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Jennie rolling up Kuba cloth

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Overskirt (Kuba)
Maker Once Known, Kuba People (Bushoong Group) (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Overskirt (n.d.)
raffia, bark cloth
160.0 x 74.0 cm
Gift of Anna Cooper Heath
H-654

This textile is an overskirt. Made by the Kuba people, this type of cloth is a raffia fiber textile that originates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is known for bold geometric patterns in contrasting colors, such as the black and tan triangles surrounded by a border of black zigzags that can be seen in the cloth above. According the Metropolitan Museum of Art, men and women had specific roles in making textiles: "Cloth was woven from the fibers of the raffia palm by Kuba men and then given to Kuba women, who stitched the separate pieces together, dyed them, and decorated them. Wrappers for both men and women were created from several panels of cloth and embellished with appliquéd cloth or with embroidered geometric designs." You can find out more about Kuba produced textiles from the Met. This particular cloth is characteristic of a Bushoong overskirt, "with a central patchwork panel of black-and-white triangles surrounded on three sides by embroidered raffia panels" (Gillow 2003: 202). In the book African Textiles, author John Gillow indicates that the raffia panels on these overskirts are far more durable than the inner bark cloth panel, so it is not atypical to see older raffia panels reused on new overskirts as the bark cloth wears out (2003: 202). Overskirts of this type are considered to be particularly prestigious, and "are often draped over bodies at funerals" (Gillow 2003: 202).

In the image above, Jennie, collection assistant, is filling in a condition report on this overskirt. The top half of the form has fill-in-the-blanks that captures object information such as object name, (overskirt) object number (H-654), artist/maker (Kuba people, artist once known), medium (bark cloth and raffia), dimensions, marks/labels, signature/inscriptions, etc. The form’s bottom half has a blank space for the examiner to write a detailed description of the object’s condition and wear. In this case, the examiner has written “Numerous holes throughout. The center of this tapa is a pattern of black and cream alternating triangles. It is surrounded by a border of black and tan zigzags. One end has been cut off. “EDK” is written on the edge with ink.” These notes are often accompanied by sketches or photographs to illustrate and record any damage. What condition notes would you make about this textile in the photograph?
Condition Reporting Jennie Smithken-Lindsay, Collections Assistant

After the textile has been photographed, the next step in this process is to complete a condition report. A condition report is a written and visual description of an object’s appearance, it’s state of preservation, and any damage, at a particular point in time. The information is captured in a standardized document, that allows collection staff to gather the same information in every instance. You can see an example of a blank report here . Condition reports can be conducted on an object when it first enters a collection, when it is going on exhibit, or when it is part of a project like this.

To begin, the textile is laid out on a flat, clean, well-lit area. The tools on hand may be a magnifying glass, a flashlight, a pencil, a paper copy of the condition report form, and a laptop for recording additional information and for access to the museum’s digital collections database.
Next, the collection staff member observes the overall object.Does the object appear to be extremely fragile? Extremely fragile object require extra care and consideration when being manipulated, and this fragility is flagged and special handling needs are noted in the condition report.

Then, the staff closely inspects the object. Are there parts or segments that are folded or closed? If these areas cannot be opened easily they are never forced open. Instead a note is made in the report. Are there any stains, spots, chips on buttons, missing pigment, holes, pulled or frayed threads? All of these are examples of damages that are looked for. Are there any previous repairs? Both the size and location of the damages are recorded.

After a condition report is completed, the textile is placed back on its roll. This is done by laying the storage tube at one of the textile, pictured here.Holding the end of the textile to the side of the tube firmly but gently, the staff member begins rolling the tube down the textile, winding the textile around the tube as it goes. Once the entire textile is wound around the tube, a layer of acid-free tissue is tied around it to protect it, as seen here.
By doing a condition report, the collection staff will immediately notice any damage that has occurred. This allows staff to keep track of the physical condition of the object, and apply any necessary conservation measures to ensure the stability of the object. These reports also help staff monitor the overall health of the collection.
All rolled up, putting the textiles away Jessica Nelson, Curatorial Assistant

After condition reporting, we re-rolled each piece and wrapped them up again in their storage materials (usually acid-free tissue paper). We replaced storage materials as needed during this process, usually because they were torn. Making sure the label with the textile’s object number was attached to the outside of the bundle, we’d then also mark the storage location the object needed to be returned to with a sticky-note.

At the end of a day of photographing, it was time to put away the completed pieces. To speed up the process, I’d sort the pile of textiles by location, grouping by shelf and pole. This meant Jennie and I could be systematic in our reshelving of the textiles on their poles, bringing back batches of objects that belonged on the same shelf location and starting with the furthest back poles then working our way forward as we put everything to rights again.