Category: conservation

I thought I’d share some photographs with examples of how significantly textile dyes can change over time. In some instances, the original colour can only be discerned when an area of the shoe, not exposed to light, is examined. These shoes were purchased at auction in 1988; Belgian or French, 1710 – 1730. You can […]

People always ask me if there are any artefacts in the BSM collection that make me trepidatious when handling. The answer is: moccasins made with this rich dark brown colour of deerskin, achieved by immersing the cleaned skin in a different types of natural dyes. Each artist has their own method depending on regionally available […]

The beginning of the professional tennis season starts with the Australian Open in January. With that in mind, let’s explore a donation of Nike Challenge Court tennis shoes autographed by John McEnroe in 1984. He gave them to Mrs. Bata after a Players International Championship match she attended at the National Tennis Centre at York […]

By Conservator Ada Hopkins Sometimes there isn’t enough time to perform a compete treatment on an object and the resulting work I refer to fondly as ‘guerilla conservation’. It is done quickly, with minimal materials, but conservation intervention is adequate for the purpose; in this case displaying a dress on a mannequin. For The Roaring […]

Mounting the gutskin parka for the Arctic exhibition required some creativity. It is so light and translucent and we wanted to impart these features to museum guests. Putting the parka on a mannequin wouldn’t be suitable since the intestine when dry is brittle, making for a very stiff form. We decided to use an acrylic […]

Since we’re all stuck at home these days, I thought I’d jump into the way-back machine and visit 2011. I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to travel with work, whether it takes me to an international conference or somewhere new to install a traveling exhibition. In April 2011, I went to the Czech […]

Unrolled parka While it might not look like it at first glance, this rolled up bundle is a parka made and worn by Irene Davis of Nunivik Island, Alaska. The parka was slated for display in our Arctic-themed exhibition Art and Innovation but in order to assess its condition for display the parka had to […]

In 1989 the BSM acquired a beautifully embroidered jacket with matching leggings. The museum collects clothing to display with footwear to help the visitor better understand the overall look of a complete outfit. This piece of clothing was made in the 1870s by a highly accomplished Cree/Métis artist from Norway House, a community in northern […]

This bejeweled gold velvet mule with extended tongue/shin ornament was designed by Roger Vivier in 1964. It was purchased at auction by the Roger Vivier Archives in Paris, France and generously loaned for the entire run of the Bata Shoe Museum’s retrospective of the designer’s career Roger Vivier: From Process to Perfection in 2012. Side […]

Slap sole shoes were developed in the early 1600’s as a means to protect the shoe from sinking into the ground. It featured a 2-part system where a shoe was slipped inside a flat sole mule (backless shoe). By the mid-17th century these two components had become integral and primarily a dress staple for the […]