Backing the Attack!

Museum Textile Services recently completed the conservation of a war bond banner that will be featured in the Manchester Historic Association's fall exhibit, "It's Showtime! A History of Manchester's Theaters," on view from September 17 through December 19, 2016.

Front of the Manchester Historic Association banner, before conservation.

According to the National WWII Museum website, the US Treasury produced a series of war bonds that Americans could purchase during the war. A war bond cost $18.75 and ten years later could be redeemed for $25, making it an investment in both the country's and the buyer's future. Posters and other advertisements such as the Manchester banner could be seen everywhere. Celebrities participated widely in the effort to encourage sales of war bonds—war-time shows by Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Bette Davis, and Marlene Dietrich are still legendary.

Color poster produced by the US Dept. of Treasure, from the collection of the University of North Texas.

The challenges of conserving the Manchester banner include reducing stains and overall soiling, improving the poor condition of the upper corners to allow for safe display, and stabilizing lifting paint around the many areas of cracking and abrasion. MTS summer intern Trevor Lamb began by vacuuming the banner with a micro-suction attachment. He then used vulcanized rubber sponges to dramatically lift dirt and deposits from the front and back, leaving behind a much-improved, whiter surface. 

​The banner is riddled with small holes and areas where the paint is missing, exposing the bare canvas beneath. Therefore we decided to back the banner with a product called BEVA-Tex. Consisting of spun-bonded polyester fabric called Hollytex coated with a thin membrane of thermoplastic BEVA adhesive, BEVA-Tex provides a strong yet light-weight support for fabric, paper, and objects. We used it one other time on an opera banner documented in the MTS Blog "Yankee Doodle Drama."

Intern Trevor Lamb surface cleaning with vulcanized rubber sponges.

The banner suspended for consolidation by paintings conservator Lisa Mehlin.

Ipswich, Massachusetts, paintings conservator Lisa Mehlin then took the banner to her studio, where she carefully laid down flaking paint and infilled the top corners using a product called BEVA Gesso. The infills were toned to match the surrounding area using acrylic paints. Lisa also painstakingly coated a dozen rare-earth magnets with enamel paint so that they will be camouflaged against the variegated tones of the weathered banner when used to display the banner.

In a side-by-side comparison of the top-right corner before and after conservation, it is clear how much work was done to clean, flatten, consolidate, back, infill, and tone this area of damage. Without the combined efforts of textile and paintings conservators, this banner would hot have been suitable for inclusion in the exhibition. Thanks to all who contributed to this satisfying project.
​

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.