Restoration of costumes

Washing

Text and photos: Marijke de Bruijne, independent textile restorer

The exhibition Worn Stories- Fashion and Costume around 1900 has a long preparation. For example, almost all the costumes in the exhibition have been restored. In total, I treated some 60 costumes and costume parts in my restoration studio in Eindhoven. The treatment was always kept as minimal as possible, because we wanted to leave the objects as authentic as possible. But in order to set them up safely, some things were necessary. Risks of creating new damage had to be avoided as much as possible.

Because each costume is unique, each object needed different treatment. But a common problem was that almost all "white" costumes made of cotton and linen were dirty and seriously yellowed. This yellowing can be caused by reaction with the environment; you see it, for example, with linen that has been stored in wooden cabinets for decades. The acid coming out of the wood corrodes the fibers. The breakdown products of this oxidation process are yellow. Not only does this look nasty, it is also bad for the costume: the yellow breakdown products themselves are also acidic, so the degradation process accelerates. Eventually, the textile will become completely brown, brittle and fragile.

In that case, washing is good for the condition of the material, because in the process the acidic degradation products are washed out. Thus, washing is not only intended to make the costumes look better again, but also to improve the condition of the objects. This way they can last longer again. An additional benefit of washing is that the fibers relax and the worst wrinkles and creases disappear. In fact, on folds and creases the fabric will eventually break down, it will tear and break.

This washing, of course, is done with care. These are old and fragile pieces and we cannot treat them in the same way as we do our ordinary everyday clothes. Each item is washed separately by hand. Demineralized water and a very mild soap are used. This soap was developed especially for and in consultation with textile restorers, without added ingredients such as bleaches, fragrances, etc. With very fragile objects, often no soap is used at all, because rinsing out the soap requires too much of the material. The textiles are always laid flat on a support in a bath and lifted with support and all.

The white cotton children's clothing on display in the exhibition has been washed in its entirety. However, the laces of some of the gowns have also been washed. To do this, they were first detached from the gown and then sewn back on exactly as before. Usually the laces were only sewn to the gown with a few very large stitches, so that they could be easily removed. Because even in the past, only these parts of the gown were washed. The silk gowns were never even washed.