Conservation Framing: Protecting Your Investment

by Sarah Berlinger, Technician       

Framing is an important aspect of conservation that is oftentimes overlooked. In the interest of time, money, or waiting to obtain institutional permission, items that need conservation framing may be conserved but left unframed, or not conserved at all. At Museum Textile Services, our framing is an affordable upgrade for your object, and our conservation framing techniques protect your objects now and into the future.

Sampler before conservation. The acidic framing materials and simple glass are not protecting this sampler from light and insects. Photos courtesy of the Fairbanks House.

In order to limit further deterioration of objects, we only use archival-quality framing supplies, such as backing board, and UV-filtering glass or acrylic. The acrylic spacers we use to keep objects off glass must also be archival, as they are in close proximity to the object. 

Sampler after conservation. A new Larson-Juhl frame, Tru-Vue Optium acrylic, and Marvelseal backing complete the new framing system. Photos courtesy of the Fairbanks House.

We have a fine selection of high-quality Larson-Juhl and Decor period-style frames to choose from that are sure to suit your tastes and be suitable for your textile. If you wish to see a wider variety of moldings, our frame supplier will meet with you at Museum Textile Services where you can choose from among hundreds (!) of wood and metal frame moldings. Your textile never leaves our studio and all framing is done by our staff.

Before framing, your conserved object and frame are vacuumed and inspected for stray fibers and dust.  After the spacers are installed on the UV-filtering glass or acrylic, the mounted textile is placed in the frame and held in place with stainless-steel brads. The entire package is backed with an archival barrier material called Marvelseal, which provides a stable environment that is virtually pest proof. Hooks and hanging wire (or D-rings for larger objects) are then installed and the object is ready for display.

This American flag was located in a secret tunnel on the Underground Railroad. It has been hand stitched to a fabric-covered panel and pressure-mounted with UV-filtering acrylic. Photo courtesy of the Concord Art Association.

For larger items, including quilts and flags, we rely on our colleagues at Small Corp. Inc. in Greenfield, Massachusetts, to construct state-of-the-art museum panels and 5-sided ultraviolet-filtering acrylic cases, which maximize both protection and display potential.

Please consider having your objects conservation framed, whether they’ve been recently conserved or not.  The fate of your object might truly depend on it.

Note: Many thanks to technician Sarah Berlinger for her wonderful work and great blog posts. She will continue to make appearances in the MTS blog while she pursues her career goals.