The Textile Specialty Group Postprints Papers Delivered at the Textile
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American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and Th e Canadian Association for Conservation (Association canadienne pour la conservation et la restauration) Joint 44th Annual Meeting and 42nd Annual Conference Montreal, Quebec, Canada May 2016 Edited by Elizabeth Shaeff er Anne Getts Kathleen Kiefer Bernice Morris VOLUME TWENTY-SIX AIC AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CONSERVATIO N OF HISTORIC AND ARTISTIC WORKS POSTPRINTS of the Textile Specialty Group, Volume Twenty-Six, 2016, is published by the Textile Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. POSTPRINTS is distributed to members of the Textile Specialty Group. Additional copies may be purchased from the American Institute for Con- servation of Historic and Artistic Works. Papers presented in this publication have been edited for clarity and content but have not undergone a formal process of peer review. Responsibility for methods and/or materials described herein rests solely with the contributors and should not be considered offi cial statements of the Textile Specialty Group or AIC. Volume 26 © 2016 American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works Th e Textile Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works ISSN 2169-1363 CONTENTS PREFACE vi PAPERS PRESENTED DI SSOCIATION RISKS: THE CONSERVATION OF TWO ABORIGINAL FIGURINES AND THEIR TEXTILES NICOLE CHARLEY AND JEAN DENDY 1–20 INHERENT VICE IN THE WOVEN STRUCTURE OF NORTHWEST COAST SPRUCE ROOT HATS SARA SERBAN 21–34 THE CREATION OF A DIGITALLY PRINTED REPRODUCTION SLEEVE FOR AN 18TH CENTURY PAINTED SILK DRESS MIRIAM MURPHY, ALEXANDRA BARLOW, AND ERIC BREITUNG 35–48 UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF THE USE OF RARE-EARTH MAGNETS IN MOUNTING OBJECTS ON OPEN DISPLAY JOHN D. CHILDS AND MAUREEN MERRIGAN 49–62 A MATERIAL DISASTER: PRESERVATION OF THE MUPPETS SUNAE PARK EVANS 63–74 A BIOLOGICAL DISASTER TO COSTUME MARY BALLARD, LAURA MINA, CATHLEEN ZARET, AND CAROL GRISSOM 75–88 A TEXTILE CONSERVATOR’S CONTRIBUTION TO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON C. P. IANNUCCILLI 89–98 ASSESSING COLLECTION EMERGENCY TRAINING AND RESPONSE: THE RISKS OF ADRENALINE LOIS OLCOTT PRICE AND JOELLE D. J. WICKENS 99–140 iii FOXY UNDERPANTS: OR THE USE OF CHELATORS, ENZYMES, AND SURFACTANTS TO REMOVE FOXING STAINS FROM LINEN UNDERPANTS LAURA MINA 141–156 GELLING IN THEORY AND PRACTICE: AN EXAMINATION OF AGAROSE GELS IN TEXTILE CONSERVATION EMMA SCHMITT AND SARAH FOSKETT 157–170 TIPS AND TRICKS TO REMOVE THE MUD FROM TEXTILE COLLECTIONS AFTER A FLOOD S. GAIL NIINIMAA 171–184 EXTENDED ABSTRACTS EXPLORING ORIGINS: THE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF TWO YORUBA MASQUERADE COSTUMES AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART REBECCA SUMMEROUR AND ODILE MADDEN 185–190 VIAL THINGS: PRESERVING THE UNEXPECTED IN THE OCCULT JEWELRY OF SIMON COSTIN SARAH SCATURRO 191–192 Textile Specialty Group Postprints Volume 26, 2016 iv POSTER SESSION FIRST AID STRATEGIES OF RARE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TEXTILES IN EXCAVATION HARBY E. AHMED 193 A MOUNT FOR PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CARE: REHOUSING FESTIVAL HATS AT THE TEXTILE MUSEUM OF CANADA HILLARY ANDERSON AND GENEVIEVE KULIS 194–195 SENDING CLAM SHELLS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC: PREPARING THE ALEXANDER McQUEEN RAZOR CLAM DRESS FOR LOAN CASSANDRA GERO 196 FEELING A LITTLE BLUE (GREEN): EFFORT TO REDUCE STAINING ON A FLOOD-DAMAGED ZUNI TEXTILE CATHLEEN ZARET 197 THE SECTIONAL MANNEQUIN: A UNIQUE APPROACH FOR FIRST NATIONS CLOTHING CAROLINE BOURGEOIS 198 TEXTILES FOR EMERGENCY SALVAGE: THE ABSORBENCY OF MICRO-DENIER TEXTILES, AND OTHER STANDARD ABSORBENT MATERIALS MICHELE PAGÁN 199 v PREFACE Th e 26th volume of POSTPRINTS contains papers presented at the textile sessions of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and the Canadian Association for Conservation (Association canadienne pour la conservation et la restauration) (CAC-ACCR)’s joint 44th Annual Meeting and 42nd Annual Conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in May, 2016. Textile Specialty Group POSTPRINTS is a non-juried publication. Submission of these papers to juried publications, such as the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, is encouraged. Th e papers chosen from abstracts submitted to the meeting chair, Kathy Francis, Textile Specialty Group vice chair for 2015–2016, are published as submitted by the authors. Papers were edited according to the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation’s “Guidelines for Authors” and the “Best Practices for Online PDF Publication: AIC Specialty Group Annuals & Postprints,” 2014 version. Materials and methods presented within the papers should not be considered offi cial statements of either the Textile Specialty Group or of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Th e editors wish to thank the contributors to this publication for their cooperation and timeliness. Without their enthusiasm and hard work, this publication would not have been possible. Th anks are also extended to Aptara Inc. for copyediting and layout. Textile Specialty Group Postprints Volume 26, 2016 vi DISSOCIATION RISKS: THE CONSERVATION OF TWO ABORIGINAL FIGURINES AND THEIR TEXTILES NICOLE CHARLEY AND JEAN DENDY ABSTRACT—Th is article discusses the conservation treatment of fragile tunics worn by two 19th century Huron or Wendat fi gurines. Consolidation via ultrasonic misting was investigated for the tunic on the fi rst fi gurine. Th ough examples of this treatment method used on textiles were not encountered in the literature, with the encouragement and collaboration of colleagues from other disciplines, a number of consolidants in aqueous solutions were tested. A treatment protocol using a 0.25% w/v solution of Aquazol 200/Methocel A15C in a 1:1 ratio was developed. Th e treatment of the second fi gurine used what was initially designed to be a temporary facing method—a homemade pressure-sensitive tape of Hollytex coated with Lascaux 360HV adhesive—as a permanent backing and mending tissue. Th e fi nal part of the article discusses an important conservation issue: risk of dissociation of Aboriginal objects from their cultural context is increased in museum collections. Conservators have a responsibility to contribute as much as possible to the history and identifi cation of these objects through current analytical methods, treatment, and documentation practices. RESUMEN—Este artículo discute el tratamiento de conservación de las túnicas frágiles de dos fi guritas Huron o Wendat del siglo XIX. Se investigó la consolidación por nebulización ultrasónica para la túnica de la primera fi gurita. Aunque en la literatura no se encontraron ejemplos de este método de tratamiento utilizado con textiles, con el apoyo y la colaboración de colegas de otras disciplinas, se probaron varios adhesivos en soluciones acuosas. Se desarrolló un protocolo de tratamiento utilizando una solución al 0,25% p/v de Aquazol 200/Methocel A15C en una relación 1:1. El tratamiento de la segunda fi gurita usó lo que inicial- mente fue diseñado como un método de enfrentamiento temporal—una cinta adhesiva casera de Hollytex con el adhesivo Lascaux 360HV—como un material permanente de refuerzo y reparación. La parte fi nal del artículo discute un importante problema de conservación: el riesgo de disociación de los objetos aborígenes de su contexto cultural aumenta en las colecciones de museos. Los conservadores tienen la responsabilidad de contribuir tanto como sea posible a la historia e identifi cación de estos objetos a través de los métodos analíticos actuales, el tratamiento y las prácticas de documentación. 1. INTRODUCTION In 2006, the Musée de la Civilisation in Québec City acquired a set of rare Aboriginal fi gurines. Th e treatment of two of these fi gurines, numbers 2006.413 and 2006.414, will be discussed. Th e fi gurines will be referred to by their abbreviated accession numbers, 413 and 414. Th e article will also discuss the “dissociation risks” from cultural contexts that First Nations objects, such as these fi gurines, are facing in museum collections. Both fi gurines (fi g. 1) are constructed with heads and torsos roughly carved from a single piece of wood. Th e arms and legs are articulated at the shoulders and hips. Both fi gurines have metal armbands and metal headbands. Th e tops of the heads are cut fl at, and remnants of feathers can still be observed there. Simple facial features are carved and then painted; the backs of the heads are also painted in black, presumably to represent hair. Both fi gurines are adorned in untanned leather moccasins and woolen leggings. Simple tunics complete the outfi ts—unbleached cotton tabby for fi gurine 413, while fi gurine 414’s is of printed cotton. Th e cords tied around the waist of each fi gurine are not thought to be original. DISSOCIATION RISKS: THE CONSERVATION OF TWO ABORIGINAL FIGURINES AND THEIR TEXTILES Fig. 1. Left : fi gurine 414, and right: fi gurine 413, before treatment. Th ere is very little historical information extant for these fi gurines. It was believed that they might have been made to represent two Huron-Wendat individuals newly converted to the Catholic Church by Jesuit missionaries. 2. ANALYSES In an attempt to identify the metals used, the headband on fi gurine 414 was analyzed using a portable Innov-X Model 440 ED-XRF spectrometer (Moyle 2014). Since the surface area of the band was so small, it was diffi cult to defi nitively quantify the metals present. According to the results, the analyzed metal is mostly iron with trace quantities of tin and lead, which indicates either tinned sheet iron (in this case, the lead present would likely have been used as a soldering or brazing material), or terne sheet (iron plated with lead-tin alloy). X-radiography revealed the presence of radiopaque pigments, likely lead-based, on the lips of both fi gurines and on the cheeks of fi gurine 413. Dyes and mordants from the printed tunic and leggings of fi gurine 414 were analyzed by GC-MS, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, polarized light microscopy, and SEM/EDS (Poulin 2012).