The subject of this blog is a 19th-century French gendarme hat, which is a current project here at Museum Textile Services. As the project has unfolded we've discovered much to tell you about. The hat bears a label inside that reads, "M. Ubadie Gendarm." Without knowing who he was, we have discovered a few things about Mr. Ubadie. For instance, the minor abrasion to the proper-right tip of the hat suggests M. Ubadie was right handed. We also found wool batting stuffed inside the hat band, presumably to make it fit better. This opens up the possibility that the hat was second hand. Bicorn hats, or chapeaux bras, were de rigueur in the United States and Europe by the end of the 18th century and remained in use throughout the 20th century. This one is made of beaver pelt formed around a paper mold with the glazed black cotton sateen liner. There is a black leather sweat band (seen in the above image). The brim is trimmed with folded silver gimp. There is evidence of repairs to the crown as well as damage to the pelt, most likely from protein-eating insects. We believe that the hat dates to the second half of the 19th century because it resembles other dated examples. The back flap is higher than the front on M. Ubadie's hat but not exaggeratedly so. It is quite symmetrical when seen from beneath, which distinguishes it from an 1872 model more with a triangular shape. It is not a 20th century model because it shares many characteristics with early and mid-19th-century hats with the exact same metal gimp and button. The slides below show other hats we found pictured on the internet. M. Ubadie's hat has been deinfested and surface cleaned, and is ready to be returned to its owner. We learned many things about both the hat and the wearer, thanks to the the unique relationship between a conservator and an artifact.
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By Josephine Johnson With all of the press about the recent blockbuster movie The Monuments Men, directed, written, and produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, imagine our surprise when we learned that there is a hooked rug in the Museum Textile Services study collection made by a monuments man! In 2012, Victoria Blair-Smith brought a beautiful green velvet dress belonging to her mother to be conserved at MTS. The blog about the project, called Portrait of a Lady, discusses the dress's owner, Carla Meeks, née Marie Caroline Silvester, and her husband Carroll L. V. Meeks (Yale class of 1928), who taught architectural history at Yale University. The hooked rug above was made for the couple, who married in 1934, by Yale colleague Theodore "Tubby" Sizer. Thanks to documentation recently sent to us by Blair-Smith, we learned that Theodore Sizer was the first chief of operations for the Monuments Men in Germany in 1944. Back home, Sizer pursued rug hooking as therapy for the head injury he acquired during the war. Carol Meeks' love for trains is clear in this rug, and Sizer included much personal information, including birth and graduation dates, along with the year of the couple's betrothal. If you look closely in the above photo of Sizer, you can see an oval hooked rug of a fish with the date 1951 on it behind him. That is not the only connection between Museum Textile Services and the Monuments Men. The inspiration for George Clooney's character Frank Stokes was a well-known art conservator from Harvard Art Museums, George Stout. Stout spent many years in Europe and Japan rescuing artwork jeopardized by the war. Back at home, Stout was one of the founding members of the American Institute of Conservation, our primary membership organization. Stout was also a major proponent of creating formalized training programs for art conservation.
By Camille Myers Breeze This spring I am hard at work promoting the latest research project at Museum Textile Services on the Use of Sheer Overlays in Textile Conservation. Sheer overlays, such as nylon net, silk crepeline, and polyester Stabiltex, are used in textile conservation to protect an object and/or change the object’s appearance. There are many benefits of conserving textiles with sheer overlays. They provide immediate stabilization across a large area with a minimum of stitching. Sheer overlays also provide preventative care, as they offer protection from loss if the textile continues to degrade. Most importantly for use at MTS, sheer overlays are easy to learn, and are among the first things I teach intern to do. This topic is near and dear to my heart, as I have been teaching it at the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies in Mount Carroll, IL, since 2012. It may also be familiar to you if you have visited the Resources section of the Museum Textile Services web page. There you will find several MTS handouts on the subject, including our newest, Hot Cutting & Applying Polyester Sheer Overlays. Other MTS Handouts on this topic include Conservation Netting, about the use of sheer nylon net overlays. I created the Sheer Overlay Score Card to assist in choosing the best sheer overlay, and it is also online. There is even a List of Sheer Overlay Suppliers and a Sheer Overlay Bibliography. At the end of May, 2014, I will present poster on Evaluating and Choosing Sheer Overlays in San Francisco at the 42nd Conference of the American Institute for Conservation.One of the purposes of this poster is to launch my online survey on use of sheer overlays in textile conservation, in which I will gather feedback from conservators and collections care specialists around the world. The survey data will then assist me in an upcoming publication I am writing on the subject.
Stay tuned for more on this topic, and don't forget to take the online survey! By Lisa Yeats In January 2014 I arrived in Massachusetts to begin work with Museum Textile Services. My time has drawn to an end but I wanted to share with you my experiences as an Aussie in America. After graduating with a Masters in Cultural Materials Conservation from The University of Melbourne in Australia, I traveled to the US in April 2013 to present my thesis research at the AIC’s Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. I decided to stay on in America to gain some international professional experience. I originally came across Museum Textile Services while I was a student via their fantastic website and was really excited to work with Camille and the team. After taking some time to acclimatize to the Massachusetts winter, (in Australia winters are 60 degrees!) I set to work.it. While I have appreciated all of the work I have done at MTS, the projects I enjoyed being a part of the most have been the regionally specific ones. Coming from Australia, it has been great to get an insight into the culture and history of New England through the objects I have interacted with. I have mounted 18th Century needlework samplers from the New Hampshire Historical Society, treated a local family’s collection of military heirlooms, and cleaned and stabilized historic American quilts. One project I worked on that was particularly special to be involved with was the conservation of textile artifacts that had been left at the memorial site after the April, 2013, Boston Marathon bombings for the exhibit, "Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial" at the Boston Public Library. The entire MTS staff were there for the opening of the exhibit and we got to see the Mayor of Boston and both of Massachusetts' State Senators. I have had a great time at MTS. My knowledge of materials and my hand skills have definitely improved, and I am more confident in my ability to carry out a range of minor and complex conservation treatments. MTS is the first private conservation studio I have worked in. One unique aspect I have really enjoyed is the personal interaction with clients and seeing their reactions to the results of conservation treatments. My time at MTS has helped confirm that I am going to pursue a career in the conservation of textiles specifically. Massachusetts is the final stop on my year long tour of America. I am all set to head home to Australia in later this month, so I feel as though this is a very fitting send off.
By Camille Myers Breeze On the morning of April 7, 2014, Museum Textile Services staff met on the steps of the Boston Public Library before joining the crowds of visitors and press in attendance for the opening of the exhibit, "Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial." During the previous month, we conserved 19 textiles left at the temporary memorial site in Copley Square following the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15th, 2013. The press conference began with a speech by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, who was followed by Massachusetts State Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey. All three spoke about what it was like in Boston immediately following the Marathon bombings, and the great job the first responders did in the ensuing days. New England Museum Association Executive Director Dan Yeager, then came on stage and aptly concluded the press conference by thanking those who had contributed funds and services to the exhibit, including our colleagues Will Twombley of Spokeshave Design, Adam Osgood of Historic New England, Independent Curator Rainey Tisdale, and Independent exhibition curator Anne Starr. As we strolled through the exhibit, it was important to remember that this was not your average art opening. Eye witnesses and people who had been injured by the two terrorist bombs strained to see inside the display cases where notes and signs were displayed along side many textile items, such as shirts, baseball caps, and teddy bears. At the center of the room was the exhibit's main feature, a square platform with hundreds of pairs of running shoes stacked in rows, signifying how the running community and the general public had come together following the bombing in support of a city, a community, and our historic Marathon. In the spirit of the impromptu memorial at which these display items were originally displayed, visitors were invited to leave messages on paper tags and tie them to one of the three trees along one wall of the exhibit hall. This was a powerful way to evoke the outdoor feel of the marathon memorial and allow those of us who didn't make it to Boston in the weeks following the bombings to finally take a moment to say what we were feeling. "Dear Boston" is joint effort of the Boston City Archives, Boston Art Commission,New England Museum Association, and Boston Public Library. Generous funding was provided by Iron Mountain. For more events marking the first anniversary of the Boston marathon bombings, visit #BostonBetter.
By Camille Myers Breeze When I was approached in May of 2013 to participate in a voluntary effort to preserve artifacts left at the temporary memorial site in Copley Square following the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15th, I said yes without hesitation. Dan Yeager, Executive Director of the New England Museum Association, facilitated communication among regional museum professionals. The Archives and Records Management Division of the City of Boston Office of the City Clerk oversaw the dismantling and preservation preservation effort for the memorial artifacts. First City Archives staff and volunteer from across the museum spectrum documented and packed artifacts into donated boxes. The boxes were loaded into trucks donated by Polygon Corporation and transported to Polygon's facility in Georgetown, MA, where they were air dried with a dessicant. Next they were fumigated by Historic New England in their anoxic fumigation bubble to eliminate the possibility of insect, mold, and bacterial activity. After fumigation, the artifacts were transported to the Boston City Archives in West Roxbury where staff accessioned the material into the collection and stored in their climate-controlled facility. Our colleague Rainey Tisdale soon took over curatorial responsibilities for the exhibit, "Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial," which will be at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square on April 7 through May 11. Memories of the minutes and days following the two explosions, three tragic deaths, and the subsequent manhunt for two suspects, are still vivid. The challenge for this exhibit will be to present the initial emotional response and tell the story of the attack in a way that also reflects hope and strength. In early March, Museum Textile Services technician Josephine Johnson retrieved a box from City Archives volunteers containing nineteen artifacts from the temporary marathon bombing memorial. Inside the box are hats, shirts, baby onesies, and even a Starbucks apron inscribed with messages and memories of the often-anonymous donors. Over the next three weeks, Josephine and visiting conservation assistant Lisa Yeats, photographed, surface cleaned, humidified, and gently straightened out these artifacts so that they can now be safely preserved and exhibited without their condition detracting from the message they are sending. Over the next few months, numerous memorial efforts will take place across the Boston area to commemorate the events of the marathon bombings and to help continue the healing. For more information, visit BostonBetter.
by Camille Myers Breeze The American Society for the Promotion of Temperance was organized in Boston in 1826 to fight against the bane of society, "Demon Rum." Within nine years, there were as many as one million members nationwide, known collectively as the "Cold Water Army." Temperance crusaders used all methods available at the time to recruit members, from pamphlets to public lectures to banners, or broadsides, such as this one. This banner is made of cotton plain weave. The words “Here it Goes!” are stenciled beneath a block-printed image of two figures emptying out a rum barrel and a jug. There is a deteriorated wool fringe hand stitched to the top and bottom hems. The sides are selvedged, suggesting that multiple banners could have been made in a row and then cut apart. The banner arrived pressure mounted with glass against a brown paper board. Mold is clearly visible inside the frame. The banner has weathered countless episodes of moisture and possibly insects, however despite the stains and losses, the banner presents a strong graphic image with historical significance. This banner is proudly owned and displayed by the First Parish of Norwell, MA. The Rev. Samuel May, a well known abolitionist, educational reformer, and preacher at the First Parish Church of Norwell between 1836 and 1942, also was a favorite uncle of Louise May Alcott. Rev. May’s Cold Water Army group fought to close down rum shops in Norwell, Massachusetts. It is believed that May and the children broke open the rum barrels and poured them out in front of his home, May Elms. Conservation of the banner has begun with fumigation, surface cleaning, and reducing adhesive used to attach the banner into the old frame. It was then hand stitched to a padded, fabric-covered museum panel and pressure mounted with a UV-filtering acrylic box. By Josephine Johnson & Camille Myers Breeze At Museum Textile Services, we do not often work on artifacts that have machinery, but a recent project has all sorts of motors and lights and grease: an unusual advertising sign that belonged to the Union Railroad Station in Portland, Maine. The sign is a early form of moving message display. ![]() A label on the lid of the sign identifies the manufacturer as Salescaster Inc. of Forest Hills, NY. Salescaster was one of the first sign companies to use LED programmable displays and has always been a sign pioneer. The function of this electronic sign was to broadcast a moving, illuminated message to travelers. A loop of perforated canvas passed between a fluorescent light bulb and the front glass by means of a series of spools driven by a motor. The sign reads, "THE 'BUSINESSMAN' – DELUXE HIGHLINER TRAIN – WEEKDAYS LV PORTLAND 3:30 AR BOSTON 5:35 PM DST – FAST – AIR – CONDITIONED – – –." The sign would have been installed at Union Station at a time when highways were turning the United States into a car culture, making rail travel almost obsolete. Passenger service ended in 1960 at the Portland station and it was demolished a year later, meaning this sign came from a pivotal moment in Portland's history. The moving sign was brought to MTS because the message tape had ripped, but otherwise the sign is still functional. We cleaned the object and patched the tear and other weak areas in the message tape so the sign can run again. The most difficult part of this treatment was keeping track of how the tape fit into the box. With careful photo documentation, we were able to return the tape to the box so that it is now a fully functioning moving message sign! AddendumIt works! When the owner came to pick up his Salescaster sign on April 2, 2014, he turned it on for us. Although we were nervous to have this fragile antique machine running, we were also delighted by how well it still works. You can see a video of the sign running below, and hear the owner talking about the history of the Union Station sign. By Josephine Johnson, Technician Most of our time at Museum Textile Services is spent in the studio, but occasionally clients ask us to work on site. In January, we had the opportunity to revisit Amherst College's thankga collection, housed at the Mead Art Museum. These are the same 18 thangkas that we conserved in advance of the Mead's 2011-12 exhibit, Picturing Enlightenment. The thangkas are scheduled to travel to Middlebury College and need custom storage and transportation boxes. On January 7th, 2014, Caamille, Cara and I trekked out to Amherst, MA, for a three-day, intensive box-building session. We worked in the high-security storage room surrounded by shelves packed with beautiful objects, and sliding panels covered in hundreds of rare paintings. It is an exciting place that few people have the pleasure of visiting. All of our materials were waiting for us when we arrived in Amherst. Camille had already designed a system coroplast boxes, custom-made in three sizes by University Products in nearby Holyoke, Massachusetts. We purchased Volara and Photo-tex archival tissue from Masterpak, and rayon paper from Talas. The museum supplied a pallet of Ethafoam. Our task was simple, but lengthy: to create a custom chamber inside one of the three sizes of box to precisely fit each thangka. First, Cara and I traced each thangka onto brown craft paper so that we would not have to handle the thangkas again until the boxes were ready. Next Camille and I spent several hours cutting two-inch Ethafoam strips to the height of the boxes. After Cara had lined each box with Volara, Camille adhered the strips of Ethafoam with archival hot-melt glue into the exact shape of the thangka. This "bumper" system prevents the thangkas from shifting within the box and allows the boxes to be safely stacked. Once the bumpers were in place, each box was lined with soft rayon tissue paper. Cara and I then worked on custom cutting sheets of Photo-tex archival tissue paper to wrap the thangkas. Each thangka has two sheets of Photo-tex, one that wraps horizontally and one that wraps vertically. Before being wrapped in Photo-tex, rayon paper was placed over the delicate painted field on the thangka. Cara and Josephine wrapping a thangka in Photo-tex paper. During the last day at the Mead Art Museum, Cara and I packed all sixteen thangkas in their boxes. After being carefully wrapped, the thangkas were placed in their boxes inside the Ethafoam bumpers. The boxes, as well as the sheets of Photo-tex, were labeled with the accession number of the thangka. Now the thangkas wait peacefully in their boxes for the next professor, curator, or monk that might want to see them. Stay tuned for a future blog on building the two custom boxes for the Mead's two oversized thangkas! By Josephine Johnson A year after our blog about Digitally Printed Fabrics, the replication of Henry Adams' silk bed hangings is finally complete. One of Museum Textile Services biggest projects of 2013, the most challenging part was recreating the colors and patterns of the brocaded, watered silk on a modern, stable cotton fabric. David Berman of Trustworth Studios created our new fabric in Photoshop and digitally printed it onto cotton sateen. Although we supplied him with many photographs, in the end he hand drew the moire pattern and the brocaded medallions, as well as the texture and patina of the 200-year-old French silk. Choosing the shade of burgundy was also a challenge. Exposure to smoke and dirt had rendered the silk the masculine color of the red-leather books on the near-by shelves; however unexposed areas hiddin inside seams clearly showed that the original color was a vibrant cochinille pink. Determining the color fabric to use for the replica lining also posed a challenge because of the condition of the original glazed cotton. Although much of the fabric had turned brown, it was clear that it originally matched the red silk. What has caused this color change is a mystery to us, though evidence points to chemical instability of the red dye, rather than light exposure, wear, or poor wash-fastness. Once we received the digitally printed fabric, our studio turned into a bed hangings workshop. For several weeks we hand stitched an exact replica of the bed spread, valences, and tester that once hung on the bed in which Henry Adams spent his summers. It was always known that these bed hangings were too large for the bed, and we were able to piece together from the original components the likely history of their modification and use. We also found evidence of more than one installation of the original bed hangings. Several rows of tiny holes in the valence panels show they were taken down and replaced in the 19-th century. Alongside are circular tack marks that clearly are modern. The replica bed hangings have a built-in Velcro hanging system, which should protect them from damage from deinstallation and reinstallation. Once we completed the replica bed hangings, MTS staff went about installing them in the third-floor bedroom at the Adams National Historical Park. First the tester was attached to a new strip of Velcro tacked to the back bed rail. Next, the three valence pieces were likewise hung, and the gold rail put back in place. Finally, as expected, we had to artfully arrange the too-large bed spread to appear as the old one did. The final part of the project was for us to rehouse the original bed hangings in three archival boxes. This was no small feat, as it took three conservators two hours to complete. The fragile silk may be too delicate for display, but is preserved for future study in the collections storage building at the Park. Visitors to the Adams National Historical Park don't often make it up to the third floor. But for those who do, they can now appreciate Henry Adams's bed as it would have appeared in his time.
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