Keratin-based materials
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Textile Specialty Group Conservation Wiki
Editors: Abby Cottier, Janet Lee, and Jackie Peterson-Grace.
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Copyright: 2026. The Textile Wiki pages are a publication of the Textile Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. The Textile Wiki pages are published for the members of the Textile Specialty Group. Publication does not endorse or recommend any treatments, methods, or techniques described herein.
Hair and fur
Examples of hair and fur in dress and textile collections
Fur coats and accessories, hair jewelry, etc.
Identification techniques
Microscopy, etc.
Condition concerns for hair and fur
Climate causing brittleness, fur falling off of skin, etc.
Considerations for treatment
Feathers
Examples of feathers in dress and textile collections
Fabrics woven with feathers, headdresses and hats, fans, boas, etc.
Identification techniques
Microscopy, etc.
Condition concerns for feathers
Brittleness, broken shafts and barbs, loss of shape, etc.
Considerations for treatment
Because of the ease with which the shape of feathers can be distorted, careful handling is of great importance. Feathers can be cleaned in a variety of ways.
Horn
Examples of horn in dress and textile collections
Buttons, jewelry, etc.
Identification techniques
Visual inspection, etc.
Condition concerns for horn
Brittleness, splitting, etc.
Considerations for treatment
Should not be wet cleaned.
Quills
Examples of quills in dress and textile collections
Porcupine quills are most often found in collections of indigenous North American dress and textiles. Many indigenous groups use quills couched onto leather as a form of embroidery. Quills are also sometimes used in indigenous jewelry and accessories.
Identification techniques
Visual inspection, etc.
Condition concerns for quills
Dissociation and loss, brittleness, etc.
Considerations for treatment
Baleen
Examples of baleen in dress and textile collections
Baleen is most often found in collections of Western dress from the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. Baleen was valued for its unique combination of rigidity and flexibility and was commonly used for structure in corsets and bodices.
Identification techniques
Visual inspection, etc.
Condition concerns for baleen
Brittleness, dissociation, etc.
Considerations for treatment
Baleen should not be wet cleaned. If a garment using baleen boning is to be wet cleaned, the baleen bones should be removed first and re-inserted once the garment is dry.
Further Reading
Lauffenburger, Julie A. 1993. "Baleen in Museum Collections: Its Sources, Uses, and Identification." Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 32 (3): 213-230.
Pearlstein, Ellen, M. Hughs, J. Mazurek, K. McGraw, C. Pesme, and M. Garcia-Garibay. 2014. "Correlations between Photomechanical Damage and UV Fluorescence of Feathers." Preprints: ICOM-CC 17th Triennial Conference, Melbourne, Australia, September 15-19th.
Pearlstein, Ellen, ed. 2017. The Conservation of Featherwork from Central and South America. London: Archetype Publications.
Renée, Riddler, Christel Pesme, James Druzik, Molly Gleeson, Ellen Pearlstein. 2014. "A Review of Color-Producing Mechanisms in Feathers and Their Influence on Preventive Conservation Strategies." Journal of American Institute for Conservation 53 (1): 44-65.
UCLA/Getty Conservation. 2024. The Art & Science of Feathers, Biology, Persistence, and Meaning. Symposium May 10–11, 2024. (conservation.ucla.edu)
Wright, Margot M., ed. 2002. The Conservation of Fur, Feather, and Skin. London: Archetype.
