Connecting to Collections Care

Hi Everyone,

We’re trying to decide how to best store a donation of six wedding or ceremonial gowns that need to be preserved long term. The decision is between using oversized archival textile boxes or muslin garment bags, which we’d hang on padded hangars on a tall rack in the vault—which is kept at 65 and 40% RH—usually, when equipment stays stable.

The boxes keep their contents more protected from swings in the environment than the garment bags would, but if garments are hanging the folds are minimized.

Is there another option? At least one of the gowns have big fabric flowers sewn in.

Thank you!
Victoria

victoria@consortium of the arts.org

Hi Victoria –The choice should be made on what is best for each individual gown. The choice is based on, for a start: the individual fibre contents (and other media present: i.e. metal; cellulose nitrate; cellulose acetate; various plastics); the style of gowns (i.e. shoulders, off the shoulder or shoulderless; is skirt well attached to the bodice; what kind of embellishments – do those need separate support and/or padding); current physical condition (i.e. how many yards of fabric; any brittleness already; any losses already; any creasing/fold lines already); how often would the gowns be accessed/viewed (so how often the gown will be removed from its box or garment bag).  I have found that it is easier to move costume with lots of volume/yardage when they are on padded hangers/garment bags (on a rolling rack) versus the oversized archival textile boxes (more than 48" long) (costume has to be lifted out of its storage box versus just removing the garment bag). Oversized archival textile boxes are heavy when packed and unwieldy to carry/move (getting the box off a storage shelf takes two people).

In terms of the storage environment, does the temperature and relative humidity in the storage environment remain pretty stable over time? If there are too many changes/fluctuations in the temperature and relative humidity, you should consider using Tyvek® non-woven fabric for garment bags and using Coroplast® polypropylene/polyethylene corrugated board (vs buffered or non-buffered paper-based board) for the archival storage boxes. Is there a fire suppression system in the storage?  If there is a possibility of water incursion in to the storage space due to a disaster of some sort that involves water or fire-fighting efforts, Tyvek® and Coroplast® do not absorb water. In addition. both Tyvek® and Coroplast® are not moisture/water vapor absorbent as muslin (I am assuming made from 100% cotton) and paper-based board, they are also not attractive to insect activity and don't support mould/mildew growth. To provide additional protection against dust/debris accumulation, you can also make an exterior cover out of Tyvek® for the tall rack. It is possible to sew customized garment bags and build custom-size archival storage boxes. 

Happy to answer any further questions!

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Margaret Geiss-Mooney
Costume/Textile Conservator
meg@textileconservator.com
(707) 763-8694
Springfield, OR
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Your method of storage will depend on the condition and weight of the items. Some textiles are too heavy to be hung and hanging can do immense damage. Boxing is then the way to go with plenty of padding with acid free tissue at any folds. Yes boxes take up more space and are more costly but put a lot less stress on the garment. If you feel the garments are strong enough to hang and you have the space to not crowd the items then that can be a good solution. 

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Gretchen Frick Small
Director of Programs and Collections
Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House
Moline IL
www.butterworthcenter.com gsmall@butterworthcenter.com
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