Reproductions

While this may not be applicable to those in the archives track, most museum professionals will encounter a situations where they have to resort substituting a replica or reproduction for an original artifact.  Probably the most common use of reproductions is with clothing for mannequins on exhibit, especially those within the public's touch.  So my question is: how do you know what is a good reproduction?

This is one rabbit hole that you can go as far in as you wish.  At some point, there will be a time when you say that it is good enough.  No matter how hard to try, you will always find something that is wrong with a reproduction, say for instance stitches (yes, there are people who actually count individual stitches and compare them to originals).  So you first must decide how authentic you want to be.

The first step that I would recommend is to look at original pictures.  Get a sense of what you're looking for.  Know the general look of the item you want a reproduction of.  If you have an original item, examine it closely.  Look at the type of material; wool, cotton, leather, etc.?  Look at the cut.  

Once you've established what you want, head to the blogs.  I guarantee that there are people out there who have poured more time into figuring out the history of zippers in 1940s Russian clothing than you ever would think.  It's like that way for anything you can think of.  Looking at what the bloggers have to say about original items and reproductions will cut a lot of time and maybe even money for you.

The blogs will eventually lead you to the reproduction companies.  Nearly every subject will have dedicated  companies.  The vast majority of the time, you will get what you pay for and in general, try to avoid items manufactured in China, Korea, or India.  Overall, their eye for detail is just not as thorough though there are exceptions.  American-made is generally best and their customer service is much better.  

So hopefully, you'll remember this when the situation comes up.  The bloggers may be fanatical and crazy, but they generally know what they are talking about.  

I figure I ought to leave you with some of my favorite reproduction companies:

http://www.atthefrontshop.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=60

http://www.wwiiimpressions.com/

http://www.hessenantique.com/

http://www.schipperfabrik.com/store/