Fugitive Dyes

[Paige Myers <pmyers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello.  I am new to the list but have been reading postings for a while.
Last week at our museum (while I was out of the office) we had a slight
mishap with our heating and cooling system. Several white textiles and an
1860's - 70's burgundy and gold striped skirt were damaged when condensation
from the pipes dripped onto the table where these artifacts were located.
The skirt was thoroughly saturated with water and was bleeding bluish dye,
presumably from the over dyed burgundy, onto the gold in the skirt and onto
the white items.  In my absence the objects conservator and textile curator
froze the skirt and one white rayon dress that was fairly stained.  Now that
the skirt has dried there are blue tide lines and stains  throughout and
most of the gold areas have a papery hand.  Has anyone had an experience
such as this and if so do you have any advice on how to proceed.  I am
unsure of the type of dye and whether the silk has been weighted.  I have a
few digital photos of the damage.  Thank you in advance for any information.


Paige Myers
Textile/Costume Conservator
North Carolina Museum of History
4650 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC  27699-4650
(919) 715-0200  Ext.239
e-mail:  pmyers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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