Autant en emporte le vent. Etude et restauration de la robe de Scarlett provenant de la Cinémathèque française : cataplasme, décollage et nettoyage à grande échelle

The mythical qualities that permeate certain cinema costumes are not always enough to protect them from the ravages of time or a prolonged exposure. One of the few remaining costumes worn by the actress Vivien Leigh for her celebrated interpretation of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), the dress studied in this dissertation, from the collections of the Cinémathèque Française, is no exception to the rule. This fragile and degraded textile has been altered by a number of repairs fixed with synthetic adhesives. The first objective of the applied research portion of the dissertation was thus to elaborate a protocol for the successful and safe removal of these repairs through the use of montmorillonite clay poultices and different solvents. The second objective was to adapt the system according to the various conditions confronted: local application, large-scale cleaning, and the combination of materials of different nature. The conservation treatment of the object was under an additional constraint: because the dress was to be loaned for an exhibition during the school year, a precise and detailed treatment strategy was indispensable.