HEIRLOOMS [SUCH AS WEDDING AND CHRISTENING GOWNS]

Most families have at least one heirloom textile. This wedding dress has been worn fourteen times in just under one hundred years. It was dry cleaned, weak areas were stabilized, and the gown was placed in archival storage for the next generation.
This christening gown was yellowed with age.

Wet cleaning and conservation bleaching removed discoloration and rehydrated the fragile fibers. The client chose to store the dress in an archival window box.

It is always best to have a conservator look at an heirloom before it is worn, in case it is too fragile to be used without damaging it.

Click on the links below to learn more about conserving textiles:

Asian Art

Historic costume

Tapestries and carpets

Samplers and other embroideries

Quilts and coverlets

Flags and banners

Heirlooms such as wedding and christening gowns

Pre-Columbian and other archaeological textiles

Architectural Interiors

Museum Textile Services
PO Box 5004
Andover, MA 01810
978-474-9200