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About 70 years after his reinterment, Uncle Ted’s linen funeral flag was removed from its dry storage box with packing paper still carefully wrapped around it. The flag was large (5 X 9.5 feet), since it was used a a funeral pall during transfer to, and during the reinterment ceremony at, the burial site. ‘The flag exhibits moth damage, which has created areas of instability throughout.’ This damage occurred just after the reinterment, and there were no traces of recent bug or bacterial damage. The white stars were turning brown due to exposure to light. All the stars in the blue field were spot cleaned, particularly the ones that were turning brown. All the stripes were surface cleaned. After cleaning, the flag was refolded and placed into a custom wood frame display case that had been finished with a walnut stain, then coated with a polyurethane sealer. The front of the case is sealed glass. The rear of the case is an unsealed, thin, removable, particle board panel with movable turn-button closure clips to hold the panel in place. Near the top is a toothed hanger that can be used to mount the flag on suitable wall. The display case, at 5 inches thick, can stand on its long side for desktop or table display, as well.
The professional stabilization effort (repair & restoration) was performed by The Conservation Center in Chicago, Illinois, over a period of 10 months. This company handles local and national clients and specializes in large restoration projects.
The costs were: Stabilization Conservation $900.00, Custom Framing (Walnut Finish) 290.00, Examination & Documentation 75.00, Packing & Handling 25.00, Total $1,290.00. This was deemed a reasonable price considering the expertise needed and the time spent on a fragile cloth flag.
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