Conservation Training & Consultation
In the summer of 2024, Save The Flags Conservation Specialists got the opportunity to spend a week training with Textile Preservation Associates in West Virginia. Cambray Sampson and I first visited TPA for an introductory course in flag conservation back in 2021. On this second visit we got some experience working with painted and embroidered flags, which sometimes have very specific conservation needs.
To help us with our training, we brought a silk national flag carried by the 18th Michigan Infantry with beautifully embroidered stars and lettering. This flag was netted in the 1960s in an early attempt at preservation, so our first task was to remove some sections of this net to get a better look at the original fabric underneath, especially in the embroidered areas.
19th century embroidery threads were usually made of twisted strands of silk and are often extremely delicate. To test the stability of the embroidery we gently maneuvered individual threads to see how flexible they were. We also looked for any signs of broken threads or fraying fibers to determine if the embroidered areas are falling away from the rest of the fabric.
Happily, we discovered that the 18th’s flag is relatively intact underneath the netting, and the embroidery seems to be very stable. We’ll continue to remove the 1960s net from this flag back in our Heritage Hall laboratory.
Cambray and I were also excited to consult an art conservator who often works with TPA to preserve painted flags. We discussed the kinds of problems that can arise with painted textiles as they age, and what kind of issues we should watch out for in our collection.
We also got to spend some time working on a heavily painted flag carried by the 1st Michigan Three-Months Volunteer Infantry which is currently undergoing conservation at TPA. This flag was also netted in the 1960s, and there are some areas where the painted surface has started to fuse to the net, making it tricky to remove.
While the experts at TPA usually encapsulate our flags between two layers of sheer fabric, on the three-months flag, the only significant damage is in the center of the painted area. In this case, they may treat the painted section using art conservation techniques.
We’ve returned from our trip, excited to put our new skills to the test, and grateful to the team at TPA for sharing their incredible knowledge with us!
May Oyler, Conservation Specialist