51348
Accession Number
39159
Editor
Shaeffer, Elizabeth; Getts, Anne; Kiefer, Kathleen; Morris, Bernice
Title Of Article Chaper
Foxy Underpants: or the use of chelators, enzymes, and surfactants to remove foxing stains from linen underpants
Title Of Journal Book
The Textile Specialty Group Postprints: Papers Delivered at the Textile Subgroup Session
Volume
26
Pages
141-156
Collation
16 p. : ills.
Reference Bibliography
Includes bibliographic references
Publisher
Textile Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
Publisher City
Washington, DC
ISSN
2169-1363
Language Of Text
English
Language Of Summary
English; French
Literature Type
Monograph
Literature Level
Analytic
Meeting
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and The Canadian Association for Conservation Joint 44th Annual Meeting and 42nd Annual Conference
Meeting City
Montreal, Quebec
Meeting Country
Canada
Abstract
This paper describes a successful treatment to reduce foxing stains on a pair of men's linen underpants ca. 1830 in the collection of the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The underpants are ankle length and have a wide corset-like wastband containing 12 baleen stays. Such undergarments are rare in museum collections, yet provide a reminder of the importance of fashionable bodies for men. Foxing stains can be disfiguring on any work of art, but the stains were considered particularly distracting on the underpants. While foxing stains are a common problem in textile collections, most recent studies have focussed on paper collections. Building on research by paper conservators and scientists, this treatment addressed the metals and microorganisms that cause foxing stains. Rather than use bleaching agents, the underpants were wet-cleaned in a series of baths with the chelator ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), a lysing enzyme, and the surfactant sodium lauryl sulfate. An agarose poultice with hydroxybenzyl ethylenediamine (HBED) was used to target an area with dark stains. In both visible and ultraviolet light, the stains showed considerable reduction after treatment.
Keywords
chelator;enzyme;surfactant;foxing;remove;stain;linen;textile
pub_id
51348
Meeting Date
20160500