#Textile Conservation

[sewlastcentury]

I love your ‘Uno Reverse’ series! Photographs are a such a scarce but important resource for a dress historian, and this series really puts things into perspective. Thanks for doing this work!

Do you have any advice for someone like me who wants to become a dress conservator/historian? I’m a tailor’s apprentice but I’m having a lot of trouble deciding how to continue my education.

Glad you're enjoying it :)

Oooh, big question. Prepare for a lot of words:

Dress history is a weird field to get into. If you want to be a historian, unless you're independently wealthy and can just spend all your time researching and writing, the usual professions are curatorship and professorship. There aren't a lot of either position available - many settle for historical societies, small colleges, etc - and neither make much in the way of money. Definitely consider your options very thoroughly! (Though if you're a tailor's apprentice you probably already know that, lol.)

Conservation is - from my POV - a better choice in the long run, because while institutions can stop hiring people to teach or do research, any place with a collection has to keep conserving it. Conservators also make more money, no question.

I went to a program that specialized generalized in both (FIT). Like you, I was unsure of what I wanted, and the flexibility was attractive. Other programs tend to specialize in one or the other, and now that I've been through FIT's program, I understand exactly why. There was no way to give us both curricula in their entirety in the two years we had, and I ended up feeling like I barely learned anything. However, I was coming from having completed a long conservation internship; I had studied up pretty thoroughly on fashion history before I attended the program at all; and I had already been through a separate MA previously, so I already had research and writing skills on a higher level than FIT even cares about. Given that caveat.. if I were to go back in time with this info, I would attend a different program that specialized in one or the other and therefore provided more comprehensive skills.

If you're interested in conservation, my biggest piece of advice would be to do an internship, preferably with a firm that specializes in it or at a big museum with a dedicated department. That will give you experience and familiarity like nothing else and also help you to understand whether it's the right field for you. But internships like that can be pretty competitive, so the second best option is to volunteer at a local historical society or house museum. Almost all of them are constantly on the lookout for volunteers, especially ones interested in preservation and the more scientific side of collections management. You won't be paid, unfortunately, but the upside is that almost any small institution will happily take helpers because they're desperate and cash-strapped. Reading through online publications like the National Park Service's Conserve-O-Gram is a great way to start building knowledge if nobody there is equipped to give it to you. (Every institution I've worked at has had a copy on hand for reference, lol.)

I volunteered for a small house museum years back and literally on day one they threw me at the clothing collection and told me to dress mannequins and pack textiles. I had very little idea what I was doing, but it was a great learning experience - and one that you're never going to get at a museum internship because they're so much more careful about their objects and access. (Pros and cons, but hey.)

+ As far as I know, you will need an MA to be hired to most conservation positions, but there's no reason you can't get started in the field without it first and make sure that's the degree you want/need. In terms of curatorship/professorship, an MA will get you into small local colleges but for anything larger you'll need a PhD, and that's a big commitment. You have to really like academia to get one of those suckers! As far as I'm aware, there are no stipended MA programs and only one PhD program (Bard) in this specific field that pays, so again, you have to be fiscally comfortable (or willing to go into debt and work two jobs) to get an advanced degree in the subject. It's a vicious cycle that keeps a lot of people out, and institutions can afford to keep it up because it's so competitive. +

All that said, historic sewing is a fantastic way to get into the field because knowledge of construction and technique gives you an excellent understanding of historic dress, and hand sewing techniques are essential for conservation. You're already on the right track!

If you want any book recs, off of the top of my head Refashioning and Redress and The Care and Display of Historic Clothing are two great, readable volumes.

Let me know if you have any other questions, but hopefully this helps!

#fashion history #dress history #textile conservation #advice #My second choice for MA was glasgow FYI #and in retrospect i think i would have liked it way more #but i haven't been so i can't say for sure! #i also know people who've attended UNL and i know Georgia has a program #California also has some more science-heavy conservation programs #i am technically trained as both a conservator and historian but god save you if you actually want me to conserve anything #the stories i can tell about FIT........ #masters trauma #i say this jokingly but it's real #my other MA meanwhile was great #not all academia traumatizes alike #:)

[umabloomer]

Microscope looking at this hooked rug :)

#textile conservation #textiles #hooked rug #antique rugs #rug hooking #art conservation

[suzilight]

Silver Tissue Dress - 360 Years Old

Behind the scenes at the Textile Conservation Studio at Hampton Court. See how this remarkable dress from the reign of Charles II is carefully prepared for display, celebrating the craftsmanship and beauty of a dress that has survived since The Stuarts were on the throne.

#historical clothing #hampton court #textile conservation #video

[hahafucksewingmachines]

“The Mona Lisa is just a painting, it’s okay to paint over it to reuse it for a new painting, artists do that all time”

Now do y’all hear how stupid you sound when you say that it’s “just a dress, it’s meant to be worn.” It’s a historical garment. You wouldn’t abuse and destroy any other type of art so why are textiles any different?

#something about textiles being traditionally associated with womens work #and slave labour being used to produce textiles and fibres #all lead me to believe that the field of fashion and textiles is not taken seriously bc they weren’t white male industries #met gala #museum #textile conservation #fashion history #yes it’s days later and I’m still fuming bc I’m seeing awful takes from ppl who know nothing

[amrartistsnow]

Anya Andreeva

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#Anya Andreeva #fiber art #Oil painting #quilt #textile #textile conservation #wearable art #weaving

[thatsbutterbaby]

T h e  U n b r o k e n  T h r e a d /  Conserving the Textile Traditions of Oaxaca

https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/pdf/unbroken_thread_eng_vl_opt.pdf

#reads #T h e U n b r o k e n T h r e a d / Conserving the Textile Traditions of Oaxaca

[blackswaneuroparedux]

We are only the trustees for those who come after us.

- William Morris, William Morris by Himself: Designs and Writings

#morris #william morris #quote #poet #conservationist #textile designer #conservative with a small c #green before it became fashionable #english #icon #trusteeship #generations

[themuseumlady]

the importance of proper flag storage!

pictured above are two flag boxes - - the former, and the updated storage for a flag!

The (I am unsure of the exact dimensions but a bit bigger than 3x5 ft) flag was creased, crumpled, folded, and shoved into the tiny box a number of years ago. As we have been slowly working through out textiles collection, we came across it and immediately recognized its need for better storage.

when working to update and improve the storage for a flag, it is important to fold the flag in new places (with padding!!), to not further the harm that a crease will create over time

so happy that this flag has a new home !!

#history #historical society #museum curator #local history #museum life #east coast #museums #museum studies #antiques #flag #civil war #military history #flag history #conservation #historical preservation #preservation #textile #archive #archival storage #flags

[godlovesdykes]

my academic plan (god willing etc etc)

BA (4yrs) -> diploma (you are here) (was supposed to be 2yrs but i’m doing extra courses so 3) -> either 2nd diploma or masters depending on the school i choose (2yrs) -> break to work in my field/have kids maybe -> france for 2nd masters (2-3yrs)

#topics in order: classics costume conservation and then specifically textile conservation #i like c subjects evidently #and i wanna marry my sweetheart after this degree is done 💕 #i think it would be nice to have young kids in france so they can get a bilingual education for a few years but idk if we’ll be ready for #them by then. we’ll see! #screams into the void

[fjorrd]

textile with flower motive, 14th century, italo-arabic. made of silk, linen, and golden thread.

#collected #.chatter #textiles #1300s #medieval art #medieval textiles #historical textiles #archaeology #historic conservation

[banji-effect]

Check out this amazing quilt top I saw today :)

Each of the pieces was sewn by a different woman, and they’re (mostly) signed, with embroidered signatures! 

I love this chicken in a flowerpot:

This little cat has embroidered claws and pearl buttons for eyes :)))

This squirrel (I think) reminds me of a Bill Traylor painting:

I’m not sure if the whole quilt was made at the same time, but at least this piece dates to 1862!

#one good thing today #textiles #quilt #don't let me get in trouble for posting this lol... it's a privately owned piece being conserved at my work #it's so cool though I feel like I have to share it

[sydneysageivashkov]

dracula babe drop your textile conservation tricks, one collections professional to another

#dracula #dracula daily #dracula as a textile conservator have you ever considered going after ripley's museum

[dutchjan]

April 20, 2023

#amsterdam #rijksdaalder #bianca m du mortier #afscheid #conservator textiel #symposium #under the magnifying glass #textile #research #fashion #lectures #all day #Vermeer #inspiratie #inspiration #lezingen

[enchi-elm]

I may truly never finish this term paper because eight weeks in I am now getting derailed by an article from a craftswoman who analyzed a 17th Century Plimoth Jacket, went “....this makes no fucking sense”, and upended my understanding of the use and indeed whole point of gold thread using rock solid archival research and a rigorous thread length/stitch mechanic comparison.

then went on to give about 10 pages worth of tea on how King James I fucked up trying to put a patent on gold thread and caused a parliamentary inquiry into his unethical abuses, causing a political crisis. I’m gonna go get some popcorn to finish the rest of it

paper is here:

Scandal and Imprisonment: Gold Spinners of 17th Century England by Tricia Wilson Nguyen

#fashion things #history things #textiles #I'm studying art conservation for the record

[kaelidae]

really suck when the answer to ‘what do you want to do for your career’ is ‘everything but my current interest will cycle through in about 2 months’

#kael talks #im 24 and i havent once in my life held a single answer to 'what do you wanna be when you grow up' for more than a year #i wanna write a book i wanna be an art teacher i wanna be a conservation officer #i wanna run a homestead i wanna be a textile expert i wanna train dogs i wanna run a martial arts school #i wanna be a software engineer i wanna make a video game i wanna be a professional dnd game master #this is how i ended up working in a grocery store with no clear path forward and im sick of it

[obsesivcreativ]

BEE HAPPY (again not blocked yet ...) I was bored yesterday, I 've had RSI since early December in my wrist and arm and been only trying to do essentials, therefore working on the Curlew a little bit at a time. But decided I wanted to try writing in knitting. Now my wrist feels like it's broken again. I don't even think it was the knitting and crochet that did it - I think it was aggravated by typing on the laptop. Frustrating when it's essential to be able to use my right hand for any kind of work... #beehappy #staycalm #knittersofinstagram #knitting #knittedbee #knitstagram #rsi #art #artist #textileartist #thisiswhatido #conservation #climatechange #climateemergency #textiles #craft #crativism #craftivist https://www.instagram.com/p/CoUEqr0Iuhg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#beehappy #staycalm #knittersofinstagram #knitting #knittedbee #knitstagram #rsi #art #artist #textileartist #thisiswhatido #conservation #climatechange #climateemergency #textiles #craft #crativism #craftivist