Flags and banners are our most patriotic national textiles. Often made of silk or thin wool bunting, they can be extremely fragile and require advanced conservation techniques for their preservation. Flags are also some of the largest textiles in existence, and Museum Textile Services is known nation-wide for our skill and project management.
Historic Flags
Conservation and mounting of historic flags is often one and the same process. Revolution and Civil War silk flags are often in creased or shattered from being stored in inadequate conditions. They rely on a museum-quality, fabric-covered mounting panel and frame to keep them dimensionally stable and suitable for study and exhibition.
19-star flag with provenance to the USS Constitution. Courtesy Perot Family.
Bucks of America flag, c 1787, after conservation. Courtesy Massachusetts Historical Society.
Third Regiment, Third Connecticut flag, c 1783, after conservation.
The majority of collaborations between MTS and branches of the US military concern major flag collections that tell the stories of our brave service members. We have collaborated with the US Army, Navy, and Coast Guard.
Assessing one of many flag display cases at the United States Naval Academy.
Flags found behind other flags in a display case at the United States Naval Academy.
Korean banner conserved for the United States Naval Academy Museum.
Banners
Banners have many of the same issues as flags. They can be painted on both sides or made from two pieces of fabric each painted on only one side. Banners are frequently displayed with their poles or stands, which requires creative ways to make the old hanging system safe to use.
Trevor Lamb surface cleaning a WWII War Bond Banner. Courtesy of Manchester Historic Association.