The conservation and restoration of fur objects is the preservation and protection of objects made from or containing fur. These pieces can include personal items like fur clothing or objects of cultural heritage that are housed in museums and collections. When dealing with the latter, a conservator-restorer often handles their care, whereas, for the public, professional furriers can be found in many neighborhoods.
Definition of types of fur objects
Pelts Pelts are defined as the skin of an animal that still has the hair or fur intact. Animals used for traditional fur objects alternate between a winter and summer coat. The winter coats of animals are normally more desirable because they are thicker and fuller than the summer coats. The pelts are removed from the animal in a process of skinning and fleshing that removes all the tissue from the skin and pelt. The pelts are then cured and tanned to kill bacteria and create a stable material. Pelts are traditionally used to create clothing and home accessories like rugs, they can be mounted to create trophies or taxidermy specimens, or they can be sold and kept as is.
Differences between hair and fur The only difference between hair and fur is semantics. Technically, both are made from keratin, which is also the protein that makes up skin, feathers, nails, hooves, claws, and horns. "The way I think a lot of people understand fur versus hair is in the density of follicles," says Ross McPhee, Curator of the Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History. "So for fur-bearing animals—which were converted into coats and so-forth—people always wanted it to be something that was very dense, so there's the idea therefore that fur is dense, and it certainly is in [the] kinds of fur-bearers that we use for this purpose. Whereas hair is not so dense. There's less of it." This remains untrue however, because the human head has as the same "follicle density" as a mouse, but it just so happens to be genetically predisposed to stop at the head and not continue down the body. There are three types of hair: ground hair, guard hair, and whiskers. "Ground hair is used primarily as insulation and is soft, while guard hair is for protection from the elements and tends to be coarse." Both ground hair and guard hair are classified as fur. Because human hair acts as both, it can technically be called "fur". In reality, the keratin fibers that are described variously as hair, wool, or fur, depending on the animal type, are all referring to the same thing.
Taxidermy specimens Taxidermy has been around since the times of the Ancient Egyptians. While more mummification than traditional taxidermy, the Egyptians still preserved animals in their form by removing the innards and drying the carcass with salts from the Nile to dehydrate and preserve. The earliest known pieces of modern taxidermy are from the beginning of the sixteenth century, when the development and perfection of taxidermic techniques were linked to Western Europe's fascination with the natural world. Through the ages, taxidermy has progressed. During the Victorian era, taxidermy became closer to what is seen in museums today. There was a transition from using straw, paper, and other materials to create the mountings for the hides to using internal structures with rods and the actual animal skulls. Taxidermy is still used in museums and collections today. Most notable is the work of Carl Akeley, who modernized the idea of including taxidermied specimens in recreations of their natural habitats.
Clothing and accessories Human beings have been wearing fur since the beginning of time. There is evidence that Ötzi, the Iceman, was wearing a pelt when he met his demise 5000 years ago. In classic antiquity, the ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans all used fur or pelts in clothing. In Western Europe, beginning in the 11th century, luxury furs such as ermine, mink, sable, and chinchilla were reserved for the royalty, nobility, high ranking clergy, and the bourgeoisie. Fur and the access to it became a way of sublimating the lower classes in the 16th and 17th centuries and were strictly controlled. The North American fur trade, during the 17th and 18th centuries, provided enough pelts of hare, rabbit, lamb, and wolf to appeal to the crowd that could not afford the luxury furs, which remained to be only accessible to the elite. The royal families of Europe frequently use ermine to create robes and line their crowns. However, before the 19th century, fur was used as accents, like linings, accessories, and for trimming gowns. Full fur jackets did not appear on the fashion scene until the mid-19th century as a display of wealth by the newly prosperous middle class. Seal skin was one of the first furs to be used for a coat. Fashion went through waves of monkeys, mice, and cat fur dressing during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The turn of the century focused on the exotic animals like lions, tigers, leopards, and polar bear fur. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, stopped the exotic animal fur market and the later part of the 20th century focused once again on more accessible fur like rabbit. Today, fur is a very controversial issue with groups like PETA protesting the entire fur industry and designers, like Armani, have decided to go "fur free."
Objets d'art
Modern art There are several notable instances of pieces of modern art in museums and collections made from, in part, of fur. The most famous is a piece of Surrealist Art made by Méret Oppenheim called Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure) or Luncheon in Fur, which is in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (see Notable Example below). Inarguably, it is the most famous piece of art containing fur that is not a piece of furniture. Oppenheim once wrote of the spirit of her piece, "fur combined with a teacup evokes such a surprising mix of messages and associations. The fur may remind viewers of wild animals and nature, while the teacup could suggest manners and civilization. With its pelt, the teacup becomes soft, rounded, and highly tactile. It seems attractive to the touch, if not, on the other hand, to the taste: Imagine drinking from it, and the physical sensation of wet fur filling the mouth." Throughout the years, she created other pieces that included fur or hide in some manner. She became so synonymous with the medium, she was known as "the artist that works with fur", a label which she refused to embrace but was nonetheless known for.
Furniture is another highly collected area of Modern Art that features fur. Artist, Alvar Aalto is famous for representing Finland in the Modern Scandinavian design. His chair, Armchair 400 made with reindeer fur is a great example of this. The MFA in Boston houses another famous chair with fur made by Richard Artschwager.
Contemporary art Contemporary artists are starting to embrace the use of fur as a medium as well. In 2014, an opera singer and artist named Mateo Blanco, gained notoriety for creating celebrity portraits out of dog fur, which are housed at the Orlando Odditorium. And, in 2015, Danny Rozin debuted a piece entitled "PomPom Mirror" as part of a new artist's exhibition at bitforms in New York. The piece uses faux fur and an Xbox kinect system to make the fur balls move and create a mirror effect.
Berlin based artist, Nina Staehli, uses fur in several of her pieces. glory scape is a "fur sculpture series" created by the artist that has traveled the world and features pelts of a variety of animals.
Leather Leather is the "skin of an animal, with the hair removed, prepared for use by tanning or a similar process designed to preserve it against decay and make it pliable or supple when dry". While technically not fur, leather is a byproduct and the skin on the reverse side of pelts suffer the same kind of damage as leather products which include acid hydrolysis, oxidation, metals and salts from the tanning process, heat, and humidity. These issues also affect fur objects.
Dealing with leather objects While closely related, the conservation and restoration of leather objects is a separate specialty.
Causes of deterioration of fur objects
Insects "Furs are among the most exquisite delicacies for critters..." "Fiber-feeding insects need the vitamins and amino acids found in their scavenger diet." "Clean fur lacks these supplements and must be contaminated with a certain amount of soilage like perspiration, body oils, airborne micro-organisms before insects become and issue. The only "clean" fur is one that has been sterilized through conservation efforts. The most common insects that infest fur objects are moths and carpet beetles. Most pests will lay eggs on or inside the object and the larvae will actually cause the most damage as they grow to adulthood. Infestation is evidenced by small piles of dust, the frass and casts of the insects in shedding in their growth cycle. Evidence of previous infestations on fur objects include the bodies of dead insects and their casings on the surface of the object and "concave scars" with a "scalloped" appearance from their round mandibles.
Rodents and other small mammals may also be attracted to fur objects as a food source. This kind of infestation would be visible in droppings and larger areas of damage.
Temperature and humidity Temperature is vital for the long-term care of fur objects. Store rooms should be kept at a relative humidity level of between 45% and 55%, with fluctuations to be expected, but 65% would critical for mold growth, which skin items are highly susceptible to. This may require the use of a humidifier or dehumidifier depending on the institution. Temperature should be kept as stable as possible between . "Warm environments can cause the release of residual fats in skins resulting in hair loss." Excessive heat causes shrinkage in the fibers, it makes the skin brittle and more prone to tears. Whereas excess moisture leads to swelling, distortion, putrefaction (if not properly cured) and mold growth. The combination of both cause the collagen to break down and threaten the physical integrity of the piece.
Chemical Some insecticides used as pest prevention like camphor, naphthalene, and para-dichlorobenzene (PDB) can be harmful to some colors if used with dyed fur objects. In general, hair fibers are difficult to destroy because keratin is such a strong fiber. Strong acids will not break down the fiber and strong bases "will do no more than soften or possibly bleach" the fur. However, if a fur object is subjected to that kind of treatment, the hair will become brittle and break off.
Improper storage If fur objects have not been protected from the environment around them then they are susceptible to dirt and dust. Motes settle between the fibers and create a dirty appearance. Light exposure is also an issue. Exposure to ultraviolet light in daylight and artificial light causes pigments in specimens to fade. Light should be kept at between 50–100 lux for display and no light in storage.
Handling Fur objects are made from organic materials which are soilable. For clothing and accessories, the objects are subjected to the wear and tear of everyday use may include, soiling and staining made by food, make-up, sweat, odor, or skin grease that can leave permanent marks on the fur altering both its color and texture. Make-up and oils can cause the hairs to stick together. Wearing can also result in physical damage to the object through overuse. Friction at the joints, like the armpits, elbows, and collar of a coat can cause bald areas. Stitching unraveling and rips are also common issues that arise from wearing a fur object. Nitrile gloves may be worn when handling fur objects.
Taxidermy issues