store an artifact with tape still applied to it, keep in mind the guidelines above and be sure that it is boxed properly with non-acidic materials. These items need to be conserved, but until that time, do your best to minimize any further damage and remember that the items cannot remain in storage indefinitely.
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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.

Surprises that can be found when treating an artifact

A wonderful printed cotton Palampore "quilt" from the collection of Doris Duke is at her home Rough Point in Newport, Rhode Island.  The late 18th century palampore, was treated here at SAC studio. Palampore is a textile that is, according to wikipedia:

 "a type of hand-painted and mordant-dyed bed cover that was made in India for the export market during the eighteenth century and very early nineteenth century. Only the wealthiest classes could afford to buy palampore; therefore, the few examples that have survived are often quite valuable today. Palampore were primarily exported to Europe and to Dutch colonists in Indonesia and what was then called Ceylon. A palampore was made using the kalamkari technique, whereby an artist drew designs on cotton or linen fabric with a kalam pen containing mordant and then dipped the textile in dye. The dye adhered to the cloth only where the mordant had been applied. This lengthy process had to be repeated for each color in the design. Small details were then painted by hand on the cloth after the dying process was completed. Palampore patterns were usually very complex and elaborate, depicting a wide variety of plants, flowers, and animals, including peacocks, elephants, and horses. Because a palampore was hand-created, each design is unique."

Image of a traditional Palampore. This 18th
century Palampore is at the Cornell University
 Johnson Museum of Art

Palampore is probably derived from a hybrid Hindu-Persian word "palangposh" meaning bedcover.


This particular Palampore is unique in that it is not in the one-cloth tradition like the example above. Instead, the bedspread from Doris Duke's collection is made from many printed fabrics that have been pieced together. It is edged with a striped woven tape and lined with a buff colored twill-woven cotton textile.

The Palampore bedspread before treatment. The presence of fading on the right side, illustrates where a window was located.

The obverse is made up of four different printed cottons; a central square and three concentric borders. The central printed fabric is square with a central oval design of two nesting birds in a rose bush, there are also two deer and two water birds and a broken column. The oval is flanked by floral and foliate motifs forming a square. This central motif is then bordered with three repeating printed motifs. The piece is printed in shades of brown, pink and blue-green.

The border is made up of twelve pieces of three different patterned textiles. The pieces are hand stitched together to form concentric squares. The pieces are mitered at the corners. All are stylized foliate designs of red, pink, blue/green and undyed cotton.

The bedspread is padded with a layer of woven napped cotton between the obverse and lining, this has been pieced vertically with machine stitch. Large herringbone type stitches have been worked in a white synthetic floss thread to the obverse, tape and reverse to hold the layers in position. This is padding and construction is not contemporary with the original construction of this bedspread.

The lining has been pieced together with three vertical seams, which have been machine stitched together. The lining has been slip stitched by hand to the reverse of the tape binding. It is likely that this lining is a later addition.

The dark brown printed areas are quite deteriorated and had been actively deteriorating. Evidence of several previous attempts to fill the losses were found. In the image below, the use of a black pen or marker can be seen at the neck of the deer. It now is edged in white, as more of the original fabric is lost. In other areas, stitching with black thread was used.

The bedspread was in fragile condition. The printed colors were faded and the cotton was brittle. The dark brown printed areas were especially brittle resulting in the powdering of the cotton fabric in these areas, it is likely that the mordant or dye stuff used to produce this color was acidic, therefore causing breakdown of the cotton. This type of damage is accelerated by exposure to light. The bedspread is creased and is cockled and distorted, due to its pieced construction, tape edging, and its former day-to-day use.

The central fabric was quite faded, reducing the impact of the design. This fabric has the dark brown printed areas, many of which are showing areas of loss. There has been an attempt to fill in some of the larger areas of brown, the deer, in the oval. There is a repaired area of loss along the top edge in an unprinted area. There are numerous waterborne, tide-line stains across the surface of the textile.  

There are a series of round, brown stains on the proper right bottom corner on the two innermost border fabrics. Where the stains are located is where the cotton is breaking down or has been lost. Two large splits in the second concentric border were present, one on the proper left side and one along the bottom edge. This fabric was also faded and yellowed, as a result of exposure to light.

The outermost border best illustrates fading as it has a red ground and appears to have been protected from light at the corners, top edge and proper right side possibly indicative of its use on a bed.

The tape binding is in good condition, it appears to be strong with no areas of loss or damage.

In order to better stabilize the losses and weak areas of the Palampur, the layers were released. And here is where the surprise was found. Behind the top layer was a printed fabric that was used as a fill material. It was the reverse side of the printed fabric that was used to fill in the losses. The printed fabric is clearly later, possibly early 20th century.

Why was it used? The color apparently was not correct, as that a dark pen was used in the losses.

Could this fabric have been a scrap from a previous decorating scheme of Doris'? The curator had not recognized it, but something could still turn up.

The reverse side of the Palampore after the backing fabric was
removed, revealing the fill fabric used.

Detail of the attached patch and its stitching used.

The patch with the added black filling stitching.

Detail of the center motif, after treatment.

After wet cleaning, the losses were color compensated with a sheer fabric positioned behind the printed Palampore in a color that blended with the overall appearance. The weak areas were all stabilized with stitching. The entire artifact was fully backed. It can now hang straight, as the site requested.
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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.

Modern materials and conservation

By Gwen Spicer, with Barbara Owens

With the New Year upon us, 2013 will become history. What items from this year will be in a conservator's studio generations from now? We at SAC spend so much time with artifacts from the distant past that we often do not think about modern art materials. That is, until recently.

Several things occurred at once: I was preparing to go to the NATCC (North American Textile Conservation Conference) in San Francisco where the focus at this conference was on "topics that concern modern materials"; I was also listening to Alternative Radio on NPR where the speaker talked about items which were purposefully engineered to fail (i.e planned obsolescence); and finally an article appeared in the newspaper about an artist who's medium were items which were non-permanent, i.e. they are meant to disappear. Coincidence? I think not!

This delicate bowl is created by Dutch artist, Geke Wouters, who made this paper-thin bowl from vegetables. The art created by this artist is meant to wilt. It is by nature, and her design, temporary.

I fully understand that art which is intended to "disappear (like the bowl pictured above or the dust drawings below), is not art to be conserved, that after all, would be the opposite of the artist's intentions.

Scott Wade is the artist who creates incredible works by utilizing the dust that coats car windows where he lives. His work is only a rain storm or wiper blade away from oblivion. See this image and his other works at the artist's website:  www.dirtycarart.com

What I am mostly thinking about is the conservation of modern art made of materials that are non-organic, these are the items which will be brought to the studios of future conservators. Particularly art made from objects that are considered "disposable". For instance, when does styrofoam, like the cup below, need to be conserved? After all, we are told that decomposition will occur in 1,000,000 years, but in the meantime, what kind of degradation might occur and can we perform preventative conservation treatment to slow it? What other possible breakdown is it subject to? And how long will that take?

When we talk about non-organic materials that have a "life span" of 500 to 1 million years or longer, in this respect, some modern materials perhaps should be thought of as the complete opposite from disposable art, after all, these materials have real "staying" power. It is ironic - we refer to disposable items as things that do not last, or are intended for limited use, yet the materials which comprise these items can last nearly forever.

Art on a styrofoam cup.  The artist is Cheeming Boey and the drawing on the cup is done in ink.  You can see more of his cups at his website www.iamboey.com

For conservators, we must carefully consider the idea of modern art and how to approach modern non-organics. Some ingenious art is being created right now, many are created from non-organics as a comment on our disposable lifestyle, our unnecessary waste, and the damage it causes our environment.  All of these non-organics will require specific conservation methods and techniques.

A garbage dump filled with discarded appliances. Many artists comment on our mass produced refuse, our mass consumption and the careless disposal in our society.  

If you are interested in hearing an artist talk about his work and the social consequences of the enormity of our culture, please listen to Chris Jordan's TEDtalk at www.ted.com. One of his artistic mediums is large format long-zoom artwork, meaning you are looking at each piece from a far distance, and as the image gets closer it begins to change until you are suddenly up-close and it becomes perfectly clear what it is on a small scale (visit his website here and see them for yourself: www.chrisjordan.com).  Each of his pieces is a statement on our society, our waste, and each piece is eye-opening.

"Lion" by artist Yong Ho Ji.  This, as well as other sculpture created by the artist, is made entirely from tires.  How will conservators approach the treatment of petroleum based products as they age?

I read in an article recently that film is considered completely obsolete as an artistic medium, and those who continue to use it as the medium for their art are finding themselves in the minority. Here is great story from 2011about Artist Tacita Dean and her struggle with obsolescence: http://www.artnews.com/2011/10/18/planned-obsolescence/. On the heals of this story is the work by artist Erika Iris Simmons, aka iri5. She takes obsolescence in the form of film and cassette tape and makes it into wonderful works like the one below "Ghost in the Machine - The Beatles." See more of her work at her website: http://iri5.com

Erika iri5 creates art by cutting and placing film and cassette tape (among other things) into iconic depictions of the famous. 

Modern art items, composed of modern materials, they are the true challenge. But after all, with challenge comes opportunity…

In an age of object disposal, it is a juxtaposition of ideas when art is created from that which was cast away as valueless, and beauty is created from the ugliness of our mass consumption. Conserving these non-organics as they become artifacts will bring change to the practice of conservation by way of new techniques, methods, tools and solvents. So much will change just as it always does. Each year brings change, and each year brings another era of history for art conservators.

So cheers to the New Year!  Happy Conserving!  And Happy 2014 to all!

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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.

Glossary of safe materials for storage

How to Store Your Flag parts 1, 2 and 3 have been met with lovely comments from old friends and colleagues as well as some new friends and colleagues, I'm so glad these were useful.  In this series of posts on storage we mentioned many materials. We thought that it would be helpful to just post the entire list of materials in one location, so as promised, below is the glossary - enjoy!

Acid-free tissues, papers and boards:
Acid-free or neutral pH materials should always be used. These materials are made of 100% cotton fiber, whereas acidic papers are made from wood pulp. Questionable materials can be tested with pH indicator pens. These pH pens can be purchased at archival supply, or craft and fabric stores.

The blue/gray boards have a buffering agent added. It is generally an alkaline substance with a pH over 7. This reservoir neutralizes the acids that may be absorbed from the environment around. The alkaline residues could react with protein materials, like wool, hair, leather and some photographs.

Buffered materials can be used for Cellulose materials, like paper, cotton, and linen, but not with proteins. It has been observed that being in contact with buffered tissue also affects some dyes. Therefore care is needed in choosing the correct material.  Use for interleaving, solid supports, and in storage containers

Adhesive Tapes (Double-sided):
As with plastics, tapes need to be chosen with care. A product by 3M, #415 double-coated tape has been found to work best. It is pressure sensitive made with a high tack acrylic based adhesive on a polyester carrier. Products #924 and #969 are acrylic-based adhesives with no carrier. Both are non-yellowing, inert and reversible with solvents. Both tend to cold flow.

Use these tapes only in construction of storage supplies, like encapsulating flat paper items, but not placed directly on the artifact.

Batting:
Look for polyester needle-punched batting. This batting is formed mechanically by fiber entanglement using barbed needles. The other commonly found battings are made with resins that bond the fibers. The resins have been found to yellow and then can transfer onto artifacts. The packaging will frequently be marked if one is purchasing from a fabric store. Polyester materials resist mildew.

Use batting for padding-out and filling in order to obtain the desired profile of a mannequin. It can hold shape even under weight. Best if secured with stitching. Can also be used as stiffening, like at the bottom of a petticoat. Note that all battings need to be covered.

Coroplast:
A rigid, lightweight, polypropylene/polyethylene copolymer corrugated (or fluted) sheet. It is lightweight and fairly strong. The archival grade does not have any anti-static or ultraviolet inhibitor additives. This grade is more expensive than the standard grades. Coroplast can be cut with a utility knife. It can be bent with heat, or scored. Sheets are available in several thicknesses, 2-6 mm, and in several colors. When used for storage box tray construction, the sides can be secured with brass clasps, and sewn with heavy weight cotton, linen thread or twill tape. Corners can also be secured with hot melt glue rivets.

For display, one can cut it into forms to support lightweight textiles. Cover Coroplast with batting and stockinette or exhibition fabric.

Ethafoam:
Ethafoam is a Dow Chemical Co. trade name for polyethylene, a thermosetting plastic. Ethafoam is a closed-cell foam with a smooth surface. The cut edges are softer than other foams, like Styrofoam. It is easily cut with knives, and wood working tools.

It is best to look for Ethafoam manufactured by Dow. Other foams have been found to include additives and stabilizers that can cause problems and yellowing.

Fabrics:
It is best to use unbleached 100% cotton fabrics, like muslin, stockinette, flannel and twill tape. Any fabric that is used with collection needs to be washed in hot water.

A word of caution about fabrics; many have finishing treatments like flame-retardant or durable press. These types of finishes need to be avoided and removed with hot water washes. Wool is also a fabric not to be used for exhibitions or storage. It can tarnish silver in closed environments and attracts insects. If felt is to be used, look for polyester types.

Foam-Core:
A Styrofoam sandwiched between paper or plastic. There are both archival and non-archival products available. These come in several thicknesses. Avoid using cores made of beaded Styrofoam, as the beads can easily break apart at the edges. Best to use as a temporary material. Not suitable for long-term storage.

Hook and Loop Fasteners (Velcro):
Not all-generic Velcro is made from the same formulation. Some forms of Velcro have been found to have adverse effects to the textiles to which they have been attached. It is suggested to purchase it in large batches and test it. Always attach the soft side to the textile artifact with a separator of webbing or a muslin tab.

Avoid using Velcro with pressure-sensitive adhesive.

Hot Melt Glue:
This is a thermoplastic adhesive that is applied in the molten state and forms a solid when cooled. There are several different formulations. The ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer is generally suitable for construction of mount supports. 3M’s #3764, Bostik’s Thermogrip #6363 and Evode’s Evo-Stik #7702 have been found suitable.

The glue is very hot! Care is needed not to burn oneself. It adheres to most surfaces. It can be difficult to use with smooth surfaces. Can cause damage to rare earth magnets.

Marlvelseal #360:
A foil composed of layers of nylon, aluminum and polyethylene. Provides a good barrier that resists transmission of water vapor and gases. The polyethylene side or dull side can be heat-sealed and can conform to curved shapes with a tacking iron. Use Marlvelseal to seal questionable materials for display and storage.

Mylar:
Mylar-D is a polyester, transparent film. It is a strong, inert and dimensionally stable film that is very clear. It comes in different thicknesses. Look for virgin polyester, type D made by DuPont Co. Mylar does create static charge.

Use to encapsulate and separate materials.

Plastics:
Not all plastics are the same. Many have plasticizers that make the plastic material more flexible. Over time the plasticizer causes deterioration and should be avoided. Other additives that can be included and can cause damage are slip and anti-static agents. Dry cleaning bags turn yellow due to BHT that is added to the polyethylene.

Good plastics are made from polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene and acrylics. These are the most commonly found. Most archival products found in catalogs will be made of one of these types. Other less common plastics are: polytetrafluoroethylene, polycarbonates and silicone.
Plastics that cause adverse effects are materials and rubbers containing sulfur-vulcanizing agents.

Stockinette:
This comes as 100% cotton unbleached or 100% polyester surgical tubing. Both need to be pre-washed. It is used to cover mounts, tubes, etc. It is particularly useful in making arms and other sausage like shapes. It provides sufficient tension to lower the amount of stitching needed.

Tyvek:
A spun bonded olefin is a high-density polyethylene fiber bonded under intense heat and pressure, manufactured by DuPont. This product has many good qualities: it is strong, non-buffered, has low resistances to water and mold. Tyvek both protects artifacts from dust while allowing for air circulation. It is smooth with no binders, fillers or buffers. It is low linting, and resistant to water and chemical-aging. Some solvents cause swelling. Housewrap may contain ultra-violet stabilizers. It comes in a range of weights. The weight that is commonly used is Type 1443R. This material can be washed in the washing machine several times. It is good for dust covers and wrapping collections. Can be seamed or glued. However, is not a good barrier for preventing acid migration.

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Gwen Spicer is an art 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.

How to store your flag, Part 3: Rolling

As stated earlier in "How to Store Your Flag, Part 1" proper storage is critical to the long-term preservation of any collection. Proper storage includes safe materials that are acid-free, a stable environment, protection from light, minimal handling, etc.

Rolling of textiles is an excellent option for flat, single layer, artifacts that are too large to be stored “flat”. Any rolled storage consists of four main parts: the tube, an internal support for the tube, the leader, and the outer wrapping. Specifically, for flag storage, the length of the tube is determined by the height of the flag, plus additional space for the securing of the outer wrapper. Remember that the hoist edge will run the length of the tube and will be rolled last. The tube and its textile is then supported on cradles, or in storage furniture.  Grouping your collection into standard sizes maximizes space and budget.

Illustration by Gwen Spicer of the various layers of rolled storage.

A paper, or muslin, apron is used to assist in the initial rolling of the textile. The textile can be interleaved with acid-free tissue, muslin, or cotton sheets for larger textiles like rugs. The textile is then covered with muslin or Tyvek and secured with twill tape ties.

The diameter of the tube needs to be considered with several factors in mind. The larger the tube, the better it is for the flag. However, there is always a balance among space, budget constraints, and the size of a collection. Unfortunately archival tubes are very expensive specialty items because tubes used for rolling textiles need to be made of acid-free cardboard, which is made from virgin materials.

A small lightweight flag can be stored on 2" diameter tubes. Medium size textiles are best on 3" diameter tubes, and heavier flags require even larger tubes, which may also need to be supported by metal rods. Part of the tube’s diameter selection is the degree of bend, or angle, that the fibers are required to conform. Over time, the fabric can have a memory of the curvature.

Cutting tubes for a collection of flags.

Cradles are an integral part of rolled storage. If the rolled textile were allowed to rest on a solid surface, the point of contact between the surface and the artifact would result in stress, not just to the outside layer which runs the length of the tube, but to each layer beneath the outside layer. The weight of the textile and the storage supplies can easily crush and cause damage to fragile textiles. By raising the ends of the tube above the surface just slightly, this can be prevented. Cradles can be easily carved from Ethafoam. Ethafoam is a Dow Chemical Co. trade name for polyethylene, a thermosetting plastic. Ethafoam is a closed-cell foam with a smooth surface. The cut edges are softer than other foams, like Styrofoam. It is easily cut with knives, and wood working tools. It is best to look for Ethafoam manufactured by Dow. Other foams have been found to include additives and stabilizers that can cause problems and yellowing, these obviously should be avoided.

They can even be stacked, or with notches, placed in a row side by side. The cradles need to be positioned at the end of the tubes, away from the flag itself. Stacked cradles are useful when a small group of unusually sized tubes are needed, and it is cost prohibitive to purchase furniture for such a small collection.

Detail image of carved Ethafoam cradles for two flags.

The cradles were designed for the flags to be stacked. The locations
where the tube rests on the cradle is outside or beyond where the
artifact is located. The pressure of the cradle is only on the tube
and outer wrappings itself.

Shorter length tubes can be placed in boxes, or drawers supported with Ethafoam cradles to suspend the tube above the bottom surface. Care will be needed to ensure that the tubes are cut to accommodate the inside dimension of the drawer or box. This is especially true with long and bulky textiles that can become large in diameter as their length is rolled. Tubes within boxes or drawers can run either direction to provide more options for tube length. These shorter tubes do not require an internal metal bar for support like the longer tubes. Please note any cut end of tubing often needs to be sanded lightly.

Rolled textiles suspended in the storage drawer with Ethafoam cradles.

Flags rolled and suspended on cradles that are positioned onto shelves.

On occasion, a longer tube is necessary. To make a longer tube, an insert is made from a scrap tube section approximately 8" or 10" long. A cut is made along the entire length. (For thick-walled tubes, the cut needs to be the thickness of both walls.) One half of the scrap tube is inserted into the tube and its extension. These longer tubes will also need more attention paid to placement within the storage room. Each tube will need to be maneuvered through the storage room's door, possibly around cabinets to its designated location. These heavy textiles will need to be supported by metal rods.

There are several collections that use Mylar with the prospect that the artifact can be seen through the storage covering. This is an advantage. However, there are two main disadvantages, one is the static-charge inherent in the Mylar and the other is the potential of fading in the exposed area. If plastic is deemed necessary due to pest concerns, then Polyethylene tubing as the covering is a better choice. There are many collections that use Mylar as their outer covering to aid in seeing the artifact, but this conservator discourages this choice.

It is important to note that Mylar would not be fitted into another tube as that it creates surface abrasion. In addition, if the receiving tube is too small, it can crush the flag inside. Other drawbacks are that there is limited access to the rolled flag, and, when it is slid in, one does not know if it remained smooth or if it is bunched.

Flag Storage has many facets, to this point we have covered several methods of storage. Many terms have come out of these reviews of storage, in the next posting we will include a full glossary of safe storage materials.
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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.

How to store your flag, part 2: The sink-mat

by Gwen Spicer

Welcome to part 2 of flag storage!  I find that often flag storage focuses around larger flags. We lament how much storage space they require, the sometimes inevitable need to fold them because of their size, and how to access or display them - again because of their size. But what about the small things like flag fragments or small parade flags or even artifacts like political ribbons and the like? It is these smaller things, and especially textured or unevenly surfaced artifacts, that will benefit from flat storage in sink-mats.

Storing a flag or other artifact is determined by many things as discussed in part 1 of flag storage. But determining storage needs can also be done in a very simple way, and that is by basing it on size. For smaller flags and related textiles, sink-mats are a perfect solution. Actually any small to mid-size textile can be stored, and then easily accessed from storage with this design. Such textiles might also include samplers, embroideries, printed textiles, etc. They allow for the smaller textile to remain flat, while being supported and protected. This is especially useful when one is trying to avoid the compressing of any delicate raised areas, fringe, embroidery, and similar. 

The design is very much a variation of "matting" used for prints and drawings. In fact, the first designs for textiles were window mats that were cut around the textiles. The design described here uses less materials and can be simply done and without special tools, such as a mat cutter. The design includes strips of acid-free board to accommodate the thickness of the textile with a board cover that is secured with twill tapes. The flag or textile can be tied to the board or sandwiched between muslin and tissue paper.

Illustration by Gwen Spicer of a sink-mat

The images below represent various sink-mat views. The first is overall, and then details of the design for a small silk ribbon. Protective covers can be easily incorporated into the design. 

Sink-mats can also be designed with protective lids.

The next two photographs are for a larger textile and its associated wooden rod. The same design is used, just with sturdier materials. Lincoln's banner is supported with double-walled corrogated blue-board. Larger sized sink-mats sometimes require thick flutted plastic, like Coroplast. This material can be sturdy and provide necessary support, while also remaining light-weight.

The Lincoln campaign banner and the smaller parade flags retain their staffs. These too can be incorporated into the sink-mat design.

Drawer storage with several sink-mats.

Large sink-mat holding several associated artifacts in a single sink-mat.

Sink-mats are also often suggested as a best storage solution for photographic materials, like daguerrotypes as well as other photographic items. Sink-mats are desirable as a means of storage for a variety of objects simply because the result of their use is a collection that is accessible to researchers, and it can be viewed with very little handling. In addition, the items placed in sink-mats are free from the threat of compression.

Coming up next in Flag Storage we will discuss rolling. Look for the blog soon, or sign up in the right side margin and you will automatically receive the blog delivered to you via email.

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Gwen Spicer is an art 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.