STUMP THE EDITOR: YOU ASK WE ANSWER
To display or not to display gown is really the question

Elaine Matsushita, Home&Garden editor
Published September 10, 2006

Q: I have a handmade christening dress that is over 70 years old and I am interested in the correct way to preserve it or maybe even display it in a frame. I don't know how to find anyone reliable to help me with this or how to do it myself. The fabric is cotton, I was told Egyptian.

-- Jean Weber, Ingleside

A: HELLO, TIMOTHY LONG: The assistant curator for costumes at the Chicago History Museum was our man of the hour, the man with the answers. But before I could ask about how to create a display for this treasure, Long, who is also the keeper of his own family's history, hammered home his key to preserving an artifact for future generations: Don't even think about putting it out for display for an extended time. Oh.

DO'S, DO'S AND DON'T, DON'T, DON'TS: The best way to preserve something for future generations is to keep it "out of extreme temperature and humidity fluctuations, as well as keeping it out of sunlight," Long says.

Also: Handle the item as little as possible. The oils and salts from your body can degrade the fabric. Consider wearing cotton gloves when handling the textile.

BOTTOM LINE: If you hope to pass this gown on for generations, clean the gown only if necessary. Then wrap and stuff the garment in muslin or unbleached cotton and store it in an archival box (more on all of these things below).

Finally, stow the box someplace away from temperature and humidity fluctuations. When you want to show it off, pull out the box, carefully take the piece out of its wrapping ("Make sure your hands are clean," Long says), drape it on the bed, let family or friends ooh and ahh over it -- and then put it right back in the box.

COMING CLEAN: If you must clean the gown, do not wet clean it. "Do not put it into the washing machine ever," Long says. A garment or textile made in the early 20th Century wasn't made for 21st Century washing machines and "will simply disintegrate."

As for professional dry cleaners, Long recommends Davis Imperial Cleaners (3325 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., 773-267-4560).

THINK INSIDE THE BOX: An archival box, Long says. One free of perfumes, dyes or chemicals. They can be found at art-supply stores (such as Pearl, 5 W. Chicago Ave., 312-915-0200; www.pearlpaint.com) or online (search for "archival products"). "Archival boxes are one simple barrier to bugs, dust and simple handling," Long adds.

When you are ready to store the piece, stuff the garment with unbleached muslin or unbleached cotton (fabrics with no additional chemicals or sizing or starch) to make sure you keep dimensionality to the piece. "if you let it lie flat, the creases will, over time ... stress the fibers," Long says. Wrap the garment with more muslin/unbleached cotton and carefully place it in an archival box.

IF YOU MUST THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX: ... and are not concerned about preserving the piece for future generations, Long says, you can consider just about "anything that's going to look good" for display, Long says. But he warns against: putting it on a mannequin or doll or on a hanger that will put a crease in the garment. Evils to be concerned about are gravity, dust, grease, dirt and bugs.

CREATING A PUBLIC DISPLAY: Long suggests turning to Art-Care.com, an online community of art conservators and appraisers. Anyone can sign into the Web site, list a question or problem and then get a response from a local professional.

Avoid services that offer to hermetically seal your textile, he says. That creates a micro-environment and prevents the fibers from breathing.

If mounting, say, within a shadowbox frame, mount the piece in the shape/form it would have taken when worn. Then pin the garment to the mounting board.

LONG'S RULE OF THUMB: For every month a costume or textile object is on display, it should be in storage for a year.

You can view the original article at the Chicago Tribune website.