by Camille Myers Breeze Our choice for favorite project from 2012 has to be the conservation of a baseball uniform belonging to the great Negro league player William "Cannonball" Jackman. As we learned from Sarah Berlinger's March 12th, 2012, blog Will "Cannonball" Jackman Comes to Life, he was perhaps the greatest player you've never heard of. Prior to the completion of this project, Boston globe writer Joel Brown paid Museum Textile Services a visit to learn more about the project. His article, entitled "Preserving the Fabric of History," appeared in the April 19, 2012, issue of the Boston Globe North. Joel's article was a wonderful opportunity for us to let the public know about textile conservation and as a result we have seen a huge increase in the amount of sports memorabilia brought to MTS. In response, we launched a new Sports Memorabilia page in the Conservation section of our web page. You can see some more images of the conservation of "Cannonball" Jackman's uniform in this short slideshow. Many thanks the Museum of African American History, Boston, and to all who worked on this project, including Cara, Courtney, Katey and Sarah.
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By Ryan Cochran Followers of this blog, as well at the MTS Faceboook page, have become familiar with the sixty-one painted textiles that comprise the Orra White Hitchcock Project. Created as "classroom charts" for her husband, naturalist Edward Hitchcock, they came to us for conservation from the Archives and Special Collections Department at Amherst College, in Amherst, Massachusetts. As an intern learning the ropes of textile conservation, this has been an exciting and enlightening experience which I would like to share with those out there curious about the techniques we used to preserve these amazing works. The first job I had was to create a spreadsheet to document each stage of conservation. Next, each textile was hung and photographed, which often required a second set of hands. As each textile was photographed, it was recorded in the spreadsheet, which contains fields for condition, treatments performed, and whether additional conservation, such as stabilization, is recommended. In preparation for accessioning, I assigned a number to each object in the collection. Since most of these classroom charts are already numbered, we decided to keep those numbers in an attempt to avoid confusion. Unnumbered textiles, or those with repeated numbers, were assigned sequential numbers in the series. The new labels were written in Sharpie on smooth Tyvek and hand-stitched to the back of the top-left corner of each textile. After photographing and labeling, I surface cleaned each textile. This was done with much care using a special conservation vacuum with a low-suction setting so that no tension was put on the fabric. Vacuuming removes dust and debris which is not normally visible to the naked eye, and prepares the textile for further treatment. After vacuuming, I placed each textile in clean acid-free tissue in a folder away from other objects which had not yet been vacuumed. Next, each textile was humidified to reduce the many wrinkles and creases that have accumulated over nearly two centuries in storage. Since we did not want to apply heat or water directly to these textiles, we decided to use the Gore-Tex method of cold humidification. To do this, we created our own humidification chamber with acid-free blotter, Gore-Tex, deionized water, and polyethylene sheeting (you can read about this process in Camille Breeze's MA Thesis.) The textile is placed on top of a dry piece of blotting paper, which is sitting on polypropylene. The textile is then covered with Gore-Tex membrane, which is laminated to Hollytex. A blotter moistened with deionized water is carefully placed on top of the Gore-Tex, followed by polypropylene. The edges of the chamber are sealed with weights to keep the moisture in. The pores in the Gore-Tex membrane are smaller than a water droplet but larger than a water vapor molecule, allowing for a gentle and thorough humidifica-tion. Each textile was humidified for approxi-mately two hours, after which is was moved to a pinning board and blocked with pins to dry. After each textile was humidified, it was condition reported again and suggestions were made for additional conservation, when needed. The textile then was placed either on an archival tube or in a custom-made archival tray. The trays were designed by MTS and built in-house of Coroplast with a twill-tape hinge. We eagerly await the day when all of the Orra White Hitchcock textiles are back at Amherst College and safely stored in the archive.
Many thanks go out to Michael Kelly, Head of Archives and Special Collections, Frost Library, Amherst College, and suppliers University Products, Talas, Testfabrics, Masterpak, J Freeman, and Larry Glickman of Traveling Framers for their assistance. by Camille Myers Breeze For nearly a week, the Beard & Weil Galleries at Wheaton College in Norton, MA, was the scene of great collaboration and ingenuity as students of ARTH 335 Exhibition Design installed their Fall 2012 show, "100 Years 100 Objects." The exhibit showcases an object for each of the 100 years since Wheaton Female Seminary became Wheaton College. Camille Breeze was hired to participate in two days of teaching and exhibit prep thanks to funding from the Art/Art History Department and the Evelyn Danzig Haas '39 Visiting Artist Program. After a short presentation about careers in conservation, Camille broke students into teams according to what remained to be done to install a pair of priceless textiles conserved by MTS. The first team underwent the final framing of a silk embroidery depicting "Hagar and Ishmael are Cast Out by Abraham" (Genesis Chapter XXI), by Eliza Wheaton Strong (1795-1834). This exquisite textile is very fragile but together the team cleaned the framing materials, placed the embroidery behind the custom mat, and backed the new frame with Marvelseal before hanging it in the gallery. The remaining student teams addressed tasks related to the mounting of the c 1780 costume of the Duchesse de Choiseul, which had been conserved at Museum Textile Services in 2012. You can read about this project in intern Gabrielle Ferreira's first and second blogs. ![]() Josephine Johnson '13. The bust of the custom manikin was covered with show fabric by senior Josephine Johnson, who is planning for a career in conservation. The base for the manikin was assembled by a team including senior Morgan Bakerman, who is writing her thesis about the dress. A third team addresses the skirt support, which originally was accomplished with rigid paniers. Students started with a replica of the skirt made by Cara Jordan from cotton muslin. Next, they machine sewed 3-inch twill tape in two rows across the skirt and threaded flexible polypropylene tubing through the channel. The tubing provided the shape of the paniers, and additional pieces of twill tape tied across the underside created the correct, flat silhouette. During the final push on Saturday afternoon, the base was attached to the exhibit platform, the manikin bust was installed, the paniers were tied to the manikin, and finally the costume was dressed. Working with an academic institution like Wheaton College is one our favorite jobs at Museum Textile Services. Many thanks go out to Leah Niederstadt, Museum Studies Professor and Curator of the Permanent Collection, and Zeph Stickney, Archivist and Special Collections Curator, for asking Camille to help in this intense and rewarding project.
by Tegan Kehoe In Part I of this series, I shared examples of crewel embroidery conserved at MTS and the early-20th-century Needlecraft Magazine article teaching needleworkers how to practice this craft. In Part II, we explore two more textile genres. The July, 1934, issue of Needlecraft has an article about the timeless art of quilting. It features a quilt with a similarly geometric, symmetrical floral pattern, called “posies round the square.” The patchwork squares in both quilts are interspersed with sections of white quilted background. The example above shows a quilt from this time period that was recently conserved by Museum Textile Services.The beautiful and intricate quilting pattern in the white section of this quilt is similar to some of the patterns used in the quilt shown in Needlecraft, and to patterns “J” and “G” at the bottom of the page. This quilt was wetcleaned and repaired by us in 2008 so that the owner could continue to gently use it on special occasions. An article titled “Darning on a Filet Ground” appears in the February 1935 issue of Needlecraft, displaying work using the same technique as a set of place mats that MTS conserved, also in 2008. This craft is alternately called “filet darning,” “net darning” or “filet lace.” The article says that because the process is simple and quick, a set of curtains or placemats would be “by no means an over-ambitious undertaking even for the woman who has only a little time to give to needlework.” The pieces that MTS conserved were a little more complex; instead of darning onto an existing net mesh, they were executed in filet crochet, which has a similar visual effect. One of the ways to tell the difference is to look at how the edges are done. Needlecraft Magazine explains how to finish the edges of the square mesh net that forms the base of the work by turning the edges under and hemming them. However, in the piece we treated, the edges have a crochet scalloped finish. Perhaps Needlecraft magazine would not have recommended crochet filet “for the woman who has only a little time,” but the effect is quite delicate. These place mats were made by the owner’s grandmother. They came to us quite stained, and we washed them in Sodium Borohydride, an effective and gentle method of bleaching. At the completion of the project, the owner kept four of the place mats as they are, and had two of the place mats framed to give to her children.
Looking through Needlecraft Magazine is a blast from the past, and is also a reminder of the timelessness of so many of the textile arts that we are fortunate to conserve at MTS. By Andy Grilz On my first day of work as Operations Manager at MTS I happened to mention that I had done some research into the family crest seen in an earlier blog post by Michelle Drummey entitled A Warrior in our Midst. Naturally, I was conscripted to share my discovery with you. ![]() Detail of Samurai helmet, or kabuto This mon, or kamon, is a family emblem found on the Samurai helmet currently being treated at MTS. ![]() Courtesy of SamuraiWiki A quick search of the web identified it as one of the kamon of the So clan, established on the Island of Tsushima in the Korean Strait. The So are believed to be an offshoot of the Koremune clan (although there is claim to lineage tracing back to historical hero Taira no Tomomori). In 1274, leader So Kukekuni heroically perished defending Tsushima against the Mongol invasion of Japan. Given the geographic proximity and the mountainous terrain of Tsushima, the So have been a prominent fixture in Japanese-Korean trade and relations since the late 12th century. Despite years of mutually beneficial trade, So clan members did participate in the unsuccessful invasions of Korea in the 1590s. But in the early 1600s So Yoshitoshi, Han of the Tsushima Shogunate, actively worked to restore diplomatic and economic relations between Japan and Korea of his own accord, despite having participated in the invasion. His efforts were continued by his successors, with no less than 12 embassies traveling to Korea between 1611 and 1800. The efforts of the So clan were critical in maintaining relations with Korea during the Edo period. The Tokugawa Shogunate entrusted their official diplomatic relations with Korea to the clan. Following the arrival of Admiral Perry and the ‘Black Ships’, the So clan took a progressive position and fought against the ‘Revere the Emperor/Banish the Barbarians’ movement, supporting the Shogunate. In 1871, with abolition of the Han system, the head of the clan was named governor of the prefecture. Is this level of historical research required, or even possible, for most conservation treatments? No. Do we enjoy it when we can do it? You becha.
By Camille Myers Breeze Burlington, Vermont, was the scene of the 2012 New England Museum Association conference, where five MTS staff members, and many former staff, gathered last week. In the very first session time slot, Camille and Cara joined other conservators in presenting "Condition Reporting Meets Speed Dating." For 90 minutes, attendees traveled from table to table spending 10 minutes learning about condition reporting different artifact types. Our presentation on Condition Reporting Textiles, is available as a short slide show in the Resources section of our web site. With our speaking responsibilities out of the way early, we relaxed and took in several sessions on topics as diverse as working with university museums, crafting a collections management policy, and social media marketing (we're way ahead of the curve on that one thanks to Erica Holthausen and Honest Marketing Revolution!) There was plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the local museums, restaurants and breweries. ECHO Lake Aquarium was the sight of the opening reception, where we petted star fish and chatted with colleagues. Our newest hire, Operations Manager Andy Grilz, proved to be a huge asset in the trivia game! The following day, Camille and Cara visited Shelburne Farms a 1,400-acre working farm and nonprofit education organization. We learned they also have an inn and restaurant, which is just the excuse we need to return to Burlington in the near future. The most entertaining session we attended was probably "Cats & Dogs Living Together: Exhibit Design as a Collaboration between Educators & Curators," presented by Curator Jeffrey Forgang and Education Director Devon Kurtz of the Higgins Armory Museum. Suffice to say we we're considering a holiday field trip to see their interactive exhibit, Extreme Sports: The Joust.
If you weren't fortunate enough to attend the NEMA conference, you can still access the handouts by downloading the NEMA Conference App from the NEMA website. We hope to see you at the 2013 NEMA conference in Newport, Rhode Island! By Courtney Jason Just over a year ago, on October 7, 2011, Camille visited the Farnsworth Homestead in Rockland, Maine, to survey their carpet collection. Among the pieces surveyed were six machine-made carpets and three painted floor cloths. All of the carpets were Brussels carpets, meaning that their pile is looped, like terry cloth, rather than cut, like velvet. The carpet shown above was identified as "Carpet B" in the survey. It is spring green and features a Rococo Revival pattern including brown, tan, and white flowers and leaves. Since Camille's survey, the Farnsworth Museum curatorial team has determined that Carpet B was originally housed in the living room because the size and shape of the carpet match those of the room. The spacing between tack holes on the carpet and tack holes in the floor were compared, which confirmed this discovery. In late October, 2012, Camille returned to the Farnsworth Homestead to pick up Carpet B. It is now at Museum Textile Services, where it will undergo conservation treatment. After extensive surface cleaning with HEPA vacuum, the carpet will be wet cleaned in deionized water to remove over 160 years of dirt, soot, and dust. This will require us to build a custom wash tank on the floor of our mill building, as the carpet is larger than our wetcleaning sink. After conservation, Carpet B will be returned to the living room of the Farnsworth homestead. It will be carefully re-installed using existing holes in the carpet and floor from the previous installation. To protect the carpet from further damage, non-corrosive tacks will be used and foot traffic in the master bedroom will be limited. Once re-installed, the carpet will give the visitor a more authentic idea of what the room would have looked like in the mid 1800s. The Farnsworth Homestead is one of the historic properties of the Farnsworth Art Museum, a longstanding client of MTS. Mext time you are on Route 1 in Maine, visit the Farnsworth Art Museum, the Farnsworth Homestead, and the Olson House (pictured in Andrew Wyeth's iconic painting "Christina's World").
In light of the monstrous storm impacting the east coast this week, we want to remind readers of the Disaster Response resources available on the MTS website. Following 2011's Hurricane Irene, we created two new MTS Handouts to help you deal with water damaged textiles. Both are intended to be used in conjunction with other printed resources such as the National Park's Salvage At A Glance Part V: Textiles or Salvaging Water Damaged Textiles from the AIC. Our Salvage Chart for Wet Textiles walks you through the decision making process when rescuing textiles that are still wet from a storm, flood, or accident. The decisions are different from those you would make when dealing with dry storm-damaged textiles, so we also made a Salvage Chart for Previously Wet Textiles. In both cases, vacuuming is an essential skill for salvage personnel, so you may also want to distribute our Vacuuming Textiles handout.
Remember that your safety is paramount, so please to not attempt to salvage any historic artifacts until the weather, the roads, and your family are in the clear. By Camille Myers Breeze Our 18-month-long project to conserve the Abraham Sacrificing Isaac tapestry culminated in its reinstallation last week at St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island. With the help of school staff, the tapestry was easily installed in under 30 minutes. This left plenty of time for a trip to the archives, where a historic garment awaited assessment. Worn by the school's founder, Father John Hugh Diman, this fur-lined wool overcoat is part of school legend. Father Diman would take the train from Providence to Newport, Rhode Island, every week year round, and wrote that he could not have made the walk to St. George's School in winter without his trusty fur coat. Inside the coat is a large breast pocket ample enough to accommodate a bible. The St George's School archives also has a collection of sports memorabilia, including jerseys, football pants, sweaters, jackets, cleats, footballs, soccer balls, and baseballs. Painted on many of the balls are the dates of victories and the opponent's name. It turns out that the arch rival of St George's School is Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts. Just this year an Olympic hockey uniform belonging to Middlesex School was conserved at MTS. At the end of the day, I gave a public presentation about the conservation of the Abraham Sacrificing Isaac tapestry. In attendance was Chad Loebs, the grandson of the tapestry's donor, and benefactor of the tapestry conservation project. Mr. Loebs descends from the Safe family, who owned the mansion where the tapestry hung, Ocean Lawn, until 1946. Also among the crowd who came to celebrate the unveiling of the newly conserved tapestry was the son of the chapel's benefactor, also named John Nicholas Brown. The grand- daughter of Elizabeth Parke Firestone, wife of the Harvey Firestone, Jr. and owner of Ocean Lawn from the 1950's to 1990, also introduced herself to me. Evidence of the hard work of the development department can be seen throughout the furnishings, buildings, and landscape at St. George's School, as well as in the strong relationship between the school and its generous alumni. You can also see more photos from this project on the Museum Textile Services Facebook page. While you're there, please "Like" us! by Tegan Kehoe Museum Textile Services recently acquired a number of issues of “Needlecraft: The Home Arts Magazine.” The magazine was published in the first half of the 20th century and these examples are from the 1920s and 30s. Several articles feature the same needlecraft techniques as those in some of the textiles that we have conserved! One example, from the February 1934 issue of Needlecraft, shows crewel embroidery, or crewelwork. Crewel, as the article explains, is distinguished from other styles of embroidery because it is done with wool yarn rather than silk or cotton thread. The result is a bold pattern that can be made with a wide variety of stitches. Most articles in Needlecraft do not include the patterns, which were sold separately, but they do include detailed descriptions of the process. This article describes patterns for a set of bookends, a cushion, and a handbag. One crewel embroidery object that Museum Textile Services has restored is an early 20th century chair. The embroidery was done by the owner's grandmother, who was no doubt exposed to magazine articles such as ours. The family still uses the chair, so the goal of conservation was to repair and stabilize the fabric for continued use. Both the chair and the patterns from the magazine are reflective of Jacobean style, which hearkens back to 17th-century England but has stayed popular for crewel embroidery over the centuries. This style was especially popular during the early 20th-century revival of interest in colonial-era crafts. Jacobean embroidery features stylized plants and forest animals, such as the flowers, birds, and butterflies shown here. ![]() Detail More recently, the MTS study collection received a donation of crewel-embroidered curtains made by the mother of one of our clients. The client is downsizing her home and can only fit part of her mother's impressive needlework legacy. What makes this donation all the more meaningful is the discovery that the client graduated from Oberlin College in the same class as Camille's mother! Stay tuned for more examples of textiles conserved at MTS that we learned more about from Needlecraft Magazine. |