Skip to content

Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Ready for a Closeup? Hawes’ Flag Dress

by Obie Linn, Textile Conservator

9/21/2023

textile conservation , Elizabeth Hawes , Flag Dress , before and after , CAMConservation , textiles

There are few things more satisfying than seeing some really dramatic “before and after” photos when a conservation treatment is complete! Conservation of Elizabeth Hawes’ “flag dress” or Geographic (1940) has wrapped up, and now you can flip through a whole album of “before/after” pairs showing the transformations of many of the flags that cover the dress. (See slideshow.)

Can you spot the treatments? Sometimes it’s easy. (I’m looking at you, flag of the Union of South Africa.) Sometimes it’s almost seamless. (Doesn’t the flag of Brazil look great?) Sometimes it’s a trick question because what you see is a new reproduction. (The flag of Poland is reproduced from mere fragments!)

Choosing the best treatment for an object is a big part of being a good conservator, and we are always learning and adjusting to do better for the objects in our care. The flag dress is an interesting conservation case because I used so many different techniques over such a long span of time, allowing each flag’s treatment to be adjusted based on what I’ve learned as I worked on each flag’s unique needs. Flip through the album of “before/after” pairs for a close-up look at the different treatments and ponder which worked best!

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Argentina. Treated with facsimile of dyed-to-match silk adhered together to imitate printed original.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Turkey, which is incorporated into the back bodice panel. Treated with new appliqué of dyed-to-match silk prepared with “conservation-safe interfacing” of adhesive-impregnated silk crepeline. New appliqué stitched over the original to preserve what remains of the original.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Brazil. Treated with dyed-to-match silk patches adhered to the reverse plus digitally-printed silk to recreate the painted banner.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Chile.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Egypt.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of England.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of France.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Mexico. Treated with digitally-printed facsimile.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Poland. Treated with digitally-printed facsimile to reproduce the design from only these fragments.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Poland, another view. Treated with digitally-printed facsimile to fill this gap in Hawes’ design.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag Portugal. Treated with digitally-printed facsimile.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of the British Navy (Red Ensign).

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

An overall picture of the front of the skirt, before treatment (top) and after treatment (bottom).

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Sweden.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of Taiwan.

Elizabeth Hawes (American, b.1903, d.1971), designer, Flag Dress, cotton, silk, Museum Purchase: Fashion Arts Purchase Fund, 2011.31.

Before treatment (left) and after treatment (right) of the flag of the Union of South Africa.

Previous Next

Related Blog Posts

Behind the Scenes in Conservation: The end of treatment is near!
by Conservation
11/18/2021
We’ve come a long way on the treatment of the Elizabeth Hawes flag dress! If

Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Bath Time

by Conservation
8/26/2021
It’s time for a bath in textile conservation.

Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Game, set, MATCH!

by Conservation
4/8/2021
Precision dyeing and color-matching is an important part of textile conservation and this week, we have a dyed-to-match success to report for this silk Argentine flag from the Elizabeth Hawes Flag Dress.