HINDSIGHT: Journal of Optometry History 79

FROM THE ARCHIVES KIRSTEN HEBERT
doi: 10.14434/hindsight.v51i2.30281

PRESERVING THE AFOS FLAG
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Armed Forces Optometric 

Society’s founding earlier this year, the Archives & Museum of 
Optometry staff used the milestone as an excuse to do some 
preservation work on the flag presented to the AOA in 1970 by 
AFOS’s first officers. 

Image courtesy of The Archives and Museum of Optometry.

The 5’ by 8’ cotton DETTRA brand flag presented to the AOA in 
1970 was flown at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. It has 
remained folded, wrapped in butcher paper and hidden in a box 
for 50 years.

Ideally, textiles 
should be stored flat 
to reduce stress on 
the fibers, but most 
museums don’t have 
that kind of space. 
One way to properly 
store a large flag is to 
roll it around a tube 
made of archival board 
and protect it with 
unbuffered or buffered 
tissue. But first, the 
AMO staff carefully 
unfolded the flag and 
inspected for damage, 
bleeding colors or 
insect infestation.

Completely unfurled 
and inspected, we 
made sure tissue was 
placed on top and 
below (interleaved) to 
prevent abrasion or 
bleeding when stored. 
Because the flag is so 
large, we compromised 
and made a fold along 
a seam to reduce the 
length of the finished 
tube.

Once the flag 
was rolled, carefully 
beginning at the 
hoist end, we used 
unbleached cotton 
twill “tape” (ribbon) to 
secure the roll. Now, the 
flag can be stored in 
archival shelving safely 
for many years to come!

Image courtesy of The Archives and Museum 
of Optometry.

Image courtesy of The Archives and Museum 
of Optometry.

Image courtesy of The Archives and Museum 
of Optometry.



80 Volume 51, Number 3, July 2020

We are here when you need to rebuild.
 

We stand ready to help in times of need so doctors can return to providing
vision care for their communities.

To apply for aid or to donate to the cause, please visit
aoafoundation.org/OFDR.

Tornadoes. Floods. Civil unrest.
Hurricanes. Fires. Earthquakes.

 
 
 

In 1970, the AFOS gift to the AOA was 
accompanied by framed memorandum 
commemorating the occasion. Unfortunately, 
the memo was adhered to the acidic, cardboard 
matting. The adhesive eventually failed, but 
not before bleeding through and leaving 
residue. The acidic backing material also caused 
discoloration along the edges of the memo. Our 
preservation measures included removing the 
memo from the frame, encapsulating in clear 
polyester and making a digital copy to minimize 
use.

Image courtesy of The Archives and Museum of Optometry.

FROM THE ARCHIVES KIRSTEN HEBERT