如果您想为这件文物的修复做出贡献，请点击链接到 MOCA的赞助文物修复捐赠页面，并确保输入”Chinese Hand Laundry Sign”作为文物名称。

Those who have visited MOCA Collections’ old home at 70 Mulberry may remember the old Chinatown business signs that we used to proudly display all along our walls. Many of these were salvaged in the 1980s during the earliest years of the museum but were unfortunately among the treasures we lost in the fire. This two-sided Chinese hand laundry sign is the sole laundry sign at 70 Mulberry which survives.

They have since been replaced by self-service machine laundromats, but for about a century, Chinese hand laundries proliferated across neighborhoods of the city. Barred from entering the skilled professions, hand washing clothes, along with cooking food, became one of the only jobs Chinese immigrants could do to earn a living. The materials composing this sign–white and red paint, metal sheet, hand-hammered nails and wooden frame– speak to the humbleness of these small businesses. Running mostly on Chinese’s hard labor, they often required little capital outlay to open. Most of these types of signs have been replaced by modern awnings and flashy neon signage.

Though not originally in the best of shape, the sprinkler system has caused the sign to suffer additional structural damage, most visible in the complete losses to sides of its wooden frame, but also in the detaching of fragments still there, such as the metal sheet from the wood. The wooden frame is abraded and worn in many areas, especially along the edges. It requires stabilization as it is vulnerable to further loss during handling. The wood molding is weathered and water damaged, resulting in a generally warped appearance, and there are many small cracks and splintering throughout. Many of the small nails that originally secured the metal sign within the wooden frame have been lost and the empty holes can be seen. The surface displays visible corrosion or rust, as well as surface dirt and mold staining. The red paint is flaking in many areas, revealing the oxidized iron surface below.

As the only surviving laundry sign, MOCA has determined it to be a priority for conservation and restoration. With your donation and adoption, we would first dry clean the surface and degrease metal elements, then carefully reconstruct missing pieces, reduce surface corrosion as appropriate and coat unpainted metal surfaces as needed, reduce molding, locally consolidate flaking paint, and reattach mounting hardware and loose parts so that the sign is once again structurally sound and safely displayable mounted.

文物的历史背景和重要性：

那些参观过 MOCA 馆藏部以前位于茂比利街 70 号前址的人可能还记得我们曾经自豪地挂在墙上的老唐人街商业招牌。其中许多是在博物馆成立初期的 1980 年代抢救出来的，但不幸的是，它们是我们在火灾中丢失的部分宝藏。这个双面的中式洗衣店招牌是在茂比利街 70 号唯一幸存下来的洗衣店招牌。

中式洗衣店后来被自助机洗衣店所取代，但大约一个世纪以来，它们在城市的各个街区激增。由于被禁止进入技术行业，洗衣和做饭成为中国移民仅剩的可以谋生的工作之一。这个招牌的材料——白色和红色油漆、金属板、手工铆的钉子和木框架——说明了这些小企业的谦逊。他们主要依靠中国人的辛勤劳动，通常只需要很少的资金就可以开张。这些类型的招牌现在非常罕见且价格昂贵，因为大多数已被现代遮阳篷和华丽的霓虹灯招牌所取代。

作为唯一幸存的洗衣招牌，MOCA 已将其确定为优先保护和修复的文物。

火灾后的情况：

虽然最初的形状不是最好的，但自动喷水灭火系统已经导致这个招牌遭受额外的结构损坏，最明显的是其木框架侧面的完全损失，还有仍然存在的碎片也正在分离，例如金属板从木架上分离。木制框架在许多区域都有磨损和磨损，尤其是在边缘处。这需要稳定，因为它在拿取过程中容易受到进一步损失。木质模制品风化和水淹，导致外观普遍翘曲，还有许多小裂缝和碎裂贯穿。许多原本将金属招牌固定在木框内的小钉子已经丢失，可以看到空洞。表面显示可见的腐蚀或生锈，以及表面污垢和霉菌印。红色油漆在许多区域剥落，露出下面的氧化铁表面。

在您的捐款支持下，我们将：

• 干洗表面并对金属元件去除油污
• 仔细重建缺失的部分
• 酌情减少表面腐蚀，并根据需要涂覆未上漆的金属表面
• 减少霉菌印
• 局部整合剥落的油漆
• 重新连接固定硬件和松动的部件，使招牌恢复其合理的结构且可安全进行展览的安装