Visual Compensation, ca. 1865 Evening Dress
Conservation dyeing and painted overlay for a ca. 1865 evening dress which was used as a rotation object in The Costume Institute's spring 2026 show, Costume Art.
The dress had disfiguring stains on the sheer, reflective overlay skirt. Localized cleaning using deionized water, Orvus solutions, mechanical action with a cotton swab, and solvents were found ineffective, so an overlay was chosen to allow the dress to be displayed without distracting stains.
A close color match Lanaset dye recipe was found, which was then adjusted to better match the color of the dress. Four iterations of the dye recipe were made, in varying shades of warmth and depth. All four of these shades were used as a palette, applying layers of silk crepe line over the stain to obscure it.
A silk satin ribbon was painted using Dye-Na-Flow paints to disguise the iron stain on the ribbon.
Left: before treatment. Center left: partially through treatment. Center right: after treatment. Right: on display in Costume Art.
1920s Evening Dress
Tambour beading to compensate for loss on a 1920s evening gown.
An area at the PL bust had lost its original beading due to a bread in the tambour thread. The collected loose beads were re-applied using a tambour hook through the extant stitch holes, with the fabric stretched over a net backing to better support the area.
Practice tambour beading on nylon net.
Area of loss placed over nylon net stretched on a frame, secured evenly in place with basting stitches.
Before treatment, placed over blotting paper for visibility.
After treatment, placed over blotting paper for visibility. The net underlay is not visible without a white backing.