Before, during and after treatment.
This hand painted theatre curtain came from the
Johnsburg Historical Society. It had been used at the
O'Keefe Opera House during the early 20th century, and was
being treated in preparation for display at the Tannery Pond Community Center in North
Creek. The central section, which featured a waterfront
scene and advertisements, had had a primer and ground
layer applied at the time of fabrication. However, the
painted drapery had no such ground, which resulted in
the light bound media leaching into the cotton fabric
and thus creating a very powdery, almost pastel like
paint.
The powdering paint in this section needed to be
consolidated which was achieved with an airbrush that
created a gentle and thin layer of adhesive. Following
consolidation, the surface was lightly cleaned. Distortions
in the fabric were removed with the introduction of
moistureand then tears and holes were repaired after
realigning fibers. Following repairs, the curtain was
prepared for hanging by having Velcro attached to webbing
and then sewn onto the curtain with a herringbone
stitch.