MoDA’s collections mostly consist of paper and textile items that were used in working design studios, manufacturers’ showrooms, and homes, before they were donated to us to preserve as historic artefacts.
Very few of the objects in MoDA’s collections came to us in pristine condition. Most already showed signs of wear and tear such as fading or discolouration before they came into the museum.
Over the years, we have carried out conservation projects on specific parts of the collection. These are intended to make particular objects easily and safely accessible for research and inspiration. We frequently collaborate with specialist conservation practitioners, conservation students or recently qualified conservators.
Making objects easier to handle has often been the beginning of larger projects and further research and teaching.
Conservation: Ogawa photography meets biochemistry (2021)
Lara successfully used new enzyme techniques to unstick historic glue while conserving two albums of Ogawa's collotypes, Lilies of Japan and Chrysanthemums of Japan.
Art Nouveau Stencilled wallcoverings (2019)
Fifty six important stencilled textiles, grasspapers and wallcoverings from MoDA's Silver Studio Collection are now accessible after a major conservation project.
Palladio Wallpaper Conservation (2016)
Find out how we made some of our extensive wallpaper collections more accessible.
(2014) MoDA’s books receive conservation attention
MoDA’s Conservation Officer, Emma Shaw, talks about her recent work on the museum’s book collection.
Historic Magazines given new lease of life (2014)
How have we made our magazines more accessible to users?
Ephemera Conservation (2013)
How do we look after collections that were never designed to be kept?
Katagami Conservation (2008)
How we conserved 400 very important yet fragile Japanese stencils, or katagami
(2008) Funded Conservation: designs by Winifred Mold
This conservation project focused on the work on one specific Silver Studio designer, Winifred Mold.
(2007) Funded Conservation: Japanese materials
A grant from the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation helped to improve our knowledge of the Japanese items in our collections.
Funded Conservation: AHRC Interwar Suburban Style (2006)
A generous grant of £42,000 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded an ambitious re-housing and cataloguing program of around 3,000 Silver Studio designs on paper.
(2006) Funded Conservation: Silver Studio designs
In 2006 a grant from the MLA enabled us to re-house some original Silver Studio designs for wallpaper, dating from the 1880s and 1890s.
Textile Conservation (2004)
How grant-funded projects enabled MoDA to conserve our collection of Silver Studio textile samples.
Over the years we've worked with numerous conservation students and their work has enhanced our knowledge of the collections
Elisabeth Randell: Conserving Transparent Paper
What are the challenges of conserving transparent paper?
Student Conservator sheds new light on Silver Studio designs
Arantza Dobbels (MA Paper Conservation, UAL) used scientific analysis to help her conserve eight Silver Studio designs.
Tracing Paper
MoDA's Preventative Conservation Officer, Emma Shaw, shares her knowledge of tracing papers
Naoko Nomoto: Silver Studio grasspaper stencils (2018)
Our conservator Emma Shaw looked at some intriguing stencilled materials of the 1890s with the help of Naoko Nomoto, a postgraduate volunteer.
Rebekah Harbord: A work placement project
MA Conservation student Rebekah Harbord summarises her work on 1940s designs at MoDA