Due to the age and quality of the previous conservation treatment, we were anticipating that the flag was suspended from a Velcro hanging system. What Barrett found instead was that the conservators had attached a Velcro header to the back of the flag, but the installers had chosen to staple, nail, and tack the flag to a wooden beam, rather than using a Velcro slat. Fortunately for everyone, Barrett was able to carefully remove each bit of hardware, leaving the top edge intact. He rolled the flag and later delivered it to MTS.

Conservation of the flag took place during March and April, 2014, and was documented in visiting conservator Lisa Yeats' blog A View From Down Under. The previous lining and repairs were retained, additional repairs made to that lining where necessary, and the entire flag was overlaid with sheer nylon net. This invisible net protects the many frayed areas and provides preventive conservation as the flag continues to age. When conservation was complete, the flag was rolled and awaited installation in July.

The most challenging part of the job for the MTS team was getting the flag stitched down to the padded panel within the day and a half allotted. Using curved needles and cotton thread, lines of stitching were placed along every other stripe, around the perimeter, and at each star. This thorough support system, along with the preventive netting, assured us that the flag could withstand vertical display for another 30 years. It was tough work but we met our deadline.

On day 3, Barrett Keating returned to help assemble the frame and acrylic system custom built for us by Small Corp. Inc. Artex FAS also arrived that day to attach the cleat to the auditorium wall and lift the framed flag onto the cleat using two super lifts. By the end of the day, however, concerns emerged about the strength of the cleat. Reluctantly, the decision was made to halt the installation until the following Monday, when a stronger cleat could be used. Camille drove to Western Mass. on Saturday to pick up a replacement cleat made the day before.

On Monday, Camille met the Artex team and installation resumed. After the new cleat was hung, Artex decided that the flag was too large and heavy to be maneuvered by four men. The ability of the super lifts to handle the 500-lb framed flag and the men was also called into question. For safety reasons, Camille asked them instead to unframe the flag and install it first without the metal frame and acrylic. Once the flag was positioned on the wall, the question became whether the acrylic and frame were stable enough to be maneuvered into place without the benefit of the panel system. Again for safety reasons, as well as concerns about the configuration of the auditorium, the powder-coated metal frame alone was attached to the flag panel, and the acrylic was omitted. Light levels were measured at a very low 10 lux, and cleanliness had not been a problem during its previous 30 years on display, so eliminating the acrylic was an acceptable compromise.

The Museum Textile Services team would like to thank all the professionals who assisted with this historic conservation effort. We are especially grateful to Dianne Rochelle of the Dennis Historical Commission who acted as our go-between with the Town of Dennis and the various committees and agencies that had a say in this project. She and her husband were at the auditorium for nearly all of the four days we spent there, adding important insight and support. Stay tuned for one last blog about the history of the Dennis flag, including Diane's research.

Camille Myers Breeze founded Museum Textile services in 1999. She is a prolific author, and educator of museum personnel and emerging conservation professionals in the US and abroad.

Many of us are familiar with Shaker craftsmanship and the many contributions to design and architecture, including the clothes pin, the flat broom, and the circular saw. This same attention to detail is reflected in Shaker textiles and clothing.

The first thing I worked on upon arriving at the Farnsworth is the only remaining Shaker bretheren's meeting uniform, worn and made by Elder Otis Sawyer (1815-1884.) It is in the collection of the United Society of Shakers, Sabbathday Lake, in New Gloucester, Maine. 
According to the exhibit catalog, ensembles such as this were "designed to make the Shakers worshiping at public meetings look in union with each other and in harmony with the interior of the meeting house."

This historic outfit consists of leather and wool boots, glazed cotton trousers, a long white cotton shirt (this one belonged to Elder Otis's contemporary, Brother Ransom Gillman,) a wool vest with glazed linen and cotton lining, and a wool coat with cotton and silk lining, and cotton velveteen on the cuffs. 

Elder Otis's coat required the most stabilization. The sleeves are lined with a tan cotton that is deteriorating under the arm and has torn in several places. Patches on new cotton were inserted behind losses and hand stitching was used to hold the fragile areas together. Because the uniform is frequently dressed and undressed, panels of nylon net were used throughout the interior to protect the torn cotton and silk linings.

The lovely purple color of the mozambique cloth resolves upon closer inspection into red and blue threads, one running in the warp direction and the other in the weft direction.  Sister Catherine's dress is in perfect condition with the exception of the bobbinet lace, which is deteriorated at the back of the next. I stitched a simple overlay of black nylon net to the weak areas, which holds the original fragments in places and provides some color compensation.

On exhibit is a pink and green cloak worn by Sister Iona Sedgley (left). It is similar to the famous red "Dorothy" cloaks but made of lighter-weigh, fancy silks. Although Shaker sericulture is well documented in Ohio and elsewhere, fabric for Shaker garments was also donated or purchased.

Sister Iona's cloak needs as much conservation as Elder Otis's uniform. The lighter pink lining fabric is deteriorated and shattering, notably underneath the hood and along the neck line. I netted these vulnerable areas for now, but they need to be addressed again after the exhibit. After stitched repairs were complete, the cloak was lightly steamed to release wrinkles in the ribbons and outer silk fabric.

On display with Sister Iona's cloak is a dress worn by Sister Elsie McCool around 1935. It is immediately distinguishable from the other garments because it is made of a synthetic charmeuse. Most likely viscose rayon, the dress has a vivid aqua color, silky feel, and heavy drape. It shows no signs of damage except for some opened seams and discoloration under the arms. A photo of Sister Elsie McCool in 1934 shows her at Sabbathday Lake wearing a similar dress. Next to her is Sister Della Haskell (1899-1969.)

I conserved not only costumes but also two Shaker rugs while at the Farnsworth. The exquisite c 1890 wool plush rug seen above is well represented in literature about Shaker textiles. It was made by Sister Ada S. Cummings (1862-1926) who served as caretaker of the girls at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village. She and the girls created the fancy peacock fringe seen above to go around their plush carpets. Materials for the rugs was donated by the Goodall Plush Factory in Sanford, ME. The factory's owners were friendly with the Shaker community in Alfred, ME, and Sister Ada obtained her materials through this connection.

The Shakers: From Mount Lebanon to the World is open at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, ME, through January 4, 2015. It contains hundreds of Shaker items drawn from the extensive collections of the Shaker Museum at Mount Lebanon, NY, and the Sabbathday Lake collection, museum and library. 

This workshop is organized and supported by the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies, where Camille has been an instructor since 2012. This is the first time the Campbell Center has held a workshop away from it's Mount Carroll, Illinois, campus.

The three-day workshop will begin with choosing textiles that are good candidates for display. Basic documentation and surface cleaning will then be taught. Attendees will learn hands on how to create a slant mount and a pinable mount for display of small to medium-sized textiles. Magnetic and Velcro hanging systems will then be created for larger textiles. Other display solutions, such as pressure mounting and framing, will also be presented for comparison. 

To register, visit the Campbell Center web page at www.campbellcenter.org.

This workshop is intended for people with excellent hand skills and experience working with museum artifacts. Sewing skills are preferred but not required. Tuition and materials fee is $590, and DOES NOT include lodging or meals.

Camille Myers Breeze founded Museum Textile services in 1999. She is a prolific author, and educator of museum personnel and emerging conservation professionals in the US and abroad. 

While the blockbuster movie downplays the contributions of Monuments Women, textile conservators and historians alike are familiar with the name Edith Standen. After working for two years in Germany, Standen returned to the United States to become the Curator of Textiles at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She wrote a pivotal two-volume series on the Metropolitan's tapestry collection, entitled European Post-Medieval Tapestries and Related Hangings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is still used for reference today.

Now that the film The Monuments Men is due out on DVD, we look forward to seeing it again and gaining even more appreciation for what the Greatest Generation did for our's.