Private collection, Victoria, Australia
conserving and rehousing a World War I - letter, blue medal ribbon, pressed flowerDescription - A folded piece of machine wove paper, enclosing a section of creased blue medal ribbon and a pressed, faded flower with stem, pods and seeds intact
Condition - The letter is folded in thirds, through both the height and width of the letter. Pronounced creasing is evident, with associated fracturing about the centre third. The stem of the flower appears to have pierced a hole in proximity to the right centre fold. The larger fracture is approximately 18mm long and located on the crease to the lower left of the ribbon and flower. Small, localised tears are identified along all edges. A handwritten note, inscribed, possibly with grey lead, reads,
“These little flowers appeared one day just 2 miles behind the firing line on the edge of a crop. They grow wild all over the country”.
The blue silk ribbon is folded in equal quarters and appears to be in good structural and chemical condition. A pressed flower containing three main petals, a stem, seed pods and numerous smaller seeds. The stalk, seed pods and seeds appear desiccated, however there is some flexibility still present in the flower petals. The petals are detached from the stem, but remain in their original position.
What we did – We gently opened the letter as far as we could, to remove the ribbon and flower. This was followed by a dry clean, with a soft bristled brush, where possible. We applied gentle humidification to relax the paper fibres and allow the letter to be unfolded and flattened. Once this was achieved, a further gentle clean was applied. The blue ribbon was cleaned. We then, applied gentle localised humidification to folds visible in the petals. The loose components were realigned with the main stem, and secured with fine impregnated fibres of silk hair and conservation grade adhesive. We created a customised mount for both the ribbon and flower, and mounted the components in their original orientation using thin strips of Japanese paper strapped around the float mount. This was then float mounted in a satin black frame with UV filtering acrylic and hardware.
Before treatment – a handwritten letter, with a medal ribbon and desiccated flower. Private Collection. © Tiaki Objects Conservation.
Piecing the fragmented pieces of dried flower together, prior to stabilisation. Private Collection. © Tiaki Objects Conservation.
Slowly piecing the detached fragments together, then attaching with ‘silk hair’ impregnated with conservation grade adhesive. Private Collection. © Tiaki Objects Conservation.
The letter, ribbon and flower were window mounted, and tissue straps attached to the back of the flower support, ‘floating’ the flower and ribbon in the centre of the letter. Private Collection. © Tiaki Objects Conservation.
After treatment – WWI letter, ribbon and flower, float-mounted inside a conservation frame, to preserve the items for years to come. Private Collection. © Tiaki Objects Conservation.