CONSERVATION TREATMENT AND PACKING FOR TRAVEL OF A MICMAC CHIEF'S COAT
Project
Description
Abbreviated
Notes on the Documentation, Treatment, and Fabrication of
Exhibit Support
Image
Descriptions
Project Description
The European-style coat (#94-15-10/50793) cut with a fitted waist and lower back pleating is made from a navy blue wool fabric and is trimmed with beadwork and silk ribbon. The coat's lapels, neck collar, back-flap collar, cuffs, and front opening panels are beautifully decorated with fine seed (glass) and metallic beads. Along the front panel edges and lower edge, there is a trim of a plaid red and green silk/cotton ribbon which wraps to the interior of the coat. Information on an early Museum exhibit label states that the 'Chief's Coat is a superb example of Far Northeast beadwork and double curve designs; White made coat, beaded by Indian - once owned by Frank Francis, Chief of nearby Malecite (Mal-E-Seet) tribe. Mid-1800s.'
Abbreviated Notes on the Documentation, Treatment, and Fabrication of Exhibit Support
Written and photographic documentation along with analysis of the various materials not previously known as part of the coat's construction was completed. For example, the coat's front lapels are made with a top layer of brown silk velvet fabric; inner layers of a tan-colored wool; a printed cotton plain-weave fabric in coral, brown and tan; and a lower layer of a tan-colored cotton plain-weave fabric.
When brought to the conservation lab, the wool fabric was noted to be in fair/good condition with seams intact and only minor holes/losses, due to prior insect grazing or to construction weaknesses. The ribbon (silk wefts;cotton warps) at the front-edge panels and hemline is slitting and fraying along the edges; cotton threads are exposed in sections in proximity to broken silk filaments. Beadwork overall is intact with isolated regions of minor bead loss due to broken foundation threads. More than 30 silver alloy sequin discs are missing from the lower edge beadwork design. Earlier repairs utilized a nylon thread to hold fraying silk ribbon in place which has resulted in further slitting. Nylon thread was also used to repair broken original seam-stitching threads, and a 3 cm tear region was previously stitched with a heavy weight cotton cord at the join of the proper left lapel to the back collar.
The conservation treatment effort focused primarily on the stabilization of the silk ribbon, which required careful removal of nylon thread repairs, followed by repositioning of misaligned silk ribbon sections. A fine polyester (crepeline-like) fabric was used to encase the ribbons at front panels and along hemline. Beadwork foundation threads were stabilized, and a small fabric patch was required below the 3 cm tear near the upper back collar. A rigid light weight mannequin-form was made to serve as a protective support during travel to the loan institution, and as an exhibit mount.
|
1. Coat as prepared for
exhibition at the loan institution |
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