As any lover of vintage fashion knows, historic costumes and textiles often show signs of their age. This gives them character, but it can also mean they are more susceptible to damage. The conservation team’s aim is to stabilise the objects in the collection and slow down the natural deterioration processes.
When we open a box in the costume and textile storerooms, or go searching for an object needed for research or display, we never quite know what we’ll find.
Sometimes the object appears brand new; sometimes...not so much. An object's condition depends on lots of variables, including its age, the materials it's constructed out of, and the environmental conditions it's been exposed to.
Here’s just a taste of some of the conservation issues that pop up regularly. All the images below are of objects from the Otago Museum Collection. As you can see, conserving our costume and textile collection keeps us on our toes!
Break
Damage to the object as a result of shock or strain.
Detail of a feather hair ornament
Corrosion
Occasionally the metal components on costume and textile items corrode.
Detail of a leather shoe
Crease
Lines caused by scrunching or folding.
Detail of a silk dress
Insect damage
Costume and textiles are very appetising to certain insects. While our Integrated Pest Management program means we are able to keep pests in the storerooms at bay, we often encounter objects that have been targeted by pests at some point in the past.
Detail of a suede dress
Discolouration
A change in the original colour. Objects can darken, yellow, or discolour for a variety of reasons.
Detail of a pair of plastic sunglasses
Distortion
The object has been warped out of its original shape.
Detail of a suede shoe
Dust
Dust particles often settle on the surface of objects.
Detail of a leather shoe
Fraying
When threads have unravelled or worn at the edge and are now loose.
Detail of a satin shoe
Hole
Any kind of perforation; they come in all different shapes and sizes, and varying degrees of difficulty in addressing.
Detail of a sock
Loss
An area where original material is missing.
Detail of a leopard skin coat
Scratch
A score or scrape on an object’s surface.
Detail of a metal handbag clasp
Shattering
In the late nineteenth century it became common to add weighting agents, such as metallic salts, to silk fabrics during their production. This weighted silk tends to 'shatter' or split as it ages.
Detail of a silk bodice
Stain
A substance within the fibres causing discolouration. There is massive variation in size and type. We don’t usually know what the stains are, which often means a number of (very controlled) tests when attempting to remove them.
Detail of a silk jacket
Stretch
A component has been pulled and no longer holds its original shape.
Detail of a brassiere
Wear
Damage to the object as a result of use. This can tell us a lot about how the objects were used.
Detail of a woman’s boot