14

Chapter

Textile Conservation
in Museums

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this section the learner will be able to –
zz explain the importance of museums as a source of knowledge
zz describe the concept of textile conservation and factors causing
deterioration of textiles
zz explain the knowledge and skills required for caring for museum
textile collections.

Significance
In Part I of the Class XI HEFS textbook, under the chapter on Textile
Traditions in India, you learnt that manufacture of exquisite textile
products is as ancient as the Indian civilisation. Not only spinning and
weaving, India was the first among ancient civilisations to discover colour,
and perfect the art of dyeing and printing on textiles, especially on cotton.
It is for this reason that for thousands of years Indian textiles remained
special items of trade in almost all parts of the world. From around 15th
century onwards, India was the greatest exporter of textiles ever known.
Museums in major cities all over the world have a special section designated
to Indian textiles, which were part of gifts to erstwhile rulers, trade items
or exhibits of Industrial Exhibitions. 267
 “The institution of ‘Museum’ which aims at housing objects of antiquity
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 2

has a western origin. Indian culture has had no tradition of setting up

museums of fragmented materials… Used images are immersed in
holy water, reusable material is renovated and worn out objects are
buried in soil or thrown in water to merge with the earth from which
they are created.” Ananda Coommaraswamy (1968)

The word ‘Museum’ is derived from the Greek School of Philosophy.

It was the ‘Temple of Muses’ — a sacred place of learning and study.
The setting up of museums in India, especially during the later part of
19th century, was considered the best means of extending to people the
knowledge of Art and Culture, integral to the country’s heritage.
Museums perform diverse and multiple functions. They collect objects
of art, pottery, textiles and various types of materials from different
cultures/ traditions, past and present, that are often precious and rare.
Museum objects are classified, registered and photographed. Some of them
are put on display in permanent galleries or in temporary exhibitions,
while others are kept in storage. Preparation of publications with well
researched information and making the objects available to scholars for
study are other aspects that make the museum a source of knowledge.
Thus, in simple terms, a museum is an institution where there is a
permanent exhibition and it is open to public for education, entertainment
or recreation.
Textiles in museum collections vary enormously. They are valued for
their historic interest, their aesthetic appeal and their cultural significance.
Because of their wide appeal, textiles – particularly historic costume are
often on permanent display in most museums. But our great interest in
them can be their greatest enemy.
We display them, wash them, wear Activity 1
them, and feel them to enjoy the
Visit a museum in your city
texture of the fabric, and thus
and list the textile exhibits.
expose the textiles to the risk of
Interact with the authorities
damage. With an understanding
or caretakers of the museums
of how to handle, display and
and note their activities and
store textiles safely, it is possible
measures taken to preserve the
to take steps to improve the care
textile materials.
and conservation of textiles and
to ensure ongoing access to the
historic and cultural information
and the aesthetic pleasure that they provide.
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Basic Concepts
Museums hold collections for many purposes like –
zz Education

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

zz Archives of historical evidence
zz Demonstrations of the function of objects
zz Exhibition or display
zz Conservation.
For each of the above purposes, the collection must be maintained
in good order, and it must be real. Therefore, conservation becomes the
prime function of every type of museum. It is a specialised and professional
activity, with its own training schemes, professional bodies, and codes of
conduct and ethics.
In the early years of conservation the objective was to restore the object,
sometimes crudely, to its former glory but restoration in museums is now
often defined as “to return the objects to a supposed earlier state”.

Conservation

Conservation is essentially an operation aimed at prolonging the life of an

object and results in preventing, for shorter or longer period, its natural or
accidental deterioration. It is of two kinds:

Preventive Conservation
Preventive conservation is an important element of museum policy and
collection care. It is an essential responsibility of the museum to create
and maintain a protective environment for the collections in their care,
whether in store, on display or in transit. A museum should carefully
monitor the condition of collections to determine when an artefact requires
conservation work and the services of a qualified conservator. It aims at
delaying deterioration by providing a favourable environment for every
object.
According to International Council of Museum (ICOM) preservation is
an action taken to retard or prevent deterioration of or damage to cultural
properties by control of their environment and/or treatment of their structure
in order to maintain them as nearly as possible in an unchanging state.

Remedial / Curative / Interventive Conservation

Curative conservation refers to any act by a conservator that involves
269
a direct interaction between the conservator and the cultural material.
 These interventive treatments could involve cleaning, stabilising, repair,
or even replacement of parts of the original object. It is essential that the
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conservator fully justifies any such work. Complete documentation of the

work, carried out before, during, and after the treatment, rules out chances
of later doubts. In simple words, it refers to the action taken to treat the
defects already present in the object, protect it from further damage, and
maintain it in good condition or restore it.

Textile Conservation
Textile conservation refers to the processes by which textiles are cared
for and maintained, to be preserved from future damage. The concept
applies to a wide range of artefacts that contain textiles such as tapestries,
carpets, quilts, flags, clothing, curtains, upholstered furniture, dolls, and
accessories such as fans, parasols, gloves and hats.
The person who preserves museum artefacts and items is known as
a conservator. His or her role is to nullify or at least reduce the rate of
deterioration of an object by preventive and interventive methodologies.

Factors leading to Deterioration of Textiles

Museum textiles are majorly constituted of natural fibres. As textiles are

organic in nature, they are susceptible to various factors of deterioration;
natural and man-made (Table 14.1). It is important for those caring for
collections to understand what causes damage to textiles, how to recognise
the symptoms and most importantly, how to prevent damage.

Table 14.1: Factors of Deterioration of artifacts

NATURAL FACTORS HUMAN CREATED FACTORS

Light Mishandling

Temperature Neglect

Humidity Bad storage

Pests Accidents

Pollutants in the atmosphere Fire

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Natural Factors

Textiles being organic in nature are susceptible to damage by light, heat,

moisture, pests and pollutants. Let us now learn what works against the
textiles and how it can be prevented.

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

Light

One of the greatest threats to textiles

is light. It is a form of energy that
can fade colour and cause chemical
and physical degradation of textile
fibers. Exposure to both natural and
ultra violet light can threaten the
longevity of textiles. Both visible and
ultra violet light is responsible for
textile damage. Light damage occurs
progressively. You must have noticed
at home that the most faded folds of
curtains are the first to shred and fall
apart. Fading of colours, alterations of Fig. 14.1: Light Fading
hues are the earliest easy-to-detect signs
of light damage. First, items lose their flexibility, and then they become
weak and brittle, and finally break into tears, fragments and ultimately
dust. This process can be accompanied by general yellowing and browning
of textile which is a useful indicator of poor state. Natural light is the most
common source of ultra violet light. It is present in sunlight and is emitted
by many bulbs. It is capable of causing the greatest amount of damage
within the shortest time.

Preventing Damage from Light

zz Minimise the intensity of light falling upon the object;
zz Expose objects to light for a minimum period of time;
zz Eliminate photo-chemically active radiations from the light;
zz The general opinion is that the maximum level of illumination for
susceptible objects like textiles should not exceed 50 lux.

Moisture and Heat

Climate plays an important role in keeping the museum objects in good

shape. If the climatic conditions are not favourable, a chain of reactions
begin to damage the exhibits. Controlled climate, particularly controlled
temperature and humidity, keeps the exhibits in good shape. 271
 Humidity, whether in liquid state or as vapour, is particularly severe
cause of damage to textiles. The alteration of high and low humidity
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leads to a constant expansion (swelling) and contraction (shrinking) of

textiles which are hygroscopic in nature. Humidity is the basis for the
growth of micro organism that infests organic materials like textiles. Low
humidity on the other hand affects textiles due to loss of moisture content
or dessication, making them brittle, fragile and breakable with slight
mishandling since it affects their flexibility.

Preventing Damage from Moisture and Heat

zz Monitor the humidity and temperature of the air. Temperatures both
low and high are indirectly destructive. It has been recommended that
relative humidity may be kept at 55% ± 5 and temperature between
20o°C to 22o°C ± 2o°C. If necessary, use humidifiers or dehumidifiers
to control the museum environment.
zz Although low temperature discourages pests and mould, do not allow
temperature to drop below freezing.
zz Avoid storing textiles in natural problem areas of a building such as
dry and hot top floors and humid basements.
zz Allow air to circulate by avoiding overcrowding in storage boxes and
in hanging cupboards.
It is necessary to record levels of humidity in the museum for devising
effective control measures. Thermo hygrographs are available for 24 hours
for 7 days for recording relative humidity and temperature.

Pests

Pests are another significant threat to

textile collection, as there are number
of creatures which can cause damage
to fibers. Among the most common
are moths, carpet beetles, silverfish
and rodents. The insects menace
is greater in tropical climates than
in temperate zones because high
temperature and humidity favour
insect growth. Some of the insects
cause havoc in their larval form itself Fig. 14.2: Pests
while others cause damage in the fully
grown form. Cloth moths are attracted to protein fibers and are especially
drawn to silk, wool and feathers. An infestation might be identified through
272 the evidence of white cocoons on the textiles, or of sighting the insects
themselves. Silverfish and firebrats are related insects which consume
starch, usually found in sizing or other treatments applied to fabrics, as
well as plant based textiles such as cotton and linen.

Preventing Damage from Pests

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

Prevention of insect damage is safer for both people and the environment,
and far easier and cheaper than using pesticides to cure a rampant
infestation.
zz Keep the museum environment cool and dry.
zz Keep spaces clean, tidy and clear of rubbish inside and out. Debris
from roosting birds in gutters and roof spaces is a common source of
infestation.
zz If possible, set aside an area away from the storage and display areas
where incoming and outgoing objects are packed and unpacked and
where suspect items can be quarantined.
zz Check regularly for infestation in all undisturbed, warm, dark places
like under cabinets; attics and basements; and under carpets and
curtains.

Mould

Mould outbreaks occur in damp environments when there is little air

movement. If you find furry growth or scattered stains on textiles, or a
musty smell in the air it is an indicator of likely damage from moulds.
Moulds can permanently decay or stain textiles, and eventually the fabric
can lose its strength completely. Dust masks, goggles, disposable gloves
and overalls are recommended when handling mouldy textiles.

Preventing Damage from Mould

Controlling the environment is the only really effective protection from
mould. Although many treatments have been tried in the past, there is no
real cure for mould once it is established in a textile.
zz Keep relative humidity below 65 per cent and the temperature below 18o°C.
zz Ensure air circulation. Especially avoid putting storage boxes in
contact with damp walls and over-packing boxes if there is the
slightest risk of dampness.
zz Avoid spreading contamination. Do not unpack mouldy textiles near
other objects or reuse boxes that have contained infected textiles for
other objects. Wrap affected items in acid-free tissue paper to prevent
spores spreading, while ensuring air circulation. 273
 Dust
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Dust is a fine particulate airborne pollutant that can contain a mixture of

various materials such as fibres, soil particles, fragments of human and
animal skin and hair, air pollution particles such as soot and ash, mould
spores, paint fragments and pollen.
Dust freshly settled on the surface of textiles can be removed but in time
it gets embedded between fibres and so is almost impossible to remove.
Dust can also harbour pests by providing them with nourishment.

Preventing Damage from Dust

zz Use conservation quality showcases from specialist manufacturers
designed to seal against dust.
zz Avoid open display and ensure that all textiles displayed in the open
are cleaned at least each year using gentle vacuum suction by trained
staff.
zz Protect textiles by wrapping and covering with dustsheets whenever
they are outside display cases or boxes. All wrappers must be air-
permeable - use impermeable plastics such as polythene sheeting
only to protect textiles against water in an emergency.
zz Make sure textiles do not
Activity 2
come into contact with dusty
surfaces such as table-tops Visit a museum with textile
and box-lids. Use clean collections and list the
dustsheets placed over damages, if any, and record the
surfaces when laying textiles reasons that may have caused
out for inspection. the changes in the artifacts.

Human Created Factors

The damages caused by humans are numerous and varied - injuries to

textiles by mishandling, neglect, bad storage, accidents are among the
most frequent. Textiles are torn at the creases, because they are stored
folded. The damages are physical and can be largely avoided by careful
handling and by observing appropriate procedures for packing and storing.
Storage of Textiles
All items in a collection are affected by adverse storage conditions. Since
changes occur gradually over a long period of time, the effects are not
always obvious. However, once the changes have occurred they are often
274 irreversible, or require complex and costly treatment. A good storage
environment prevents physical damage and helps to slow down chemical
deterioration, greatly increasing the life of the textile items.
Ideal storage conditions are the measures already discussed in
preventing all types of damages. So textiles should be stored in appropriate
environmental conditions. Light should be kept to minimum. It is required

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

only when the textiles have to be viewed, for example, when they are being
accessioned, treated, or used for research.
Textiles should be stored as per the size and need of the artefact as
shown in the following figures

  
Fig. 14.3: Rolled Storage

  
Fig. 14.4: Box Storage

Ideal Conditions for Displaying Textiles

Textiles should be protected from pollutants, dust and insects. Airborne
chemicals that most commonly affect textiles include smoke, oil and acids.
Smoke causes staining and discolouration, which are extremely difficult
to remove. Textiles displayed in a room with a fireplace or where smoking
is permitted should be housed in smoke-proof containers such as sealed 275
 frames or sealable boxes. Acids are also given off in small quantities by
pest strips and some types of plastic. Consequently, pest strips normally
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 2

should not be used inside enclosed storage and display areas.

Fig. 14.5: Hanging Display

Preparing for A Career

This is an upcoming field that offers a lot of creative satisfaction especially
to budding artists. To become a conservator one of the most essential
requirements is to have a ‘sense’ of art. One should have fondness for art
and understand and appreciate the intricacies involved in any piece of art.
zz One needs to have sound knowledge of basic sciences especially
Chemistry and Physics. Such classes are a prerequisite for some
programmes, such as the Master of Arts at some Indian and foreign
universities.
zz You have to have knowledge of history, techniques and processes of
Indian as well as world textiles in order to determine the suitability of
methods of preservation required for them.
zz Also, you need to have knowledge of the advanced technologies used
in art conservation.
zz Art knowledge and sensitivity to aesthetic value are advantages to a
conservationist, but even more important is to know how materials
interact, age and decay. This knowledge allows conservationists to
counteract the decline of fabric and to help artifacts survive longer.
zz Characteristics that are helpful to become an art conservator include
manual agility, strong communication skills and the ability to work
alone or in a team environment. Knowing how to use computers
276
and computer software systems is important.
zz Having problem-solving and analytical skills is necessary.
zz Having passion and persistence for extensive research are essential
for a successful conservator.
zz You must be an art lover and absolutely passionate about the works
of master artists.

Unit IV - Fabric And Apparel

Various institutes offer short term as well as Degree in Art Conservation
courses. A number of museums and art galleries provide opportunity to
budding professionals to have on-the-job training where students are
given stipends.
zz National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and
Museology (NMIHACM) is a deemed university under the Ministry
of Culture, Government of India, located in the National Museum,
New Delhi. The university offers specialised courses in History of Art,
Conservation and Restoration of works of art, Museology, leading to
the award of M.A. and Ph.D. degrees.
zz The Delhi Institute of Heritage Research and Management;
the Lucknow-based National Research and Laboratories of
Conservation; and institutes run by Indian National Trust for Art and
Cultural Heritage (INTACH) offer a number of short-term courses in
art conservation.
zz Departments of Fabric and Apparel Science/Textiles and Clothing/
Textile Science and Apparel Design under the faculties of Home Science
at various universities offer courses related to Textile Conservation
(e.g., University of Delhi) in Postgraduate programmes that include
the study of Textile Documentation and Conservation in theory and
practical that prepare the students adequately to work in museums
in various capacities.

Scope
After one is entailed with either degree or short-term diploma in the Art
Conservation field, one has the option to work either in the government or in
the private museums or art galleries. Government employs art conservators
for state-run museums and art galleries. State-run institutions also employ
such professionals. Art Conservation institutes run by the Indian National
Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage also employ such professionals.
Private galleries, museums, houses or individuals having large personal
collections, or shops and emporia dealing with antiques also look for these
professionals either for full time employment or on project or assignment
basis. 277
 But the most encouraging option is either free-lancing or self-employment.
Freelancers are not bound by geographical boundaries and very often are
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employed by galleries located in western countries.

There are many avenues after doing a course in conservation –
zz Conservation Assistants ensure that the house and its collections are
cleaned and presented at the highest possible standards for visitors. 
zz Curators have a post-graduate curatorial or museum qualification,
along with in-depth knowledge and experience of their specialist
subject that can be textiles also. They are responsible for recording,
understanding, protecting and explaining the historic properties in
care, safeguarding and celebrating their cultural, social, political and
economic heritage.

Key Terms
Museum, art conservation, textile conservation, preventive and curative
conservation, conservator, curator

Review Questions
1. What do you understand by the terms conservation and textile
conservation?
2. What is the difference between preventive and curative conservation?
3. Describe the environmental factors deteriorating textiles?
4. What recommendations will you give for storing textiles in museums?
5. What type of knowledge and skills are required for being a textile
conservator?
6. If someone needs guidance on entering the field of art conservation,
what would be your advice?

278