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I will not revisit the extraordinary history of these two War of 1812 flags (a story told by Carl Benn in the July 2007 issue of Fife and Drum), except to mention that their survival almost defies belief. Textiles of this vintage are rare enough, but those made of fragile silk are even more so. Add to these facts that the colours were believed to have been buried in 1813 to prevent their capture, and then were on display in St. James’ Cathedral for the next hundred years, and their survival to see their bicentennial is remarkable. The latest effort to conserve the colours began with their transfer from St. James’ Cathedral to the City of Toronto, a move aided by The Friends of Fort York. The City’s Museum Services first applied for conservation treatment at the 10 The Fife and Drum
Canadian Conservation Institute in 2007. The colours were accepted for conservation a year later, with actual treatment commencing in April 2009. Textile conservators at CCI were excited about the project because it allowed them to study the previous conservation treatments that had been applied to the textiles, such as the stitching of cotton net over the flag fragments in 1927, and the use of a King’s Colour – before conservation 1970s.1 Plexiglas pressure mount in the This project was a rare opportunity to study the materials used previously, and judge their suitability and survival over time, prior to undertaking the new conservation treatment.
1. Vuori, Jan, Renee Dancause, and Janet Wagner. “Conserving Canadian Reflections on Conservation, Ottawa: Canadian Conservation Institute, Identity: The Colours of the Third Regiment of York Militia,” 2012. Alex Avdichuk, Supervisor of Collections and Conservation, City of city museums. Toronto Museum Services, oversees the artifact collection for ten
2013 Upcoming Events Historic Fort York Canada Day @ Fort York Mon. July 1, 10 am to 5 pm Spend Canada’s special day at Fort York, the birthplace of urban Toronto. Kids can enjoy various take-away crafts, face-painting, hula-hooping, and storytelling sessions. Enjoy the varied tours, bring a picnic, and learn the exciting story of this National Historic Site. This is a Celebrate Canada event sponsored by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage. Regular admission.
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