Preserving Painted Jacket

[huntssurplus]

Hello,

I have a painted field jacket in my collection which I have displayed on a mannequin bust currently. The paint on the back is pretty worn, but you can still clearly make out what the image was. I have curtains over the windows in the room so not a lot of light can get through, but I am worried that some extra light might shine through the curtains and possibly damage the paint on the back of the jacket. Any idea the best way to preserve it? I'm thinking some sort of mannequin cover? And how worried should I be about light shining through the curtains? I don't have all my collection displayed, but for the items that are stored away securely is there anything more I should do to try and protect them from light and other damage?

Thanks

Hunt

[ken88]

I'd keep it in either a dark room but not in a closet, or in a closet but wrapped in acid free paper + in a wedding dress box. 

 

Curtains + glass are probably enough to block most of the sun's natural UV rays but the jacket would most certainly be safest in a dark environment that is not too warm and not too cold. This is also why you should prevent storing it in closet with the doors closed since humidity is one of the main concerns when it comes to leather preservation.