Museum Textile Services to Host First of Its Kind Seminar on Dating and Identifying 20th-Century American Military Uniforms

Andover, MA. – Museum Textile Services will be the site of a March 14, 2016, seminar for families, collectors and museum staff seeking to understand the stories that military uniforms tell.

The one-day workshop allows participants to delve into military tradition using photographic references and a wealth of actual historical artifacts. They will learn how to gather data from the uniform itself, giving context to the garment and the individual who wore it. Workshop participants will learn to differentiate between uniforms from the different service branches and date them by their adornments, style and cut. Proper display and storage of uniforms will be illustrated. A bibliography of published resources, both digital and print, will be provided to attendees.

“Uniforms are found in almost every museum collection across the country, from small house museums to street-side attractions and air museums,” says military specialist and instructor, Dylan Almendral. “They are sourced from aging veterans, the descendants of service men and women, and civically minded ‘pickers.’ Many families, curators, and collections specialists do not know how to identify and give context to the uniforms in their collections, so these garments end up unseen and their stories unheard.”
 
“Roland and I are very excited to share our knowledge and skills to ensure that military uniforms and their invaluable stories are appreciated. Each participant should look forward to a very interactive and enlightening seminar. Thank you very much to Museum Textile Services for sponsoring us.”

This workshop is open to museum staff and volunteers, private collectors, and descendants who are seeking to learn the stories that uniforms can tell. Participants are invited to bring one uniform of interest for class exercises. Archival storage boxes and manikins are available for purchase.

To register for the seminar, visit www.museumtextiles.com/identifying-uniforms to download the registration form, or call 978–474–9200. The course fee, including box lunch, is $50.

About the Instructors
 
Dylan Almendral is a military specialist who researches individuals to whom objects belonged in order to tell their stories. Dylan has interviewed over 250 people, from WWII veterans to classic Hollywood actors. In 2013, Dylan published a photographic history of Victorville, California, for Arcadia Publishing’s ‘Image’s of America’ series. That same year, he co-founded the American Legacy Museum. As lead researcher, collections manager and curator, Dylan oversees over 500 military uniforms from the Great War through to the Vietnam era, as well as 200 pieces of costume from some of the most memorable films of Hollywood’s Golden Era.
 
Roland Gonzalez is a living historian representing the WWII generation. He has performed extensive research in the intricacies of the WWII uniform and equipage for both the American and German militaries, amassing a collection of rare uniforms, photographs and documents. Roland has applied his knowledge and talent to helping collectors and families learn more about their loved ones. As an intern at the American Legacy Museum, he specialized in identifying rare uniform variants of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).
 
About Museum Textile Services
 
Museum Textile Services, the premier textile conservation studio in New England, specializes in the preservation of fabric-based materials for cultural institutions and individuals. Museum Textile Services documents, cleans, stabilizes and mounts historic textiles. Through educational programs and outreach initiatives, Museum Textile Services teaches individuals and cultural heritage institutions how to ensure better preservation of their textiles. For more information, visit www.museumtextiles.com.

Uniforms of WWII pilot Max W. Krell. Photo courtesy of Museum Textile Services.