Very Old Sampler Treatment

[Mel]

A friend and customer brought in an 1865 sampler that has been in her family (from the Aurora Colony in Oregon, if that is meaningful to anyone) since then. This will be its third mounting. It was sewn to regular foamcore, with batting under it which had been attached with two-sided tape, stitchery tape, probably.

The mounting before this one had been done by taping with masking or butcher tape along the edges of the muslin to which the sampler is sewn. I have pulled the remaining masking tape off, but residue remains, of course. The only way to remove it would be to remove the muslin to which the sampler is machine sewn.

First, it is discolored in the familiar orange color from acid and/or tobacco. Do conservators ever wash such old materials? I would never attempt this myself, but if it can be cleaned in order to preserve it better, it should be done.

Second, if washing or cleaning is not possible, is there any reason not to remove the muslin backer in order to get the tape residue away from the sides. I could do this, I believe, and then sew a new one on. What I don't know is whether this backer is intrinsic to the piece's value. Sewing machines existed then, so it could be original.

Any help would be much appreciated. This is a wonderful piece, both valuable and sentimental, so I want to give it the very best p-c treatment, and welcome all opinions. And I told my customer how much help you all would be to me.

[This message has been edited by Mel (edited October 27, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Mel (edited October 27, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Mel (edited October 27, 2000).]

 

[Mel]

Orton,

Would you be kind enough to respond when you get back?

[This message has been edited by Mel (edited October 27, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Mel (edited October 27, 2000).]

 

[Orton]

Hi Mel

If you guessed that I might start off by saying something like: "Whoever used foamboard and tape ought to have their hands smacked!" you would be correct. This is a classic case for the Framing Police.

Mel, leave the piece intact on the muslin and take the whole shebang to a textiles conservator for assessment and cleaning.

Considering the value that the owner undoubtedly ascribes to the artifact, conservator costs will probably be deemed to be a reasonable expenditure.

Cleaning with distilled/de-ionized water is a relatively simple procedure, but is better left in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. The adhesive residue from the tape will probably be taken care of at the same time. Fibre embrittlement is another matter: the conservator will be able to give you an assessment.

The conservator should be able to advise you regarding the backing and stitchery, and should be able to tell you what the constituent needlework is comprised of e.g. wool on cotton, cotton on linen, wool on wool, silk on cotton, etc.

When it comes time to re-frame: use UV glass only; wear gloves when handling the artifact - at the very least, wash your hands in clear water before handling (don't use perfume soaps); use the appropriate type of thread i.e. wool for wool, cotton or linen on cotton, etc. (in most cases you are safe with cotton) to stretch mount; use rag board only throughout (no foam); no sharp edges on the matboard; keep it well away from raw wood (rabbet)(seal the rabbet anyway); space well away from the glass; completely fill the rabbet beneath the mountboard (coroplast is excellent); use layers of uncoloured linen or cotton, as appropriate (polyester second-best choice) for padding; caution the client about high light, high heat, high humidity levels, and outside walls.

Good luck.

Orton

 

[Frank]

I agree with Orton of course. A conservator would be an excellent idea. They can and often do wash the samplers. I've been told how but have never had the guts to do it. There is always the chance of the colors running or the fabric disintegrating. Scary thing.
I have had to deal with some 1830's samplers in the past for a collector. Some were in pretty bad shape and wouldn't take the stress of stretching. What I ended up doing was stretching a like fabric (linen with a linen sampler and such) over some stretcher bars and sewing the samplers to the fabric about every half inch or less around the edge and around any holes. I also stitched every inch or so through the center to help support the fabric. I kept the stitching in a straight line and left the ends of the threads loose. Then I took the fabric off the stretcher bars and laced over 8 ply rag board pulling tight enough that the sampler lay flat. If you don't leave your threads loose and pull too tight the stitching you did can cut through the sampler. By leaving the threads loose they can pull out a bit and won't put as much stress on the sampler, or at least that was my theory. This way I was able to show the entire sampler even the edges with what I hope was the least amount of risk to the piece.
Oh yes, I charged megga bucks for this. Having to be so careful can be very time consuming. Or at least that's what I told my customer who came back with 10-15 more pieces.