STUDENT RESISTANCE in SERBIA Students of Serbian Universities Have Formed a Political Organization Called “Otpor” (Resistance)
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September/October1999 Vol. 32 • No. 5 September/October 1999 STUDENT RESISTANCE IN SERBIA Students of Serbian Universities have formed a political organization called “Otpor” (Resistance). They demonstrate against the actual re- gime in Serbia. Their flag is white, with black fist in black-outlined circle. Flag photos could be seen on http://www.otpor. com . Greetings from windy Belgrade, Ivan Sarajcic, Above, the staff of Tanaka Flag in Osaka, geographer Japan with “Enjoy Flags” flag in front of Belgrade, Serbia the office where 30 people work. Annual [email protected] sales are US$12,000,000. NAVA is indebted to Mr. Taiji Tanaka for his donation that makes the color in this issue of NAVA News CHANGES IN NAVA NEWS possible. You may have noticed the last few by the masthead, publisher’s notice schedule and apologize for the late- issues of this journal have had more and addressing block since these will ness of this issue. The November- color in them, thanks to a generous appear only four times a year rather December 1999 issue should be out donation from Taiji Tanaka of the than six. As it stands now, a typical before the end of December or very Tanaka Flag Company in Osaka, NAVA News issue is 8 pages long with early in January at the latest. Our Japan. Again we express our sincere approximately 1!/3 pages being de- schedule for next year under the new thanks for this underwriting. The voted to the masthead, advertising, plan will be Jan.-March 2000 (pub- response has been positive about addressing block and notice. Six is- lished in Feb.); April-June 2000 this change. sues per year yields a total of 48 (May); July-Sept. 2000 (August); and As discussed in Victoria, the Board pages with 8 of them lost to Oct.-Dec. 2000 (November). Readers has decided to reduce the frequency vexillology by such necessary fea- can assist by sending in articles, of NAVA News to quarterly in favor tures, net total of 40 pages of clippings, drawings, reports on their of longer issues with color as a stan- vexillology. If we go to a quarterly of activities, etc. We need your help! dard feature. This will allow us to 16 pages, the total number is 64 We hope you will approve of these keep the same budget for layout and pages, with just 5!/3 pages lost to the changes. Enclosed with this issue is design, printing and mailing. It is felt necessary features, yielding 58@/3 a survey put together by our mem- that longer issues, such as the Janu- pages of vexillology per year. Plus we bership committee which will go a ary-April 1999 double issue, allow will gain 16 pages of color! long way towards helping us make more space for in-depth vexillological This change is slated to go into ef- future decisions. Your input is es- topics to be explored. fect after the last issue of the present sential. Please feel free to add any The change will also reduce the volume. We are trying to get back on additional comments before you re- amount of “overhead” space eaten up turn it. Thanks. —1— NAVA News 32/5 CONSERVING AMERICA’S “CIVIL WAR” FLAGS It streamed across many a bloody the first public entities to employ vators look for signs of powdering, battlefield, and if dropped it was textile professionals to conserve their acidity and brittleness in the fibers, picked up to fly again. Its capture State issued Civil War colors, and the and then determine the appropriate was deemed a disgrace, but if carried Museum of the Confederacy in Rich- steps to be taken to preserve the flag. to the enemy it was planted with the mond, Virginia, recently began a Museums usually take this light kind of hubris that only a victor can conservation project focusing on exposure business very seriously, summon. It was considered an their collection of fragile silk flags.1 limiting the amount of time their honor to carry it into battle, but it But just what is “conservation,” and flags are exhibited, and rotating their always meant that the bearer would how does it differ from “restoration?” artifacts every six months or so. become a most conspicuous target. Restoration is that process by Light is such an important consid- Its purpose was utilitarian, but in which an artifact undergoes treat- eration that Ms. Thomsen’s recom- the end it embodied the very soul of ment in order to make it look like its mendation to private owners of CW who you were and what you stood original condition, while conserva- flags is never exhibit them! “Silk is for. Perhaps more than any other tion is an environmental control pro- one of the most fragile materials we artifact of the Civil War, flags were cess that conserves the artifact in have today. We have silks from 2000 not only symbols of valor, they were its present condition but prevents BC from the Chinese tombs in beau- in many cases the cause of valor. further deterioration. Conservation tiful condition. Why? Because in a Even today Civil War flags can still allows flags to be cleaned and stabi- tomb it’s dark; the environment (of the bring out the passion in a human lized, but does not try to make the Chinese tombs) was stable; there heart; and they are considered one flag “look new.” Fonda Thomsen, di- wasn’t fluctuating temperature and of the most desirable of collectable rector of Textile Preservation As- humidity; there was no light; the artifacts. sociates in Sharpsburg, Maryland, pieces were lying flat, they were fully Few history buffs own Civil War says modern textile conservation supported, there were no insects, and flags, and the relative rarity of these began when scientists employed the there were no people handling them.” items insures their value. Most of us newly invented x-ray machine to Rebecca A. Rose, Flag Curator at will have to be content to visit a peer beneath the surface of old the Museum of the Confederacy in museum to see one, and even then paintings. “The first x-rays of paint- Richmond, Virginia, echoes these it is usually removed from our im- ings were done in 1910. It was dis- sentiments, and has this advice for mediate presence by a pane or two covered that many original paintings those who own CW or very old flags: of glass. In many cases it’s a tribute had been painted over in an effort to “The best way to store your flag is to the museum professional that fix damage on the original surface. flat, in a dark, temperature controlled they exist at all. Made in a hurry, Scientists then asked the question, environment. Avoid large extremes of sometimes of fragile material, they ‘what caused the original damage?’ temperature and humidity; don’t were rushed into a harsh environ- They found that these works of art store it in the attic or basement where ment consisting of rain, wind, cold, had deteriorated because of the en- there are extremes in temperature heat and, not surprisingly, smoke vironment in which the paintings and moisture, and mildew can be a and bullets. After the war they were kept. They had been subjected problem. Storage in the main living weren’t necessarily treated any bet- to too much light, extremes in tem- areas of a home is preferable, as cen- ter; many just “hung around,” or perature, mold and mildew. By 1950 tral heating and air conditioning have were furled tightly on their pikes and an international congress of art sci- made these areas a temperature con- left to bake in hot display cases for entists met with the express purpose trolled environment.” If a flag is large, years. Even well made flags had to of creating a professional organiza- flat storage may not be practical. In suffer certain indignities; during the tion to deal with works of art. The art this case the best way to store it is 1940’s, in an attempt to stabilize scientists felt so strongly that the to roll the flag on a tube, buffering them, many flags underwent a spe- environment was the chief cause of the fabric with an acid-free, archi- cial sewing technique. This “conser- deterioration that they decided to dis- val tissue. If the flag cannot be stored vation stitching” process caused tance themselves from the word “res- flat or properly rolled then the pre- thousands of holes to be poked into toration,” which implies ‘fixing it up’ ferred method, using archival qual- the fabric while a patented quilting to look like the original. They chose ity materials, is to fold the flag and stitch was applied across the face of instead to be called conservators.” store it in a box; but if you must do the flag. Afterward the flags became (Conservation is a material science, this be sure to buffer the flag, and a sort of esoteric curiosity, and were and professional conservators are avoid boxes with an acidic pH level. of interest only to dedicated histori- scientists. Graduate programs in Acid-free archival tissue paper and ans and vexillologists. conservation require a double ma- storage boxes are available at most But fifty years later, spurred on by jor in art and science.) In the case of quality art or framing stores. If you popular movies, television programs flags, conservation starts with deter- want to occasionally bring your flag and the reenactment hobby, a re- mining what kind of fiber was used out of storage and display it Ms.