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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of low oxygen atmospheres on color change in dyed textiles. Low oxygen atmospheres are used for pest control in museum textile collections. Additionally, because atmospheric oxygen is recognized as a primary agent of deterioration, there is considerable interest in using low oxygen atmospheres for long-term storage of sensitive historic objects, such as textiles. However, several researchers have reported unwanted color change when using these methods.
This study included three groups of fiber/dye combinations: natural fibers dyed with natural dyes--the combination found in the majority of historic textile collections at present; natural and synthetic fibers dyed with synthetic dyes, including several used for standards in lightfastness testing; and cotton dyed with two fluorescent dyes. The last two groups represent textiles that will become more prominent in collections as material culture from the twentieth century is collected. All specimens were exposed to created atmospheres under conditions of light and dark.
Low oxygen atmospheres appeared to provide some level of protection against color change for most, but not all, dyes. As expected, color change of specimens stored in total absence of light was less than on specimens stored under continuous light, regardless of level of atmospheric oxygen. One of the fluorescent dyes exhibited more color change in a low oxygen atmosphere than in an ambient air atmosphere. While color change from light exposure was reduced for the other dyes by storage in low oxygen atmospheres, some color change did occur. Storage in low oxygen did not equate to no color change.
