AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

Stabilizing a rare, coated silk fragment from a Confederate spy balloon called the Gazelle presented intricate and unexpected conservation hurdles.  The Gazelle was deployed by the Confederate Army during the American Civil War (1861-1865) to spy on Union battle positions.  Damaged and captured during a conflict in 1862, it was transformed into a souvenir by a Union balloonist, and a fragment was eventually donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM). NASM’s Gazelle fabric represents the largest intact example among the scarce remaining fragments of this air balloon.
The case study of the Gazelle fabric explores the complexities of treating a coated and shattered silk textile. The Gazelle fabric is constructed from ladies' dress silk that was coated with a polymeric material on both sides to achieve flightworthy characteristics. However, conflicting accounts of the historic coating’s composition raised questions about possible post-capture alterations. When the fabric was donated to NASM, it was mounted on a painted plywood panel using nickel-sized spots of hide glue around the perimeter. The fabric exhibited creases, folds, and losses in the silk. Additionally, the uniformly applied coating stiffened the silk, making it more susceptible to breaking, especially given its age and fragility. This coating’s incompatibility with traditional stitching methods prompted the adaptation of lining techniques from other conservation specialties.
While conventional practice involves stabilizing delicate silk with a complete adhesive lining, the presence of the coating raised questions about the appropriateness of this method. Concerns regarding the coating's potential interference with adhesive bonding, coupled with limited access to the fabric's reverse side, posed challenges in providing adequate support without obscuring the striped and floral patterns.
Analysis of the coating was carried out to compare its composition with historical manufacturing records and to inform the curatorial record. Characterization included microscopy, weave count, solubility, temperature response, ATR-FTIR, and Py-GC-MS. Various treatment methods were considered and tested, including experimentation with enzymes to remove hide glue, backing removal, adhesive testing, and full adhesive lining. Challenges encountered with the original support removal, solvent and heat sensitivity of the coating are discussed along with their solutions. A comprehensive understanding of the balloon’s history, condition, materials, and the proposed storage and display environment informed the final treatment methodology.