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Bennington Museum has received significant funding from two grants to restore an 1811 two-sided cream silk and painted flag of the Washington Benevolent Society, of Bennington, Vermont.
The Washington Benevolent Society was a grass-roots political group active from 1808-1816 and run by the Federalist Party to electioneer for votes. The Bennington chapter was organized in July 1811 by Gov. Isaac Tichenor. The seventeen gold seven-pointed stars encircling image on the banner symbolize the seventeen states in the Union at that time. For many years after the Society was disbanded, their processional banner hung in the Tichenor house. It was given to the Museum by descendants in 1927 and restored according to the practice of the day. It hung in the Museum’s Church Gallery for many years, but is too fragile to display today.
The goal of the proposed restoration is to reverse the previous treatment from 1928 which added many un-original stitched embellishments, and to stabilize and mount the obverse side. The reverse side will be cleaned, humidified, and rehoused so that it can be safely displayed to the public once more in 2024. The restoration for this artifact may cost upwards of $30,000 and will be completed by Spicer Art Conservation in Delmar, NY, the areas’ preeminent textile conservator.
We are so grateful that this project was made possible in part through the generous sponsorship of the Brattleboro Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, but we still need your help to completely fund this endeavor.
If you would like to make a gift to support this conservation effort, please just click the link below and enter your gift designation into the notes. Thank you! |
