MCI Project Summaries 2008 - Smithsonian Institution

Light weight printed fabrics like this rayon georgette are
disfigured if the rips and tears are crudely patched, but the yellow and
deep violet print on a grayish plain weave was a challenge to match.
Dyed silk crepeline and dyed ‘hair silk’ (a very thin silk thread) were
used to couch down the tears of this dress. This choice preserved the
light and airy character of the fabric. The dress belonged to Rosa Parks,
dressmaker and union organizer. She had been planning to finish
sewing it, the evening she was arrested for sitting down in a bus seat in
Montgomery City, Alabama December 1, 1955, on her way home from
work. She was jailed instead and only later was able to finish this dress,
which she subsequently donated to the Black Fashion Museum.
One of the outstanding black
fashion designers was Ann Cole
Lowe (1898-1981). Her
couturier gowns were worn at
many formal parties in the mid-
20 th century. Several of these
gowns are found in the Black
Fashion Museum collection. The
‘Silk Sari Gown’ appeared
during Fiscal 2009 but was
seriously marred by a yellow
stain—an eyesore that would prevent its exhibition as an example of the exquisite work the Mrs.
Lowe created. The stain on the outer silk was removed section by small section with an aqueous
treatment. Such stains on silk require great care, as the silk is susceptible to water marks; a
special feathering technique is necessary to dry the fabric successfully. The source and age of the
stain is not known; it certainly predates the acquisition by the museum, perhaps by decades. A
slight shadow of the discoloration remains. MCI documentation includes advice on exhibit
lighting that will obviate even that shadow.
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