Making up for losses - An evaluation of various methods and materials for compensary infills on an 1880’s Herter Brother’s bergère

This thesis focuses on presenting the methods and analytic procedures to establish the appropriate techniques and materials for developing cosmetically integrated infills for areas of loss in the showcover of a pair of 1880's Herter Brother's bergères.

High demands were posed on the level of detail and manual control in reproducing the elaborate design of the showcover. A selection of stenciling techniques as well as commercial and desk top printing were investigated, were an updated version of the ancient Japanese stencilling technique using Katagami stencils, was established as the best alternative for reproducing the pattern for the infills. In house production through
collaboration with the Design Department provided the required control throughout the process.

A range of pigment based fabric paints were chosen as possible coloring agents based on their aesthetic and physical characteristics. The colorants and possible substrates were put through an Oddy test to establish any off-gassing, and a Fade-Ometer test to establish the fading characteristics of the materials.