This fourth volume in the Readings in Conservation series aims to promote critical thinking about the concepts and practices of textile conservation and to encourage engagement with new issues. Recognizing conservation as a dynamic social force, the volume draws attention to the cultural significance of textiles and dress and to the importance of textile conservation in fostering understanding and use of collections.
The eighty-one readings illustrate not only the intellectual foundations but also the important changes in conservation practice and contribute to the growing historiography of textile conservation. In addition to papers from America, Australia, Canada, England, and Scotland, the book includes many significant texts translated into English for the first time, reflecting practice in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and The Netherlands.