Conservation and analysis of textiles recovered from exhumed human remains after more than a century of burial

Abstract

An 1891 indigent Chinese burial in an East Perth cemetery was exhumed in 2020 with textiles covering the upper part of the body. The project was to conserve the textiles for future exhibitions and to relocate the bones at a new ossuary. The ethical issues pertaining to the treatment of the human remains were approved by the Chung Wah Association. The conservation process recovered remnants of a singlet, vest, jacket, belt, a scarf, and fragments of a purse. Surface pH and chloride readings established the decay process while the influence of the timber coffin on the microenvironment was also noted. The rock-solid sand and textile matrix was softened with the protein dissolving Alcalase enzyme, which facilitated removal of a complex matrix of plant roots along the bones. Rehumidification of the partially cleaned textiles with aqueous glycerol solutions improved the strength and viability of the very degraded woollen fabrics. Analysis of the degraded wool by x-ray fluorescence and FTIR showed that chromium dyes were responsible for their preservation while phosphate from dissolving bones accelerated decay. The XRF data also enabled identification of the mordants used in the dying process. It took over seven months of work to complete the project.