Inuit clothing and kayak

Brown Christine <christine.brown [at] hullcc__gov__uk> writes

>We have a selection of Inuit clothing and artifacts that are made
>from what we believe is seal skin.  Most of the objects are
>straightforward but two or three items are proving more difficult
>due to their poor condition and/or construction.  One is a man's
>hooded jacket which has become very dry and brittle and has suffered
>some tears on the sleeves. We think the tears have been caused by
>the weight of a wooden hand attached to the end of each straw
>stuffed sleeve.  ...

If the sealksin has a greyish look and, as you suggest due to the
tearing, is quite thin and fragile  then it is likely to be made
from sealgut which was used as an insulation layer against the cold.
This requires specialised treatment which is slightly beyond my own
experience but there are similar items at the British Museum
(Bloomsbury) and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

Simon Moore MIScT, FLS, ACR
Conservator of Natural  Sciences
20 Newbury Street
Whitchurch RG28 7DN


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:23
                 Distributed: Friday, October 29, 2010
                       Message Id: cdl-24-23-001
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