UA UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH & CREATIVE ACTIVITY CONFERENCE
2022

Digitally Documenting Objects in The Fashion Archive: Beta Testing an Object Condition Report
(poster presentation)

Gracey Woodson
Anthropology (Class of 2024)

Dr. Marcy L. Koontz, Faculty Advisor

When an object is accessioned into a museum collection the first step in the process is to perform a complete examination of its condition. This vital data is essential for ensuring the proper conservation and care of the objects in perpetuity. There are no known object condition reports conducted on any of the thousands of objects in storage prior to 2018 in The Fashion Archive. The collection of historic and contemporary dress at The University of Alabama, established by Miss Henrietta Thompson in the 1930s, has had many curators over the decades who instituted a variety of documentation methods and procedures which have never been reconciled.

This poster showcases how using a tablet, pencil, and apps can effectively and efficiently streamline the time-consuming process of conducting an object condition report. The sample for this study included a small capsule collection containing 19 objects donated in fall 2018. The objects range in date from the 1900s-1940s and are constructed from a variety of materials. A fillable PDF form was beta tested and refined throughout the process which included the following steps: photographing the front and back of the object in a flat position, accurately measuring the object, using a color coding system to document any degradation, and entering all associated data including donor information.

To date, eight forms have been completed and were instantly made accessible via cloud storage and linked to all corresponding documents in the database. A moratorium was placed on all donations to The Fashion Archive in 2018 and when it is removed, all future objects accessioned into the collection will go through this condition reporting process. In the interim, these reports will continue to be conducted on each of the thousands of previously accessioned objects.