So it's been nearly a year and a half (maybe more) since I last posted about this conservation project. I had just finished making a velcro mount for future 'potential' hanging of the banner at my parents cottage. It was decided while I was back for a visit this past long August weekend that it would be a good time to finally find this thing in a permanent hanging place!
After digging around in the basement of the house, I found an appropriate piece of wood and cut it to fit the wall over the stairs. I attached the other part of the velcro to this board using an epoxy mix-let it dry, then staple-gunned the velcro to be sure it was solidly on and not going anywhere. I then mounted the board above the stairs from a ladder, using 4 nails which I hammered through the velcro and board into the panneling and support beam on the wall, and proceeded to fit the banner to the board. Thanks to some direction from below as to banner straightness, I matched the two velcro pieces by feel and gradually unrolled the textile into its final resting place.
Attaching velcro-d banner to board
View from top of the stairs
Hopefully the banner will now be here permanently because it's an interesting heirloom that's been in the Denison family since the 19th century and until I managed to fix it up upon request from my mom, it had been stored away in really poor condition. It felt good to conserve something that had both familial and historic value and to know that it now will be up for people to see when they come visit. Next step: interpretation panel at the top of the stairs explaining the history of the Egyptian textile so people have a bit more context, and to understand why and how it has come to be here.
Egyptian banner, 1880's, linen
Brought back from Khartoum by
Frederick Charles Denison
Frederick Denison (my great, great grandfather) was a military officer based in Toronto and was sent on some interesting expeditions! He was also one of the first Denisons to build a cottage on the island where we now have ours. Here's a link to the history:
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio.php?id_nbr=6060
