by Jen Nason Museum Textile Services had the honor of working on a large WWII flag with a magnificent history. Hanging in our studio for several months was the first Nazi flag ever captured by US forces. It was captured in Axis-occupied Casablanca, Morocco, on November 11th, 1942, and given to American General George Patton for his birthday on the same date. Apart from the movie Casablanca we had never before heard reference to the Nazi presence in North Africa, so we decided to take a history lesson. On November 8th, 1942, an attack, named Operation Torch, was initiated in French northern Africa. It was the first time that American and British forces jointly planned an invasion together. There were three proposed points of attack: Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers. Each location was allocated its own task force. Casablanca was under the Western Task Force, commanded by General George Patton; Oran was under the Central Task Force, and Algiers was under the Eastern Task Force. Each task force was met by Axis resistance, however, all succeeded in capturing the important cities of French northern Africa within a few days time. The Allies claimed victory on November 18th, 1942. The Allied victory gave them the strength and confidence to stage other invasions in Axis Sicily and Italy in 1943. It was through these campaigns that gained the Allies even more confidence and strength. With their new and improved assets, the Allies went in on to defeat the Axis powers in 1945. It has been amazing to have such an important and daunting piece of history here at Museum Textile Services. Numerous clients, and even our UPS delivery man, received the verbal warning before entering the studio that we were working on a potentially disturbing artifact. Some were conflicted and others downright awed, but all gained a new appreciation for the complicated role a conservator plays in protecting history.
Stay tuned for the next blog about the conservation techniques we developed especially for this flag.
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By Camille Myers Breeze In advance of our unprecedented project load this summer, MTS put out the call far and wide for new conservation interns. The response has been amazing! Josephine Johnson is no stranger to MTS. She met Camille and Cara in 2012 while she was attending the Smith College Museum Studies summer program. During her senior year, Josephine got to work with Camille on the a mounting and de-installation of the costume of the Duchesse de Choiseul for the exhibition 100 Years 100 Objects, curated by the Exhibition Design students. At Wheaton she worked as a student conservator in the Permanent Collection. She received Wheaton's prestigious Adams Professional Development Scholarship, which is paying her to spend the summer at MTS. With a background in object conservation, Josephine is excited to learn more about textile conservation. Aimée-Michelle Pratt, who goes by the name Charlie, began her MTS internship in May. She is currently completing the Museum Studies Certificate Program at Tufts University and has interned at the Tufts University Art Gallery (permanent collection). Charlie holds a degree in Visual and Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she held internships at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago History Museum, and also worked at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum. Charlie is an avid fiber artist, specializing in fiber dyeing and textile design. Professor Jennifer Cruise, PhD, teaches biology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She also happens to be vulnerable to distraction by all kinds of handcraft, and is currently battling a new addiction to weaving. A native New Englander, Jennifer recently received an MA in conservation from the University of Lincoln, in the UK. She interned at the National Trust’s Textile Conservation Studio, and has been spending most of her vacation time since visiting conservation studios in the United States. While at MTS this July, Jennifer will bring her science background to our ongoing research topics while acquiring additional hands-on conservation experience. Although later this summer we will be saying good-bye to two of our staff members, we are pleased that Jen Nason is continuing with us for Level 2 Certification. We've even got our potential slate of interns already set for Fall internships. Our thanks to NEMA Jobs for providing us with many of our internship candidates.
By Camille Myers Breeze and Tegan Kehoe The name “rayon” was coined in the 1924 as a generic term for regenerated cellulose fiber. The “Father of Rayon,” Frenchman Count Hillaire de Chardonnet, discovered in the 1880s that nitrocellulose from rags or wood pulp could be turned into fiber, thread, and fabric. Rayon was the first manufactured fiber, but because it is derived from cellulose, is not considered to be a true synthetic but a “semi-synthetic.” “Artificial Silk” made by the Chardonnet process was popular for decorative fabrics in the early 20th century. At the same time, the Courtaulds Company in England commercialized a method of regenerating cellulose fiber, resulting in a new fiber called “viscose.” (so named because their process used a highly viscous solution.) Courtaulds forming a subsidiary in America called American Viscose Company, who began producing rayon in 1910. A third method of extracting usable fiber from natural cellulose was developed by Swiss brothers, Doctors Camille and Henri Dreyfus, resulting in the 1905 invention of cellulose acetate. The Dryfus brothers turned their new material into cellulose acetate film and plastics before producing usable continuous filaments of acetate yarn in 1913. By 1918 acetate rayon was being manufactured at the British Celanese plant in Derbyshire, England, which lends its name “Celanese” to some of the resulting rayons. By the turn of the 21st century, 24% of the rayon produced in the world is from Grasim of India, by far the largest manufacturer. Other countries making rayon today include Germany, Brazil, Austria, China, Laos, Canada, and the US. Some critics of the fiber will point to sustainability concerns as well as dirty manufacturing processes. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has banned the manufacturing of cuprammonium rayon, sometimes found under the trade name Bemberg, but it is still made in Italy. Tencel rayon, also known by its generic name "lyocell," was developed in Courtaulds Research in the 1980's as a “non-polluting” alternative. Today, many rayons include bamboo instead of wood pulp. Because bamboo is fast-growing it is often seen as ecologically friendly, but most bamboo rayons are made with the "dirtier" viscose process. The Federal Trade Commission has charged several clothing companies as falsely advertising their rayon as bamboo, partly because it is not clear that the cellulose they use is entirely from bamboo, but also because the FTC feels that the process alters the fibers too much to be considered plant-based. Currently, lyocell is often made with wood pulp from Eucalyptus trees. We hope you have enjoyed our recent efforts to better understand the history and chemistry behind our recent boom in rayon textiles treated at Museum Textile Services. Please contact us if you have something to add to this discussion.
Rayon is a semi-synthetic fiber made of regenerated cellulose. Like naturally occurring cellulosic textile fibers—including cotton, kapok, linen, hemp, jute, and ramie—rayon is used for a wide range of fabrics for household textiles as well as fine and utilitarian fashions. Unlike its cellulose cousins, rayon has also been widely used to mimic fabrics normally made of fibers as wide ranging as silk and wool. It can therefore be difficult to identify rayon when it is found in museum collections. Rayon exploded in the 1920s as a popular fashion fiber, beginning with socks, lingerie and clothing. The variety of available fabrics and finishes meant that any women could now wear garment types once affordable only to women who could buy silk. By the end of the 1930s, rayon was six times as plentiful as silk in American clothing. World War II again caused a bump in the production of rayon, both for fabrics and for tire cord--a replacement for rubber, which was scarce. After WWII, rayon saw competition from other synthetic fibers such as nylon, acrylic and polyester. Rayon is prone to stretching, sagging, and pilling. Despite these problems, trade brands such as Modal rayon became increasingly popular for use alone, or blended with cotton or spandex, for household textiles such as towels and sheets. Early viscose rayon was found to lose strength when wet, but high-wet-modulus (HWM) rayon was released in 1960 as an answer to this problem.
Part II of "Rayon Through the Years" will focus on the technological changes in rayon production... which help account for the many names the fiber goes by. By Camille Myers Breeze I am off to Peru for 10 days, leaving the studio in Cara's capable hands. This is my first trip back in 4 years, after teaching there every year from 2001-2009. I also spent the first three years of my life in Lima, where my parents were teaching, and then pursuing Doctoral studies. I've decided to share with you some images that my parents gave me when I chose to write my MA thesis on their collection of pre-Columbian textiles, some of which may be disturbing to readers. The slides depict two separate visit they made to a friend's hacienda near the town of Chancay, about 2 hours drive north of Lima. Chancay lends its name to the culture that lived there during the late-intermediate period, from 1000-1490 A.D. The ceramics in the above photo are typical of Chancay. What my parents were doing that weekend in Chancay was taking part in the popular past-time of huaqueando. Land owners with likely burial sites on their property would hire their laborers to dig for soft spots where the sandy ground was once disturbed. Although it seemed like a harmless pastime, my parents have since realized that they were contributing to the world-wide phenomenon of grave robbing. My parents retrieved not only ceramics but also textiles during their two visits to their friend's hacienda. They tell me it was unusual in the 1960s to pay attention to the textiles found in graves but they were intrigued by their amazing preservation. They chose to collect a large striped cotton mummy wrapper and a fragment of brocaded cotton with bird images that had been wrapped around a mummified infant. They later purchased 24 additional textiles from shops in and around Lima. My parents brought their modest collection of pre-Columbian art back to Chicago in 1969, the same year that I was born. This was just before the UNESCO Treaty (or the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property) was signed in November, 1970. Article 2, Section 1 says that, "The States Parties to this Convention recognize that the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property is one of the main causes of the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of the countries of origin of such property and that international co-operation constitutes one of the most efficient means of protecting each country's cultural property against all the dangers resulting there from." My parents safeguarded the ceramics and textiles that they collected during their decade spent in Peru until my sister and I became adults. When I became a conservator in the late 1980s, they bequeathed their textiles to me, explaining how bad they still felt all these years later for having participated in acts of desecration. They implored me to do something positive with the textiles and to research and preserve them. I have endeavored to live up to the promise I made to my parents when I became the owner of these textiles and the images they took while grave robbing. The slides were recently scanned for me by my friend Chris, who is the slide librarian at a college where I lectured on the topic of museum controversies. I share them with you despite the fact that they are a testament to a time that my parents would rather forget. As I head back to Peru I am looking forward to visiting friends and former students, and discussing a possible book on pre-Columbian textile conservation with my colleague Rommel Angeles Falcon, Director of Huaca Malena Museum. My parents never could have imagined this 22 years ago when they first shared this story with me.
by Camille Myers Breeze In January, 2011, Mary O'Dwyer brought us her grandfather's 1875 christening gown, to see if we could do anything to help her. We could not believe our eyes when she arrived with a pair of lovely cotton garments the color of robin's eggs. The blue was streaky and could not mask a pattern of brown stains, most noticeable on the front. Although most of us had heard the term "bluing" we had never seen a dramatic example in person of what could go wrong with the treatment. The principal behind bluing is that the yellowing that occurs with aging in both natural and synthetic fabrics can be neutralized with the addition of a light application of blue dye. This same principal is used by some older women on their hair, with infamous results. The active ingredient in bluing is a fine iron powder containing the pigment Prussian blue (ferric hexacyanoferrate). Several brands of laundry bluing were popular from the late 1800s, including Mrs. Stewart's, which is still sold today. While Mary O'Dwyer was still in our studio, we pulled an old book from our library shelves and read up on laundry bluing. Laundering and Dry Cleaning, published in 1925 by the Women's Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences, Scranton, PA, gave the following advice for bluing in section 81:
This same book states that, "If it does happen that the clothes become overblued, they may be whitened by placing them in cold water and heating them to the boiling point, repeating the process if necessary until all excess bluing is removed." However, similar attempts had already been made without success. An online source gave additional advice to "use a solution of 1 C. household ammonia to 1 qt. of cold water and soak, covered tightly for 48-72 hours. You may need to perform this procedure 2-3 times, washing with detergent following each process." Mary O'Dwyer decided to try the treatment herself, with some trepidation. Imagine our delight the following summer when out of the blue she emailed us these photos of her family christening gown, clean and white! She reported that her granddaughter had been baptized the previous Sunday and that the dress looked beautiful. The simple ammonia soak was successful in reversing the bluing and did not leave the cotton dry or brittle.
Although we still have no first-hand experience treating blued textiles, we're delighted at the success of this old-school recipe. by Tegan Kehoe This lovely sample of wartime-era yarn was recently donated to the Museum Textile Services study collection by Mig Ticehurst of Keswick, Cumbria, England. Ms Ticehurst emailed us about her old yarn, saying "It seems wrong to throw it away. Is it possible that it would be of interest to you?" We love the slogan on the label of this yarn – “Reliable rayon for dainty garments.” Mig quipped that she had this on hand and unused because she’s: “...not that keen on making ‘dainty garments'. As children, knitting was taught in school and we were all obliged to knit as part of the war effort. Our family thing was scarves for merchant seamen which were garter stitch and at the time seemed absolutely huge but probably were about two feet wide and about six feet long. I learned to knit and read by the time I was eight as it was the only way to do any reading. There was also a great deal of inventive making of things." This pastel yarn is not just for baby clothes--any women who wanted to make “dainty garments” for themselves could afford rayon. The pattern below is probably from the 1940s or 50s-–note the milkshake glass in the woman’s hand! The pattern specifies Robin Perle, which is what’s in our little yarn stash. “Perle” describes any high-sheen, two-ply twisted yarn like this or mercerized cotton. The company logo on our donated yarn indicates that it was manufactured in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Bradford has been a textile hub for centuries but became a boom town early on in the Industrial Revolution, achieving prominence as the “wool capital of the world” by the mid-nineteenth century. Products included mohair, alpaca, cotton, and silk textiles. By the early twentieth century, however, Bradford’s hold on the industry had begun to slip, so some companies stayed current by producing the new synthetics. Rayon is still being modified and produced today, and it shows up more places than you might think. Stay tuned for the next two weeks for more blogs about rayon and some other remarkable 20th-century fibers that MTS has been conserving.
By Courtney Jason On December 10, 2012, a shipment of 20 flags arrived at the MTS from Fort Knox, KY. These flags have a particularly interesting history, as many hail from the personal collection of General George Patton. They belong to the General George Patton Museum of Leadership, which is undergoing a major renovation and reinterpretation. The Ft. Knox flags range from a 11.5" x 17" Confederate Calvary guide on to an 80" x 130" Nazi flag. The collection also includes several WWII Army flags, and a North Vietnamese flag that was recovered from a booby-trapped location. The collection is here to be cleaned, stabilized and mounted for display when the Patton Museum reopens later this year. So far we have vacuumed the flags with a HEPA filtering vacuum to remove any particulate matter. Next we will humidify those with planar distortions using the Gore-Tex system described in a previous blog about the Orra White Hitchcock textiles from Amherst College. The majority of the flags will be mounted on aluminum solid-support panels manufactured for us by Small Corp, Inc in Greenfield, MA. Each panel will have a layer of 1/4-inch Polyfelt from University Products in Holyoke, MA, covered with khaki-colored cotton poplin from Phillips-Boyne in Farmingdale, NY. All of the flags except for the Nazi flag will be pressure mounted on a solid-support panel. They will be centered on the panel and hand stitched to the cotton using a curved needle. Only minimal stitching around the perimeter, along several strategic points in the body, and along the fringe, is required. A sheet of UV-filtering acrylic will provide the rest of the support for the mount. The museum has chosen Small Corp's powder-coated aluminum frames to complete the mount system. The first batch of eight flags will undergo this process through mid to late April, before being shipped back in early May by US Art of Randolph, MA. The Nazi flag will receive a different treatment due to its large size. A future blog will highlight this highly-technical process. We hope you're looking forward to seeing more of these flags as much as we're looking forward to working on them.
By Jennifer Nason This week’s blog came about after Camille Breeze discovered some women’s military uniforms on a visit to the costume collection at Keene State College (see photo gallery below). After our recent AWVS uniform project, our interest was peeked by yet another example of women contributing to the WWII efforts. The Keene uniforms are clearly labeled as belonged to two ladies who served in the Women’s Reserve of the U.S. Naval Reserve, also known as Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services, or WAVES. The WAVES were created on July 30th, 1942, becoming the first women’s division of a U.S. military branch. It was also the first time in U.S. military history that women were paid and disciplined the same as men of the same rank and status. However it was understood from the outset that the WAVES would be a temporary division, and that it would dissolve once the war ended (hence the emergency part of the name). Nonetheless, the women of WAVES received ample training; there were schools throughout the U.S. for educating female midshipmen and officers. Within the first year of commission, there were roughly 27,000 women active in the ranks of the WAVES. Their duties were mostly clerical, yet some branched out into the medical, intelligence, and technological fields. The Women’s Reserve was never used for active combat, however they performed the essential tasks at home needed for a successful Navy and a safe America. They were just as important to the safety and well-being of America as any enlisted men. The WAVES also had their own official song which they sung proudly: WAVES of the Navy, The Women’s Reserve of the U.S. Naval Reserve was never disbanded as predicted. On the 12th of June, 1948, the Women’s Armed Service Integration Act allowed women to permanently enter the armed services. The Women’s Reserve of the U.S. Naval Reserve became W9 Women's Officer Training and W10 Women's Enlisted Training programs of the U.S. Navy. As U.S. women begin to qualify for active combat duty we should all be grateful to trailblazers such as the WAVES for the role they played in protecting America.
By Camille Myers Breeze Summer 2013 promises to be one of our busiest ever at Museum Textile Services. Our upcoming projects include WWII flags, replica bed hangings, and 19th-century costume. To prepare, we've already started interviewing for volunteer internships that will begin as early as May 1. MTS internships provide a sound introduction to textile conservation treatments, philosophy, and literature while having the opportunity to work hands-on with historic artifacts. Hand-sewing experience, excellent eyesight, and great team skills are essential. All volunteers must commit to a minimum of one full day per week for a minimum of 120 hours. Our current staff members Cara and Courtney both began as MTS volunteer interns! So you think you have what it takes to work in textile conservation? If so, please take a moment to read through the internship information in the education section of our web site. The Becoming a Conservator page will also give you an idea what careers in conservation entail and who benefits from conservation training to round out their skills. To apply for an internship, please send a resume and brief letter of introduction to [email protected]. We look forward to a great summer!
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