Archive

Lectures

To mark Karen’s centenary, we begin the publication of the regular lectures which Karen gave as principal of the Textile Conservation Centre in Hampton Court Palace between 1975 and 1986.

The introductory lecture provides us with a good flavour of Karen’s approach to the history and ethics of textile conservation. The ensuing lectures provide an overview of the relationship between conservation and various materials (silk, wool, cotton, linen, etc) and techniques (weaving, dyeing, painting and printing, etc). Nearly all of these lectures are in Karen’s archive at Glasgow University and we will be able to publish them in the coming year or so. Where possible, we will include some of the slides that Karen used to illustrate the lectures. We should point out that Karen sometimes changed her lectures, which means that there are very likely different versions of these lectures in existence.

We encourage anyone with an interest or expertise in the areas covered by the lectures to contribute short introductions, which we can insert at the beginning of the relevant lecture, or to add thoughts or recollections in the comments section at the end of the lecture.

For further background reading on the lecture notes please see this blog post.

Karen giving a lecture at a textile conference

Term 1

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aliquam at vehicula lectus. In nec pretium augue, ut malesuada risus. Donec massa sapien.

Term 1  Lecture 1
Introductory Lecture

The history and philosophy of Textile Conservation and the people who pioneered the concepts and ethical considerations in Britain and elsewhere

Term 1  Lecture 2
Wool

Sheep races and their development in different environments. The properties of wool and its treatments from fibre to felt and yarns. Woollen and Worsted and the practical significance of these terms. Completed 1977. Revised 1980.

Term 1  Lecture 3
Silk

Sericulture and the treatment of cultivated and wild silk from the main silk producing countries. The properties of silk that determined its use.

Term 1  Lecture 4
Linen

Flax production and the early use of linen in Egypt. Flax producing areas in Europe and the development of the linen industry. The properties of flax that facilitated its use for household and personal linen.

Term 1  Lecture 5
Cotton

Main cotton growing areas and the qualities for which each area is known. The properties of cotton fibres and fabrics. The rise of the cotton industry and the demands made by the changing circumstances of fashion and special demands.

Term 1  Lecture 6
Other fibres

Outline of the history and production of other fibres used for making textiles – hair, hemp, jute, ramie and various seed and leaf fibres. Brief introduction to the making of artificial silk filaments and early manmade fibres and their dates.