Cleaning 1950s Andy Warhol Fabric

[Joji Furukawa]

This is sort of a show and tell but also I need a little help. I just won 4 yards of this wonderful and super rare fabric on eBay (for a very low price) designed by Andy Warhol and printed around 1955 from a drawing done in 1951 originally intended for a greeting card. It arrived today and there are a few stains on it that I would like to remove. They are black and smudgy, they look a little like pencil. What would be the best way to remove them without damaging the print? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also would this be something worth donating to a musuem? It's a spectacular print and I've only seen 2 other examples of this print in different colourways.

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

That is fun! Have you tried to just spot clean the smudges?

 

[pinky-a-gogo]

fantastic!

I would try this first.....get a brand new kneaded eraser. Pull it til its soft and pliable.
Then lightly lay it on top of the smudge.
DONT RUB it hard.....just kinda press it on top of the smudge lightly.

Every time you lift the eraser off of the fabric--knead it to make it soft and it kneads the dirt back into itself.

Don't rub. Press lightly.

If you want to send it to me -- I would be more than happy to work on it pinkeleemoti

 

[Joji Furukawa]

Pinky, I know exactly what type of eraser you're talking about!! I live close to several art supply stores so I'll pick one up and try it. If it doesn't work, I'll go with what you said Mary Jane, and spot clean it. The stains look relatively harmless so they shouldn't be too hard to get out. Thank you both for your help!

 

[bycinbyhand]

What a treasure!!

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

I hope that eraser trick works, that would be the best!!!

 

[pinky-a-gogo]

i've used it in the past on cotton material that had dirt like smudges and it worked really well.
I've also used it on a deadstock lace corset that had some smudges from storage and it worked well -- as long as you don't rub, you have to pat.

 

[Joji Furukawa]

For anyone who is interested, here are the 2 other examples of the fabric, the first was from an exhibit a while back featuring fabric designed by several famous artists and the second is from an eBay listing:

This is an ad done by Andy Warhol for Schiaparelli gloves with a similar horse (unicorn):

And finally a drawing done perhaps as a rough draft for the ad:

Pretty neat!

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

I saw that ad at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts took a photo of it. Good luck removing the smudge and great find!!!

 

[bycinbyhand]

My father in law was a young copywriter on Madison Avenue in the early-mid 1950s. The young Andy Warhol used to come in on portfolio days to share his portfolio. FIL said his drawings were incredible and nothing they ever could use but he kept coming in. They were of shoes. He worked for the department stores nearby.

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

Cin, your dad was an original "Mad Man"!

 

[bycinbyhand]

Cin, your dad was an original "Mad Man"!

My FIL (father in law) and he sure was. He and my Mil were in NYC when it really was the center of the universe. They weren't pretentious in the least and were around when other amazing cultural icons were vital and young. I loved their stories!!