National Museum of Australia - Melbourne Cup jockey silks conservation

National Museum textile conservators conducted treatments on two historic jockeys silks — a twentieth century set in the Croatian/Australian colours of Tony Santic, owner of three-time Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva; and a nineteenth century set in the colours of William Forrester, owner of Gaulus and The Grafter who won the Melbourne Cup in 1897 and 1898 respectively — in preparation for their display in the new Landmarks gallery.

The Santic silks, worn and autographed by Glen Boss, a Sydney jockey also known as 'Bossy', arrived at the Museum framed flat. The silks were released from their non-archival mounting and framing system to enable their display on a custom-made mannequin. Staining on the Forrester silks was investigated with ultraviolet light technology, assisting conservators to develop treatment options while considering the age and stability of the material. The stain was then treated with solvent and other areas of damage repaired.

Photos: George Serras.

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Conservator Deb Spoehr uses ultraviolet light to investigate staining on racing silks worn by the jockeys of Gaulus and the Grafter in 1897 and 1898 Melbourne Cup races.

Conservator Deb Spoehr tests the solubility of the stains on the silks.

Test solutions are applied with a cotton swab and absorbed with acid-free blotter.

Deb Spoehr aligns the weave as the first step in stabilising a weakened area. A silk gauze backing will then be coated with a conservation quality adhesive and heat-set in position.

The silk repair is positioned over the back of the weak area on the sleeve. A piece of silicone release film is positioned over the silk backing.

A small heated spatula is used to heat-set the adhesive securing the silk backing over the weak area. Silicone-release film separates the silk garment from the heated spatula.