Amelia Fowler
Encyclopedia
Amelia Fowler, an embroidery
teacher
and well-known flag
preserver, was the master needle
worker who restored the original Star Spangled Banner in 1914. By that time, the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key
to write the United States
national anthem
was just "a frail piece of bunting
." But Fowler called upon her patent
ed preservation techniques to save it from further deterioration
. She used dyed-to-match silk
thread and employed ten assistants to reinforce the 1020 square feet (94.8 m²) relic
. They anchored it onto Irish linen
with 1.7 million of Fowler's special honeycomb
patterned, six-sided stitches. It took eight weeks to finish the preservation process. Upon completion, she claimed the restored flag would "defy the test of time," and charged the government
$1,243.
Eighty-four years later, in 1998, ongoing conservation efforts at the Smithsonian Institution budgeted $18.2 million to preserving the same flag. Today, all of the stitches from Fowler's earlier preservation attempt have been removed, as well as the linen backing.
Embroidery
Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and well-known flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
preserver, was the master needle
Sewing needle
A sewing needle is a long slender tool with a pointed tip. The first needles were made of bone or wood; modern ones are manufactured from high carbon steel wire, nickel- or 18K gold plated for corrosion resistance. The highest quality embroidery needles are plated with two-thirds platinum and...
worker who restored the original Star Spangled Banner in 1914. By that time, the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
to write the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
was just "a frail piece of bunting
Bunting (textile)
Bunting was originally a specific type of lightweight worsted wool fabric generically known as tammy, manufactured from the turn of the 17th century, and used for making ribbons. and flags, including signal flags for the Royal Navy...
." But Fowler called upon her patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed preservation techniques to save it from further deterioration
Deterioration
Deterioration is a term now commonly used in health care, to describe worsening of a patient's condition. It is often used as a shortened form of 'deterioration not recognised or not acted upon'. Much work to reduce harm from deterioration has been undertaken by the National Patient Safety Agency...
. She used dyed-to-match silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
thread and employed ten assistants to reinforce the 1020 square feet (94.8 m²) relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
. They anchored it onto Irish linen
Irish linen
Irish linen is the brand name given to linen produced in Ireland. Linen is cloth woven from, or yarn spun from the flax fibre, which was grown in Ireland for many years before advanced agricultural methods and more suitable climate led to the concentration of quality flax cultivation in northern...
with 1.7 million of Fowler's special honeycomb
Honeycomb
A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal waxcells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen.Beekeepers may remove the entire honeycomb to harvest honey...
patterned, six-sided stitches. It took eight weeks to finish the preservation process. Upon completion, she claimed the restored flag would "defy the test of time," and charged the government
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
$1,243.
Eighty-four years later, in 1998, ongoing conservation efforts at the Smithsonian Institution budgeted $18.2 million to preserving the same flag. Today, all of the stitches from Fowler's earlier preservation attempt have been removed, as well as the linen backing.