Many of the objects that come into the Conservation labs are from Wiltshire Museums.

This month conservators have been working on a glass sign belonging to Mere Museum. The sign, advertising ‘Attaboy Hats’, came to the labs in several pieces. The museum would like to put it on display as part of an exhibition about local industry in Mere.

The sign before repainting
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‘Attaboy’ refers to a type of trilby hat that was introduced in the 1930s. It became very popular and continued in production for many years.

The glass before treatment

As the sign had been previously repaired, conservators had to clean off the old adhesive before repositioning the pieces and fixing them back into place. The design for the sign has been painted onto the back of the glass and areas of this have been lost as a result of the breakage. Conservators will have to try and match the colours so that the filled areas blend in with the original paint.


During treatment