Fur preservation

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Poster advertising for “fur storage of fur at 4 ° C” by the Viennese company Tustý-Knöpflmacher & Comr (early 20th century)

Under Fur preservatives , or simply preservation in which it is fur trade warehousing and maintenance of customer furs fur understood by specialist companies. Naturally, this mainly takes place in the summer months, when most items of fur clothing are not worn. The service, also known as fur storage , primarily serves to protect against harmful external influences, such as drying out of the leather or pests, as well as the care of the furs by freshening the hair, checking for damage and knocking out or blowing out dirt and possible harmful insects, such as clothes moths or other insect pests. In addition, the furs are largely insured against possible damage during this period.

There are also the non-treated here preservation of Rohfellen , with the skins after Entbalgen to the dressing be protected (tanning) from rot and pests.

General

The professional fur storage ensures the best possible preservation of the mostly valuable fur clothing items in the time when the parts are not worn. Coats and jackets are kept hanging on hangers in conservation rooms. In addition to fur-trimmed textiles, small items such as fur hats, caps and muffs are also included in the preservation, as well as fur blankets , and earlier also woolen items to a greater extent. Experts have observed fur deposits on various pieces over a period of more than 30 years and have come to the conclusion that pieces that have been stored in cold conditions retain a much longer service life and brilliance.

The preservation room should be dark to prevent fading, as cool as possible to prevent the reproduction of moth larvae and have a relative humidity of 40 to 60 percent to prevent mold, but above all the more damaging drying out and brittleness of the leather. The storage at temperatures of just above freezing point, which was advertised when refrigerators first appeared, is hardly offered in Central Europe any more. A regular exchange of air prevents or reduces any inherent or foreign smell of the fur. The specialist trade offers means with which the conservation rooms can be fogged once during the storage period to protect against insect infestation.

There are some sayings and peasant rules about the time a fur is worn:

"If it storms and snows on Karolus (November 4th), then get your fur ready".
“You don't have to take off your fur too early.” Grimm's dictionary says: “The Spaniards recommend not to take off your fur before the Galilean day ( Ascension of Christ ); and also in Venice they say: Piu si giorno dei Galilei no te spogiar dei pani miei. (Oracle, 1046-1047.) ".
In German, the date of the Ascension Day is often jokingly extended over the summer, for example: “The farmer (or“ Ein Ostpreuße ”,“ A good German ”etc.) according to the old fashion, wears his fur until Ascension Day. If his stomach still hurts then he will carry it to Bartholmä (August 24th) ",
or in more detail: “An East Prussian of the right kind, wears his fur until Ascension Day; if he then begins to freeze, he carries him to Sankt Johann; and if his stomach still hurts, he carries it to Bartholomä; if he still feels cold, he puts it on again ",
and warning: "If you use your fur in summer, you will have to freeze in winter".
1931: "The rooms of the municipal depository in Berlin overcrowded, a sign of our need!"

Towards the end of the 20th century, at least in the Catholic Rhineland, it was still known to many that people were allowed to wear their furs from All Saints' Day (November 1st), as was customary and appropriate . A large part of the preserved furs was then delivered by this date.

An insider tip until after the Second World War (1939–1945) was to give the furs inexpensively to one of the pawn shops in the spring instead of to the furrier , which mostly also had storage rooms for fur goods - even if the fur was not looked after there. When the furs, which used to be relatively timelessly cut, became more and more popular, most pawn shops no longer accepted furs. It had become too difficult for them to estimate the current value of the fur pledges; if the parts were not picked up and then sold, they often did not yield the amount of money on which they were loaned.

history

Fur preservation and cooling machine for the Berlin department store Rudolph Hertzog in 1914

A still existing instruction from 1699 to pick up and clean the fur of the Electress Anna Maria Luisa von der Pfalz, who resides in Düsseldorf, to her local furrier Johann Welen (Wolon) shows that at that time the fur workers were already taking care of the storage and the had taken care of the customer's furs. On July 2, the Electress paid four Reichstaler for this service; the number and type of furs kept for it was apparently not mentioned. In Augsburg, too, as was mentioned in 1698, there were smokers traders who had previously learned the craft of furriers and who knew best how to “keep smokers like this in the safest way from cockroaches and similar vermin and other harmful things. "

Since around the middle of the 18th century, the furriers have increasingly taken over the summer storage for the fur goods, which has been called "fur preservation" since the establishment of cold stores. An old textbook says: "If they [the moth larvae] are not disturbed in their activity, it is a very terrible one, so the furrier tries not to let them be happy in their life." Therefore: "In storage and conservation of the fur, the beating stick plays the first and most important role ”. In 1897 it was said that the rooms for the furs given for summer storage were fumigated by the furrier with fir twigs or other softwood. In order to achieve the absolutely necessary dryness of the rooms, small amounts of gas or gunpowder were set on fire. Before pounding machines were introduced, knocking the furs took several weeks each year, especially in the larger businesses with several thousand furs to be stored that emerged at the end of the 19th century. An important argument in favor of fur preservation by furriers is the safekeeping of the furs, which is specially secured and insured against theft. The “Department for Conservation” of the renowned Berlin fur store CA Herpich Sons even advertised in 1926 with “day and night security” for “fur items, winter clothes, carpets, etc.”.

In the fur industry, before the Second World War, there was still the saying: "Conservation pays the rent". Today, with rising rents and wage costs, this line of business is viewed more than a customer service, with the advantage for the businessman of being able to welcome the customer to the store twice a year, in spring and especially at the beginning of winter - if not uses customer service for collection and delivery.

A delegation of German furriers visited the Revillon Frères fur store in Paris in 1929 and also inspected their fur preservation. At that time there were around 350,000 pieces of fur on 14 floors: "It was understood that when an average of 4 degrees cold, the guards in long furs and hats had to do their job ."

In the USA in particular, there were many cold stores that stored furs from private customers and from furriers who did not have their own cold rooms. Such companies that were founded after the Second World War no longer exist in Germany.

For storage of furs at home used to be expensive, as " fur caps called" air-tight metal cabinets or - sold "safes", too. Even today it is recommended that the furs be kept in linen sleeves that are permeable to air, to protect them against moths and the effects of bleaching light. However, if some of the moth larvae survived the thorough knocking out that was absolutely essential, they will probably be able to carry out their destructive work unhindered throughout the summer. Since they always gnaw the hair at the bottom of the hair, this is not noticeable at first glance. The typical characteristic of moth infestation is the hair loss in clumps, often starting at the lower hem. To counteract this, the containers were placed with moth-killing agents, or those that were thought to have at least a moth-deterrent effect. However, all of them had a strong smell of their own that did not disappear from the fur throughout the winter. The last used insecticide was the effective, but also strongly smelling naphthalene . Today's insect sprays , however, are very effective and much less intense odor. It is also possible to have furs made mothproof by so-called eulanization .

Fur storage in Frankenberg, Saxony, at the end of the 19th century

A study of the furrier in Frankenberg in Saxony from the year 1895, a difficult economic phase of the furrier trade there, also describes their fur storage:

During the mild season, all fur objects are exposed to the risk of the fur moth laying eggs in the hair. The voracious caterpillars that crawl out of them bite the hair at the bottom and separate it from the leather. The fur becomes unusable. There is only one means of protecting tobacco goods from this treacherous enemy: often thorough cleaning during the days of rest and keeping in a dark and cool place.
Many fur owners do this themselves; most leave it to the furrier. In April and May they bring him men's and women's furs, Müffe , boas , collars, caps , berets , sled blankets , foot muffs , fur boots, fur gloves, etc, sometimes woolen outer garments to pick them up again in the first cold days of autumn.
Immediately upon delivery, the furrier properly knocks out the goods, sometimes combed them out and swept them away, whereupon they wander into the storage room. The tapping is repeated after six to eight weeks and is done three to four times in total. A Frankenberg furrier receives an average of 150 to 160 furs for safekeeping, to which a number of smaller everyday objects are usually included. Each time it is cleaned, two men have to work five to six days. The fees to be paid for the preservation of fur have been agreed by the furriers' guild. A list of these agreements is posted in every furrier's shop. The following are to be paid for:
1. Women's furs worth 20 to 30 marks 0.50 marks,
" 35 - 50 " 0.60 "
" 50 - 70 " 0.75 "
" 70-100 " 1.00 "
" 100 - 150 " 1.25 "
" over 150 " 1% of the value of the same;
2. Men's furs worth 20 to 30 marks 0.80 marks,
" 50 - 75 " 1.00 "
" 75 - 110 " 1.25 "
" over 110 " 1% of the value of the same;
3. Sets (muff, boa, collar) worth 10 to 15 marks 0.30 marks,
" 15 - 30 " 0.50 "
and more 0.75 "
4. Footmuffs and other individual items (hats, etc.) 0.30 marks.
Note: The following remark can be found under the table: The above prices are to be regarded as minimum prices and should be included. Every member of the furrier guild who violates the regulation is subject to a fine of 20 marks to be paid to the guild office. The signed local furriers undertake to adhere to the above tariff. Follow the names.
The furrier insures the goods left to him against the risk of fire. If he is accepted into the first class of the insurance, he pays a premium of 1.50 per thousand marks and, in addition to the above rates, demands an amount of 0.20 marks per 100 marks and at least 0.10 from his customers Mark for smaller sums. The average annual revenue from storage is accordingly around 300 marks. If one takes into account that a good part of the repairs that are so important for today's operation are linked to the storage, one understands the phrase of a Frankenberg master: "A furrier who has no storage can safely pack again."

Scope of the service

Fur tapping machine with integrated cleaning barrel in a furrier business

Many of the fur-processing detail companies offer a collection of the parts, insofar as they also do conservation. The fur parts are checked in the presence of the customer or after they arrive at the workshop. Minor damage, such as broken lining seams, is repaired in the process. Larger damage is noted on the conservation certificate. The customer is informed of any damage caused by wear and tear (bald spots, worn edges) so that repairs can be carried out in the low-work spring and summer time, in good time before the cold season with the workshop, which is then busy. This also applies to any pending modernizations or a more thorough fur cleaning that goes beyond knocking .

maintenance

After the delivered piece of fur has been looked through and any cracks that may have occurred during wearing have been closed, it is tapped, either by hand or with a fur tapping machine → (main article: tapping (skinning) ). A possible moth infestation is recognized here, in which case the fur is treated separately. In North America, pounding the pelts in the fur preservation is generally not common, here the pelts are blown out with compressed air instead. A study commission of German experts in 1925 found this to be more hygienic (probably because of the dust filtering of the knocking machines, which at that time was mostly still missing) and more time-saving, but opinions differed about the overall advantages over knocking.

Depending on the type of coat and the machinery available, the hair is also refreshed with a steam steamer or smoothed with an ironing machine. The pockets are brushed out and matted edges are carefully combed out with a brass comb or a wire brush. The clothes hangers used should have the broadest possible shoulders to prevent the shoulders from deforming. The closures are closed and the part sorted according to the conservation number or customer name. Pay attention to a loose, not too dense hanging. Again and again, also in the first German reference book published by the Central Association of the Furrier Trade after the Second World War, it was recommended to knock the furs again while they were being kept.

insurance

Fur storage certificate for the Franz Feist furrier, Vienna (1874)

For the retention period, the custodian takes out special insurance for the customer; the conditions of the insurer are usually noted on the back of the conservation certificate. The conservation fee is mostly based on the insurance value. The valuation is usually based on an expert's estimate in consultation with the consignor. If the replacement or new value is not insured, an annual discount for the decrease in value due to aging is conceivable. Usually a minimum fee is required to at least partially cover the basic costs incurred by the custodian. The insurers also pay attention to a certain level of security in the preservation rooms (alarm systems, etc.).

Although most furs are delivered again at the beginning of the cold season, the items that have not been picked up are insured all year round and continue to be insured from the beginning of the following year, provided the customer does not object and picks up his part. The main reasons for staying here are furs that are unfashionable or no longer wearable due to a change in figure, illness or other personal circumstances. A few customers with a lot of furs fetch and possibly bring only part of the storage, depending on requirements.

The main contents of the conservation insurance of a contract drawn up with the Central Association of the Furrier Trade are (possible deviations with other insurance companies):

  • The term of a contract usually extends over a calendar (!) Year, even if the actual retention period is usually shorter.
  • The insurance is primarily liable for damage caused by fire, burglary, simple theft, loss, tap water damage and relevant transport damage.
  • The keeper is liable for damage that occurs within the retention period (especially for moth damage).
  • There is no liability for damage caused by the natural properties of the fur, damage caused by the fragility of the leather, which is mostly age-related.
  • There is no liability for external influences such as war, riot, looting, earthquake, etc.
  • The amount of liability is limited by the substitute values ​​stated on the conservation certificate, with the restriction: "[...] although the keeper is free to choose whether to pay for the replacement in cash, by restoring the condition or in nature".

Further points of the insurance contract relate, among other things, to the maximum period until the customer can assert any damage that may have occurred; the authorization for collection by third parties; Shipping conditions and the timely announcement of collection in the event of sudden cold, as well as the legal lien of the keeper and the consequences of non-collection.

Web links

Commons : Fur Preservation  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Günther Goltz: Fur Conservation - Cold Storage of Hides and Furs . In: Rund um den Pelz , No. 2, February 1951, Fulde-Verlag Cologne, p. 31.
  2. ↑ Horst Wiethüchter: Company studies on rationalization possibilities in the furrier trade . Handicraft Institute at the Technical University of Hanover, research center of the German Handicraft Institute e. V. (eds.), P. 7. ( → table of contents .)
  3. ↑ Paul Schöps, Kurt Häse, Hans Erdmann: For the storage of fur . In: Das Pelzgewerbe , 1957 No. 2, Hermelin-Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Berlin, Leipzig, p. 64.
  4. ↑ a b Author collective: Der Kürschner. Technical and textbook for the furrier trade. 2nd revised edition. Vocational training committee of the central association of the furrier trade (ed.), JP Bachem publishing house, Cologne 1956, p. 75. → Book cover and table of contents .
  5. ↑ a b Grimm: German dictionary . Volume VII, p. 1206.
  6. ↑ Konrad Held: "The old- fashioned farmer wears his fur until Ascension Day" . In: Donaukurier , May 28, 2003
  7. ↑ Jürgen Rainer Wolf (eds.): The cabinet accounts of Electress Anna Maria Luisa von der Pfalz (1667–1743) , Volume 1. Klartext Verlag, Essen, 2015, p. 353.
  8. ↑ Christoff Weigel: Illustration of the common-useful main stalls From which regents and their servants assigned in times of peace and war, bit on all artists and craftsmen: After every job and job, mostly drawn after life and placed in copper, even after Dero origin Nutzbar- and memoirs, short but thoroughly described, and brand new yet laid the day . Regensburg, 1698, p. 618. Last accessed on January 25, 2020.
  9. ↑ P. Larisch: The furriers and their characters . Self-published, Berlin 1928, pp. 156, 167, 175–176.
  10. ↑ Paul Cubaeus, "practical furriers in Frankfurt am Main": The whole of Skinning. Thorough textbook with everything you need to know about merchandise, finishing, dyeing and processing of fur skins. A. Hartleben's Verlag, Vienna, Pest, Leipzig 1891. pp. 169-172, 406.
  11. ↑ Paul Larisch , Josef Schmid: The furrier craft . Self-published, Paris without year (first edition, part I 1903), p. 32.
  12. ^ Jean Heinrich Heiderich: The Leipziger Kürschnergewerbe . Inaugural dissertation, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität zu Heidelberg, 1897, p. 95.
  13. ^ Reply card from CA Herpich Sons .
  14. ^ Philipp Manes : The German fur industry and its associations 1900-1940, attempt at a story . Berlin 1941 Volume 2. Copy of the original manuscript, p. 212 ( G. & C. Franke collection ).
  15. ^ Albin König: The furrier in Frankenberg in Saxony . In: Studies on the situation of the craft in Germany with special consideration of its competitiveness compared to large-scale industry . Volume 2, Kingdom of Saxony , first part, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1895, pp. 332–334.
  16. ↑ Max Nasse: America's fur industry - results of a study trip by German furriers and fur manufacturers. Berlin 1925, pp. 49-50.
  17. ↑ Storage conditions of the Central Association of the Furrier Craft, 67615 Kaiserslautern, developed with Oskar Schunck & Co. KG, Competence Pelz & Leder, Frankfurt am Main . Conservation certificate from Oskar Schunck Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, 2017.