Textile conservation
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Located at the de Young, the George and Marie Hecksher Textile Conservation Center manages the preservation, conservation, and scientific study of the permanent textile collection, which currently numbers more than 14,000 pieces. The textile collection contains monumental tapestries, archaeological fragments, contemporary fiber art, and clothing and accessories. This varied collection requires us to be knowledgeable about textile making techniques, such as spinning, dyeing, weaving, and tailoring, from cultures around the world
Stabilizing a textile for display can mean custom dyeing a sheer fabric support and securing tears using silk monofilament. To prepare historic clothing for display, we recreate underpinnings, such as corsets and petticoats, to provide the correct period silhouette.
Stories
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Ask a Conservator
What is art conservation, how to become a conservator, weird substances found on artworks, and more.
By our conservation team
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The Weight of Weaving: A Closer Look at Olga de Amaral’s “Lost Image 17”
Understanding the political and social weight a textile can carry.
By Julieta Fuentes Roll
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The Secret Russian
It had been sitting in the dark for years, unremarked upon. Its swirl of freshwater pearls, the imperial double eagle on the front, the decoration of thick gold braid on red velvet; none of it included in the simple description: “Woman’s Fez.”
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On the Mend: Repairing Breaks in Eighteenth-Century Fans
Women regularly used fans to convey emotions, flick away suitors, and keep themselves cool, causing the fans to tear and break.
By Anisha Gupta, Anne Getts, and Colleen O’Shea
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Behind Truth and Beauty: Textiles Conservation
Hanging a textile this large is always an exercise in carefulness and coordination.
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Poisons Part I: The Mercurial World of Felt
Research for our Degas exhibition sheds light on mercury and the origins of the “Mad Hatter.”
By Laura L. Camerlengo and Anne Getts
