Before and after treatment
One of the many ongoing projects that Spicer Art
Conservation, LLC is working on belongs to the New York State Museum's Morgan Collection
and their Anthropology Textile Collection. The project
began in March 2000 with an item-by-item survey to
assess the items that are in the greatest need for
treatment. The list reflects the items in the worst
condition not yet treated and constitutes the second
phase of treatment of the collection. The items treated
include coats, leggings, dresses, baskets, moccasins,
pouches and sashes, all of which needed stabilization of
areas of loss, bead loss and new storage containers.
This particular deerskin coat with quill decoration was in
poor condition. The leather was actively powdering and was
very fragile and torn in several sections. Much of the
damage was caused by excessive relative humidy in storage
and the goal of treatment was to create a better
environment for the coat. Cushions were made to support the
arms and body of the jacket and special pillows were made
to fill out folds in the bottom of the coat to prevent
creasing. The quill decoration was mostly stable and
secure. Loose quill-work was secured with a combination of
Acryloid F-10 and Hollytex bridges. A layer of 100%
polyester smooth fabric was placed on either side of the
jacket to prevent further abrasion during storage and lower
all humidity absorbing materials in the storage container.
The inside of the storage box was lined with Marvelseal
film to create a resealable seal to lower the air exchange
rate in the box. ArtSorb was place inside of the box along
with a small visible monitor to maintain the relative
humidity within the box at 50%RH.