3-Ring Circus virtual meeting summary (January 6, 2022)
Ring 1: Conservation in Practice
Something from Nothing: Using Hidden Construction Clues to Reconstruct an Early 19th c Bodice
Presentation by Kaitlyn Munro, Caring for Textiles
Kaitlyn Munro, who enjoys researching period costumes and accessories using historical hand sewing techniques, currently works at Caring for Textiles in Washington, DC. She was given the opportunity to work on three dresses by Black dress designer and business owner Fannie Criss Payne (b.1866-d.1944). The presentation focused on one afternoon dress designed and created by Fannie in 1905 worn by social elite Nannie Moore Ellyson Crump.
The dress has delicate features and large areas of loss and damage at the standup collar and yoke. Kaitlyn had to stabilize both the aesthetic and design of the dress for a high-profile exhibition. This required a restorative approach of the support structures. In particular, she wanted to preserve the embroidery of the yoke and high stand up collar.
To discuss challenges associated with the restoration of select areas of the dress, Kaitlyn showed before treatment images of the areas of loss of the front and back of the bodice upper yoke area. In examining the interior front of the bodice yoke area, the collar embroidery was severely tangled and the ground fabric was 99% lost. However, in comparison with Fannie’s other designs, similar dresses from this time period, and discovery of hidden construction clues, Kaitlyn was able to determine the original shaping of the yoke and collar. The remainder of the presentation demonstrated the process of shaping the collar, front and back sides of the yoke with new support fabric and the untangling and arranging of the featherstitch embroidery design.
The results were stunning and impressive considering the delicate features and the intricate aesthetic of the embroidery resulting from the efforts of the sensitive and difficult treatment.
Summary written by Josie Maldonado, Conservation Technician, EverGreene Architectural Arts
Meeting attendance: 83 participants
