RooseveltVanderbilt National Historic Sites

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Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites

• National Park Service
• U.S. Department of the Interior

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Gaining Control overDomestic Linens

• Val-Kill to Vanderbilt Mansion

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I dont have any answers.

• But I do have lots of questions.

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Overview

• Definition
• Overview of collections at Roosevelt-Vanderbilt
  NHS
• Interpretive considerations
• Collection use, maintenance, and preservation
• Storage
• Developing a policy

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How we define domestic linens

• Table linens
• Bed bath linens
• Dresser scarves
• Doilies
• Pillows
• We are excluding drapery and carpets

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Clothing

• Certain types of clothing raise similar questions

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Roosevelt-Vanderbilt NHS Collections

• Vanderbilt Mansion
• Few original domestic linens
• Period collections
• Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Original linens
• Val-Kill
• Original linens

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Exhibiting Linens

• Our goal is to exhibit linens in historic
  context, both in use and including historic
  storage (the linen closet)
• Site associated, period, modern

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• Historic resources-surviving collections

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• Historic resources-photographs and illustrations

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• Historic resources-period literature

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Use Maintenance

• Appropriate use (do risks outweigh benefits)
• Exhibit environment (light, humidity,
  particulates, security)
• Seasonal concerns (heat sources, winter pests)
• Ethical considerations

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• Exhibit means exposure.

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Washing pressing

• Clandestine maintenance vs. Authorized
  maintenance
• Historic vs. museum maintenance

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• Seasonal risks

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• Storage

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Developing a policy

• Define the collection
• Provenance
• Rarity
• Consider the exhibit environment
• Exhibit schedule and rotation
• Maintenance
• Is vacuuming adequate? Is washing an option?
• Is washing a maintenance function (staff) or
  conservation treatment (conservator)
• Storage (boxed or rolled)