traditional approaches and the application of modern analytical technology,
and an appreciation given of their current physical and chemical state.
In this chapter, we will describe the make-up of just three textile materials, all
natural fibres, and will further present the mechanisms of degradation of their
principal components. Our selection of two of them is somewhat indulgent as
they are each the focus of current research projects. However, since all three
compose the fabric of key historic textiles which were recently the subjects of
commissions completed by Conservation Services at the Textile Conservation
Centre, our choice was all the more easily made. Here we are keen to place
the science in context, and so use these artefacts to introduce the fibres and
their chemistry of ageing through a conservation science perspective.
2 Textile Materials
Before moving on to the case studies though, something more about the nature
of textile materials and a potted history of textile fibres. As we have already sug-
gested, there is often much more to an object than just the textile component
which in itself can be complex. Presented with the banner of the Amalgamated
Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, Nine Elms Branch, made by
the Victorian firm of George Tutill and Company, conservators had to consider
not only the silk fabric but also the painted images on front and back and the pole
from which it hung. They also needed to know about the nature of the disfig-
uring bloom on the surface of the paint and how this could be best removed.
They had to have knowledge of the possible cleaning protocol, which could have
involved the use of buffered surfactant solutions, lytic enzymes or the applica-
tion of organic solvents. In consolidating damaged areas, they also required
advice on the optimum choice of adhesive for attaching support and fine netting.
Science then had a crucial rôle to play.
Since this book is devoted to the description of the materials from which
objects are made, we can simply focus on the textile components. Even then, for
a single textile, this can still afford a wealth of different types, as evidenced by
the third case study, the Tree of Jessea rare 15th century Rhenish tapestry,
woven in wool on linen support yarn with stunning details worked in colour-
fully dyed silk and golden threads. There are over a dozen types of metal thread
including gold foil, and gold powder on paper or animal gut strips wrapped
around silken cores. Before getting carried away with the incredible crafts-
manship of gold wrapped threads, which dates from Roman times, or the bril-
liant hues of mordanted madder or other natural dyes, we must readjust our
focus and return to the organic fibres themselves.
Seed fibres from cotton and stem fibres from flax were probably the first to be
commonly woven into textiles. Linen (from flax) was the every-day fabric of
ancient Egypt, and the plant was the first cultivated source of textile fibres in
Europe. While cotton only became popular in Europe a few centuries ago, its
Textiles 57