AIC's 53rd Annual Meeting

Unintentional dye migration is a critical problem that textile collections and the conservators that care for them are facing. Early synthetic organic dyes (ESODs) include some of the most fugitive dye classes used on historical textiles in collections today and are characterized by their makeup and manufacture throughout the second half of the 19th century.1 Bleeding dyes can have both aesthetic and structural implications; though impacted textiles are often precluded from traditional treatment methods due to the ongoing volatility of the materials present.2 Several key case studies have proven the efficacy of removing natural dye migration through aqueous cleaning methods in the form of solvent gels.3 However, these methods are exclusive to natural dyes that predate the mid 19th century despite the common bleeding problems exhibited by early synthetic organic dyes.4

This pilot study – a collaborative effort between the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) – presents an investigation into the novel application of gel-based cleaning methods for the removal of unintentional ESOD migration. The project focused on a Chinese Woman’s Jacket from the 1920’s. The sumptuous silk jacquard woven jacket exhibited severe staining at the armpits, where dyes from the green inner lining had migrated outward onto the surface of the outer pink layer. After confirming the identity of all dyes present using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), a variety of traditional and new sustainably-focused gels were tested to deliver a solution that targeted the pH-dependent bond between the fugitive dyes and the jacket’s silk fibers. This project considers the ethical parameters of dye bleed removal and works to develop sustainable and accessible methodology for stain reduction. A culmination of expertise across departments, institutions, and regions of the world is represented in this project resulting in an emblem of this year’s conference theme about “the power of working with others.”5

1: J. Barnett, “Synthetic Organic Dyes, 1856-1901: An Introductory Literature Review of their Use and Related Issues in Textile Conservation,” Reviews in Conservation, no. 8 (2007): 68-69.; A. Scharff, “Synthetic Dyestuffs for Textiles and their Fastness to Washing,” ICOM Committee for Conservation 2, (1999), 656.

2: Barnett, Synthetic Organic Dyes, 1856-1901,” 72.

3: A. Smets, K. De Vis, and N. Ortega-Saez, “A Challenging Treatment of an 18th Century Embroidered Textile Using Gel Cleaning in Combination with Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) Silicone Solvent Barriers,” Conservar Património 31, (2019).; K. Sahmel, L. Mina, K. Sutherland, and N. Shibayama, “Removing Dye Bleed from a Sampler: New Methods for an Old Problem,” Textile Specialty Group Post prints 22, (2012). 

4:  Note that early synthetic dyestuffs, known as ESODs, can be found in textiles dating between 1856 and the 1930s, as they were slowly replaced by more stable dyestuffs throughout the early 20th century.; Barnett, 74.

5: “AIC/FAIC: Upcoming Meeting 2025,” accessed September 4, 2024.