Preserving the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection of the Fashion and Apparel Studies Department

FAIN: PG-51023-10

University of Delaware (Newark, DE 19711-3651)
Dilia Lopez-Gydosh (Project Director: May 2009 to October 2011)

Funding supports the purchase of environmental monitoring equipment, light filtering sleeves, storage furniture, and preservation supplies to house the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection. The items include clothing, accessories, and household textiles, many dating from the 18th century. The collection is used in graduate and undergraduate courses in costume history and collections management, in research, and in exhibitions.

The Fashion and Apparel Studies Department at the University of Delaware is seeking funding to enhance the preservation, storage and exhibition spaces of the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection. Purchase and use of these items will fulfill recommendations made concerning the preservation of the Collection in the 2008 Delaware Collections Stewardship Project assessment. This project is focused on obtaining two types of resources that will significantly enhance the storage and exhibition areas of the Collection. First, to provide a controlled environment for storage and exhibition, environmental monitoring equipment, and UV light filtering products will be obtained. Second, to enhance preservation and storage conditions, the metal bars used for hanging garment storage will be replaced with bars of a smaller circumference and acid-free storage boxes for glass-plate negatives will be obtained to allow for proper storage of these artifacts. Start date 01-01-2010 end date 12-31-2010.