Artifact Conservation

     While I do the minor cleaning and repairs needed for the artifacts in the museum’s collection, there are jobs which are beyond my abilities.  A professional conservator is required in these cases.

    I would first like to clarify that there is a difference between conservation and restoration.  The goal of restoration is usually to bring an object back to its original appearance.  The goal of conservation is bring the artifact back to a stable condition.  Though improving the appearance of the artifact can be one of the objectives, it is not the main one.  In some cases, conservation of an artifact can result in leaving evidence of wear, or other “imperfections”.  Preserving the artifact and its history is the main goal here, not appearance.  Additionally, unlike restoration, any conservation work done is reversible.

     We are very fortunate at the NMCWM to have a volunteer who is a retired conservator and who can occasionally donate his time and talents in working on some of our artifacts.  He was recently able to stablize a surgeon's leather field case for us.  It was affected with red rot, and was displaying the characteristic powdery-red surface and weakened areas.      

    

This is the field case before treatment. You can see a reddish tinge to it. Not visible in the photo are small salt crystals on the surface of the leather. The straps were very thin and brittle. Even when I handled it very carefully, my white gloves would turn red where they contacted the leather.

Here is Spencer working on the case. He carefully removed the crystals from the leather and treated it with a consolidant called Cellugel which is absorbed into the leather and dries very quickly. He then applied a colored shoewax to the exterior surface.

The case not only looks much better, but it is now stronger and less brittle. Though the red rot did do some damage, the case has now been stabilized. 

     Another artifact which had professional conservation work done on it is the commission pictured below.  The document was in fair condition when it was acquired.  It was somewhat yellowed and faded and had some surface dirt, and it had been stored folded for many years.  The document was weak along all the fold lines, and one segment was completely detached.

This is a commission for Lt. John Henry Dye, 25^th PA Infantry. He drafted maps for the Battle of Gettysburg. We have this document because his wife, Clarissa Jones Dye, was a Civil War nurse. You can see that the document is yellowed and in two pieces.

This detail photo shows damage along fold lines. This is a good reason to store paper items flat and unfolded!

     The commission was sent to Cleveland Conservation of Art on Paper.  The conservator reported the treatment as follows:  The surface of the paper was cleaned in the non-image areas, using grated polyvinyl eraser crumbs.  The paper was immersed in deionized water conditioned to a pH of 8.0.  As a result, the paper became lighter in color and the acidic content was lowered.  The back of the paper was sprayed with a very light alkaline reserve spray of magnesium oxide.  This will help to keep the acidic content of the paper lower.  The tears were mended and the weak folds were reinforced with kizukishi conservation paper and zin shofu wheat starch adhesive.  And finally, the document was placed in a stable, archival quality paper folder, which will allow the gradual migration of acids out of the document and into the folder paper while it is in storage.

As you can see in this photo, the document is now in much better condition than when we received it, and is much better preserved for the future.

     It is amazing what can be done for these artifacts!  It is fascinating to me, and I have to admit that if I had to pick another career, I’d definitely look into the conservation field.

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine

Conservation Work

     An important part of being a collection manager is keeping track of the condition of the artifacts.  Over time, all items deteriorate.  When I spot an artifact with an issue I can make some minor repairs as needed, or if the job is beyond my expertise I can recommend conservation work done by a professional.  A professional conservator will be able to stabilize the artifact and minimize future deterioration.  Note that I did not say that the artifact is “restored”.  Restoration is a different process, in which the goal is usually to make the item look as much like new as possible.  The aim in conserving an artifact is to preserve the item and its history, but not necessarily to make it look as it did when new.

 

I was greeted by this disturbing sight in an exhibit during my daily walk-through one morning. This Union Surgeon’s wool frock coat appears to have an issue with its hem. 

     After spotting the coat in the photo above, I immediately conferred with the museum’s director to determine our best course of action.  It was decided that I could make the necessary repairs.  The first step was to take the coat off display and lay it flat to prevent any further damage.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the coat’s hem was intact, but that the silk lining was splitting and hanging down below the hem. This was partly due to deterioration of the fabric, and partly due to the fact that while the coat was on display there was too much weight being placed on the silk.

     I then spoke with a conservator who advised me to insert netting behind the lining and to use long stitches perpendicular to the rips to prevent the silk from ripping further.  I measured and cut the netting to fit and was able to roll it loosely and insert it behind the lining through the larger rips.  Then I hand-stitched parallel rows of thread along the ripped area, and extending to more stable areas.  The silk was black, but I used blue thread in order to make it easy to see in case it was necessary to remove it later.  It is important that any repairs done be reversible.  It was a very slow and tedious process, but I was pleased with the final result.



Here’s a section of the lining after the repair. It’s not a “pretty” repair, but it does its job to stabilize the area.



And here’s the coat back on display, looking much better!

     Now from the exterior there is no evidence of the ripped lining or of the repair work to the coat.  What’s more important is that the lining now has some support, which should prevent it from ripping further. 

 

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine