| Abstract: | SUMMARIES. An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of fumigation by anoxia on textiles dyed with Prussian blue. The experiment reproduced methods used in real fumigation treatments in museums. The chemistry of Prussian blue dye suggested that it might fade by reduction in anoxic conditions, but that this fading might spontaneously reverse on re-exposure to air. Victorian dye recipes were adapted to make two main types of Prussian blue dye for the experiment. The experiment used tristimulus colour measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry to assess colour change in the dye after a three-week fumigation using Ageless®. Statistical analysis showed that anoxic fumigation caused significant fading and chemical change in Prussian blue. The effects of textile type and dye type were also studied. Partial reversal of fading was noted; after two weeks' re-exposure to air some samples had fully recovered, while others still showed some colour change. It is recommended that anoxic fumigation should not be used on historic textiles dyed with Prussian blue, since deteriorated dye may not recover from fading as well as the modem samples tested. |
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