Preservation Assessment for the Cornell Costume & Textile Collection

FAIN: PG-263556-19

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY 14850-2820)
Denise Nicole Green (Project Director: May 2018 to March 2021)

The hiring of a consultant to undertake a general preservation assessment of a historic costume and textile collection consisting of over 10,000 items that document diverse aspects of cultural expression through dress, costume, fashion, and design.  Included in the collections are Euro-American historical dress, ethnographic dress and textiles from across the globe, and functional apparel, including protective clothing, athletic wear, and military uniforms.  Highlights include clothing from Olivia Langdon Clemens, wife of Mark Twain, and their children; Eleanor Roosevelt's 1937 inaugural ball gown; Turkish textiles; and Nigerian traditional dress from the 1950s, on the eve of the country’s independence from the United Kingdom. The collection is used for exhibition, research, and teaching, making it a resource to the general public, scholars, and students.

The Cornell Costume & Textile Collection seeks a grant to support a general preservation assessment. A preservation assistance grant would provide for consultation services of an expert costume historian to evaluate our collection inventory and advise on storage organization and best practices. In 2020 our storage space will be renovated to comply with fire code. A preservation assessment is critical as we proceed with this mandatory renovation. Our collection is comprised of diverse materials: furs, leathers, synthetics, metals, cellulosic fibers, and protein fibers. Properly segregating portions of the collection which require different storage environments will ensure long-term preservation by minimizing/slowing further deterioration and protecting the remainder of the collection. A preservation assessment and long-term care plan will enable us to make the best decisions around storage and organization of our complex humanities collection.