A tribute by Ksynia Marko ACR
I first met Sheila in 1973 when I applied for a job at the V&A museum. I remember vividly the apparition of her in a flowing turquoise kaftan as she invited me into the interview room. That moment changed my life for which I am forever grateful. I have always regarded Sheila not only as a mentor but as a friend, challenging at times but always with a sense of humour. Any disagreements were short lived. She was always particular about her appearance, even on her 95th birthday when she insisted on going shopping for a new pair of shoes to go with her chosen green velvet dress. She was determined to look her best and trainers were simply not de rigour! On our way through town, she nearly ran over several people as she sped along impatiently in her electric buggy. She could have qualified for the Formula 1 race! I had difficulty keeping up. When we did arrive at the shoe shop, I started telling the shop assistant what we were looking for, only to be told off by Sheila, telling me very firmly that she was not dead yet and was quite capable of speaking for herself. I should have known!
One of my fondest memories was when she took on the treatment of the world's oldest dated carpet, the 16th c Ardabil Carpet, which I was privileged to be involved with. The whole treatment process, undertaken between 1974 and 1977, was recorded on film, and though there were some dramatic cliff-hanging moments and scenes of trepidation, including wet cleaning out-doors on a rainy day in Birmingham, sadly it did not make the BAFTA Film Awards!
One of my fondest memories was when she took on the treatment of the world's oldest dated carpet, the 16th c Ardabil Carpet, which I was privileged to be involved with. The whole treatment process, undertaken between 1974 and 1977, was recorded on film, and though there were some dramatic cliff-hanging moments and scenes of trepidation, including wet cleaning out-doors on a rainy day in Birmingham, sadly it did not make the BAFTA Film Awards! Saturday, 28th September 2024 was the last time I saw Sheila at her home, celebrating her birthday with friends and colleagues where, as usual, conversation, laughter, food and wine were in abundance. There was always wine on offer! We celebrated someone who was not afraid of controversy and experimentation, who led a life of passion, generosity, determination and fun.
A tribute by Kelly Grimshaw, Louise Shewry, and Melinda Hey (The Landi Company)
Sheila’s love for textile conservation continued long after her retirement from the V&A, her passion for the job meant she worked well into her 90’s. Her determination to work and continue learning did not halt when she stopped driving. Rather, Sheila would make the 5-mile round trip to Burghley House on her mobility scooter, through the town and across the parkland, regardless of the weather and despite the numerous cattle grids, which to Sheila were just another challenge to be overcome!
When, in 2021, Sheila did retire, we maintained a close relationship with her. Sheila was determined to continue sharing her knowledge and vast experience, remaining passionate about conservation and always wanting to learn about current projects, often over a glass of wine with nibbles. We learnt a lot from Sheila and ultimately, we forged a friendship with her, enjoying the occasional lunch out or organising conservation evenings, highlights being ‘movie night’ watching the film of the Ardabil carpet conservation and an evening watching the Icon webinar on the Erddig bed. Sheila’s wish was that her name would continue, both through the work she carried out, and via the work we now do as we take The Landi Company forward. We are proud to continue her legacy.
A tribute by Nicola Gentle ACR (Emeritus)
No tribute to Sheila would be complete without mention of the Textile Workshop she created during the late 1970s in the stable block of Osterley House, then still partly under the care of the V&A. During one of my last visits to Sheila she recounted the time she climbed the spiral stairs of an adjoining turret and looked out over the two-floor derelict shell of the building, immediately seeing its potential. She worked well with the architect to produce a space that was practical and versatile particularly for large scale pieces. An open stairwell allowed for checking the hang of an object, while affording an overall view of a textile laid out on the tables below.
It is often said Sheila was different at Osterley. Perhaps she felt free there from the pressures of the Museum. Sometimes it was too quiet: I remember her cry from the back room 'For God's sake, somebody sing'! But there was plenty of action, such as the washing of the roof of Tipu's tent outside in the courtyard. Always inventive, Sheila built a support for its conical structure over a group of metal lockers and some ancient wooden ladders found in one of the outbuildings.
Osterley was a place for discussion and development. Far from being a backwater of the Museum, much significant and thoughtful work was produced there.
I thank Sheila for the Osterley Workshop and for believing in me to run it. Above all, for our lasting friendship beyond conservation.
A tribute by Maggie Dobbie
When I first started at the V&A I found Sheila quite intimidating. This was my first job, straight out of art school in the most wonderful and enormous museum so of course I was nervous.
She wasn’t exactly happy that I did not bring a roll of tools with me, how was I to know? However, everyone was friendly, and I soon settled into the pattern of the workroom.
It was a bit like being back at school. No talking, or very little, and woe betide you if someone phoned and asked to speak to you as she was in charge of the only phone and calls were restricted to life and death events. There was an audible sigh of relief when she went for coffee!
She introduced me to the basics of cleaning and supporting textiles and after successfully completing some treatments I had passed the test.
As many others agree she taught all her staff and students to respect the object but not to be afraid of it. Rather to aim to improve its condition and appearance with all the skills and methods available so that beauty of the object could be enhanced and appreciated.
We all worked hard and to deadlines as most of the textiles and costumes were for exhibitions, so she encouraged us to devise a time schedule, treatment plan and stick to it. Hours of research and unlimited amounts of time were not an option in a busy studio.
I did have a one or two major disagreements with her about the treatment of certain objects which she did not like but I stood my ground and in the end, she accepted defeat and I think I earned her respect. We always made up afterwards or ignored it and carried on as usual. She did also ride to my rescue on a couple of occasions and taught me how to deal with tricky situations, not panic, find a solution and carry on.
Having children was not exactly encouraged in the conservation department. When I was pregnant, I raised the possibility of returning to work part-time. I was told, not by Sheila, that it was not helpful to the department and that I should get a nanny.
As I was about to return to work, I decided that it was part-time or nothing. I asked Sheila if there was any way she could help because otherwise I would leave altogether. She immediately picked up the phone and demanded that it be allowed and of course it was.
I was amazed and very proud that she thought so much of me. I was the first person in the conservation department to be granted this option in 1989. How times have changed.
Sheila was a generous hostess and she and Brian held many summer parties at her house where she served wonderful food and wine to a background of loud opera music. We spent many happy lunch hours discussing the merits of French, Italian and British cuisine but I think the French won in the end much to my pleasure!
Sheila was a very unique woman, and all textile conservators today owe her a great deal.
A tribute by Valerie Mendes with Frances Hinchcliffe, Former curators, Textiles & Dress, Victoria & Albert Museum
Oh Mrs Landi. Her bark was worse than her bite, but I remember always having a bit of a tremble before I ventured into Textile Conservation with a request. However, she was up front, and you always got a straight answer from her. She would juggle things to fit a project in if it was essential - if a late arrival, but she made sure you knew she was having to make adjustments. She must have orchestrated the conservation for all the exhibitions from Liberty’s in 1975 onwards. And did she organise for the Devonshire Hunts to be hung on that ultra strong Velcro?
Once when curators and furniture and textile conservators had to go together for an ‘in lieu’ assessment (can’t remember where) out in the country the furniture conservators commented on Sheila’s hair raising, fast driving and this after an operation and loss of sight in one eye. They said she would arrive solo claiming that colleagues were terrified to be her passenger. I think she drove a snazzy sports car nicknamed the ‘yellow peril’ but I might be wrong.
A tribute by Zenzie Tinker ACR, Zenzie Tinker Conservation
Sheila Landi had a profound effect on my career; I first encountered this iconic and rather frightening woman when I nervously rang her for long distance career advice from Australia, having been bitten with the conservation bug on my gap year in 1982. She was somewhat impatient, giving me a wide-ranging list of degrees to consider and achieve before she would speak to me again. I chose Design History focussing on textiles before contacting her again only to find the last traineeship at the V&A had just gone. By good luck and tenacity, I wound up with the equally iconic Ksynia Marko who gave me an apprenticeship and Sheila agreed to be my external tutor. Through Ksynia’s practice I felt the strong influence back to Sheila, who also set me impossible essay subjects like the history of weaving through the ages - and then gave them to her eminent V&A colleagues like Nathalie Rothstein to mark. Sheila also gave me an internship at the V&A which was incredibly formative.
My overriding memories of that internship were the terror of hearing Sheila stomping up the stairs to the old V&A studio in the mornings, flinging open the doors that I sat just in front of and of her stalking past in a flowing cape shouting abuse about the bus drivers on the Wandsworth Bridge Road. Everyone quaked, even the senior conservators! I also remember her teaching me how to make adhesive coated net on the net table, her invention for creating double sided net supports and absorbing her fearlessness of objects and her immense curiosity and inventiveness. Sheila was also very kind, funny and generous. I was hugely inspired by her early development of thermoplastic adhesives and her expectation that we would all go on to improve on her ground-breaking techniques, which we collectively did and continue to build on even today.
Years later when commissioned to re-conserve the Royal Funeral Effigies from Westminster Abbey, many of which Sheila had worked on decades earlier, she was only too delighted to share her extensive archive and generously talked to me at length about her decision making at the time showing the same curiosity in her late 80’s as she did in the prime of her long career.
We textile conservators all owe Sheila an enormous debt; she fearlessly swept before us clearing the way for us to follow more cautiously behind to emerge as the well-established profession we are today.
A tribute by May Berkouwer ACR, Textile Conservator, Suffolk
Around 1987, I was allowed an internship at the V&A, to broaden my experience after several years as textile conservator for the National Trust at the Levy Textile Workroom.
It was quite a whirlwind of impressions, between the workrooms inside the older parts of the V&A, contrasting with the enormous, bright workspaces at Osterley and the array of large-scale equipment, which epitomised Sheila’s bold textile conservation thinking.
It was also remarkable, that Sheila had time, made time, elicited and enjoyed discussions with her interns on any matter around the treatments, and this did not end with the internship. Sheila was generous with her time and information, and the door remained open.
I remember her 90th birthday as a great party of laughs and stories, but also for the exhibition of her paintings, some of which dating to her younger years before entering the textile world. I had never seen any before and loved seeing how talented she had been. So, I went to see Sheila at her exhibition last summer, to visit her and to admire her latest output.
Sheila was already extremely ill, but present for the entire the Private View, talking with all her visitors. I am going to remember Sheila and her indomitable spirit by the picture I took at this occasion, wearing a statement dress, in front of her painting of Burghley House and Park, which I liked best in the show.
A tribute by Annabel Westman FSA, Textile Historian and Interiors Consulant
I shall always be grateful to Sheila, my first memory of her in the Osterley textile workshop firmly cementing my respect, admiration and the high value I place on conservation. We were both involved with the Petworth state bed being restored for the Rococo Exhibition at the V&A in 1984. She was conserving the dome, and I was researching the hangings that had disappeared. In her forthright and forensic manner, she was able to prove unequivocally my hunch that the bed had originally been hung with damask, a factor being strongly refuted by others of repute at the time. We have been firm colleagues ever since and our favourite topic of conversation has always been about beds and tassels!
A tribute by Jenny Band ACR
Sheila Landi; a vignette:
Sheila interviewed me in the summer of 1976 when I originally wrote to Hampton Court Palace asking if they had any work opportunities with woven tapestries. After the interview she roared with laughter at my shoes - (some rather striking 1940s 'co-respondents') chosen for comfort, not style. Thereafter, we seemed to bond with the shared link of having both been fine art students. For various reasons I soon became seconded to Sheila's department but because I was never a V&A staff member, I seemed to acquire useful diplomatic immunity from Sheila's rages.
I was invited to her parties in New Malden and on one occasion drank too much red wine. Her wonderful husband Brian made me a bed in the box room and the next morning I woke to find Sheila galumphing at my door. I said " I’m so sorry. I seem to have stayed the night I blurted", "SO YOU HAVE!" she roared. Meanwhile, in the kitchen Brian was sipping coffee. Sheila wanted him to do something and kept on asking him until her patience frayed and she was shouting at point blank range into his ear. Brian turned and quietly said "I may be imagining this, but I keep thinking I can hear a tiny weeny little voice saying my name. What could it possibly be?" Sheila was, by now completely apoplectic so I decided to leave before the lights went out all over Europe. By Monday all was calm again.
A tribute by Francesco Pertegato
I was admitted to the museum in 1982 under the “In service training” scheme. At that time under Sheila’s guidance, three laboratories for textile restoration had already been set up:
- “Upstairs” – for the restoration of objects of all kinds, including costumes.
- “Downstairs” – dedicated to the restoration of tapestries and carpets; it was equipped with a washing system made of a rotating drum on which the tapestry would be fixed so that the operators could easily reach every part.
- Osterley – for large objects and specialist treatment.
Sheila and her collaborators had already completed the washing and conservation of the Ardabil carpet, which had been hung in the Islamic Room under glass, (now placed on the floor, under controlled lighting). The conservation was carried out with the carpet hung vertically on a framework with the team working in pairs, one facing the front and the other the back of the object, a technique that Sheila subsequently adopted for the restoration of the tapestries at Burghley House, where she opened the workshop of the Landi Company in 1992.
The first edition of The Textile Conservator's Manual was published in 1985.
For some years the profession had been discussing the aims and principals of restoration versus conservation, the two often not easily reconcilable. We have to recognise that Sheila showed a substantial awareness of the issues in her practical work, by first of all respecting the structure and the manufacturing technique of the object, as well as the aesthetics. She worked for almost half a century in a professional field she continued to shape to an extent that few others did. Because of the quality and originality of her contribution, she definitely stood out uniquely at a time when Europe, and not Europe alone, saw the founding principles of conservation being defined, while benefiting from unprecedented innovations in both practice and choice of materials.
In the context of the “soft arts” her Manual can be seen as a training book for young people, as well as a synthesis of an evolving profession that is significantly outlined in the Contents of the book itself. Particularly meaningful is Appendix A, Materials and Equipment, which is no less than nine pages long; here the list of materials ranges from those derived from tradition, up to the synthetic materials that can be used in cleaning, such as organic solvents; consolidation tissues also include those which recent research has highlighted as being more stable and durable.
The overview of her interventions is truly impressive, with no difference made between luxury items and everyday objects, monumental and small-size artefacts, archaeological and contemporary items, all of which have variously benefited from rescue interventions.
Her extraordinary strength of character and her interest in the care of objects remained till her last days. In an e-mail message she sent me in mid-November she was asking whether I knew of anyone who could study the Burghley bed, which she has entrusted to Nicola Gentle. This was my last contact with a great friend and an irreplaceable master.
A tribute by Melanie Leach, Textile Conservator
There is no doubt that Sheila Landi was one of the great Matriarchs of the Textile Conservation world.
I can’t say I ever really ‘knew’ Sheila, however, her presence and influence has run through my career, from the iconic examples of her adhesive treatments, such as the Erdigg State Bed and the State Bed at Osterley, to Sheila’s book, the only practical guide to Textile Conservation - I still refer to it on occasion today.
As an absolute beginner, I remember Sheila as a dramatic figure, full of energy and opinions, always with a statement necklace, which often swung over the object and wearing large ‘arty’ rings on her expressive hands. I would never have dared to speak to her!
I warmed to Sheila after she left the V&A and set up her studio at Burghley. I had arranged a visit there for the Icon Textile Group. Sheila was welcoming and generous, open about their treatments and encouraging discussion - she had arranged a private tour of Burghley House followed by a special tea for us all in the Tea Room.
I last saw Sheila in 2019, at the book launch of Annabel Westman’s book, ‘Fringe, Frog & Tassel’. It was held in the evening at one of the Worshipful Companies in the heart of the City of London. I saw Sheila, standing alone in the Lobby, looking very smart, with a signature necklace, supported on her stick. She had travelled down by taxi, all the way from Stamford to be there for the evening, the taxi waiting outside. I went over to say hello and offered my help. Of course, it was refused and Sheila entered the main reception room unaided - determined to be there and she was immediately surrounded by friends and colleagues.
A tribute by Ann French ACR FSA, Collections Care Manager, The Whitworth
As many have described – one never forgets one’s first encounter with Sheila. Mine was being interviewed by her for my apprenticeship at the Victoria and Albert Museum. She had broken her leg and had taken over an accessible office with her cast propped up in front of her – and of course me. Draped over her lap was an eighteenth-century man’s coat with a disintegrating silk lining. I had to propose a what to do with it. Despite my halting (and in hindsight totally inappropriate) suggestions - I got the apprenticeship.
As a training supervisor - Sheila was not easy. You had to rise to the challenge she gave you. In my case – in my first year - it was preparing sixty or so hats from South Asia for an exhibition. The learning curve was vertical and all-encompassing including making display supports and couriering the exhibition around the country all while trying to avoid applying some of her more experimental treatment suggestions.
I loved recording, researching and analysing the textiles I was given to work on but an exasperated comment from Sheila stays with me to this day. Ann, this is all very interesting – but how will it impact your conservation treatment? A very useful reminder.
I must have ‘passed’ the challenges as in my final year at the V&A – Sheila sent me for three months to the Calico Museum of Textiles in Ahmedabad in India ‘to set up a conservation studio’. I was on my own supported only by letters from Sheila and other members of the Textile Conservation Studio, and a visit from Lynda Hillyer. It was an unorthodox but inspired decision. Faced with a collection of fabulous textiles, wide but different local skill sets, no formal working spaces, and no familiar materials, I learnt skills that set me up for a career in textile conservation.
Thank you, Sheila!
A tribute by Clare Stoughton-Harris, Studio Lead, Senior National Conservator - Textiles, National Trust
Never start working on a textile unless you are 100% certain your intervention will leave that object in a better place than when you started. That was Sheila Landi's advice given to students at the Textile Conservation Centre, Hampton Court when she visited us in the early 1990s. That advice has stayed with me ever since and remains my guide for decision making in textile conservation. Thankfully, the fearsome debate between stitching and sticking had eased but at the time I was slightly fearful of Sheila particularly her demand that we should never be frightened by an object…but oh, were we frightened of her.
I was in awe of the treatment Sheila had devised for The Erddig State Bed in the late 1960s (reported in Textiles in Trust 1995), little knowing that in 2004 that object would be in my portfolio as regional conservator for National Trust in Wales. The weight of responsibility; but in 2018 we started a seven-year project to stabilise Sheila's treatment which after 50 years had started to fail. Sheila's generosity and honesty when talking more recently about her work on the bed and ground-breaking use of thermoplastic adhesives was remarkable. It has been an honour to have a small part in this immense project, while Sheila's words remain with me. I hope she would think we have got that bed in a better place.
Lynda Hillyer, Head of Textile Conservation, Victoria and Albert Museum 1989-2006
I was touched and inspired by Sheila’s mental strength and engagement with her subject at the end of her long life. Her energy, determination and vision were extraordinary and will never be forgotten by those who knew and worked with her. She was a huge part of my life. She could be scary, even irascible but we all learnt from her approach.
Sheila was creative and ambitious, and she was a fighter. These are some of the qualities that enabled her to forge a path from the Art Workroom in 1962 when she joined the museum as a Craftswoman to playing a pivotal role in establishing textile conservation as a modern profession.
I will always be grateful for her encouragement to apply for a permanent job at the museum when I spent 6 months on a placement from the British Museum in 1980. Many students and interns passed through the studio in the museum and learnt from her bold inventive approach. She taught us never to be afraid of the object. It was simply a problem to be solved. She often threw students and new staff in at the deep end, always encouraging and simpatico. She was totally immersed in her subject. I was often the last person to leave the studio in the evening and sometimes we were there together. I can recall her lying down on one of the large tables leaning on a roller engrossed in talking about the philosophy of conservation.
Sheila was not always the easiest person to work with. She stood her ground and never held back but she valued honesty in her staff and could appreciate discussion of another point of view. Many textile conservators owe their careers to Sheila. She urged me to apply to lead the department after her retirement in 1989. I will be forever grateful for Sheila’s trust in me.
In her last months she had a small exhibition of paintings in Stamford where she lived. She had been an accomplished painter in her youth. She called this exhibition ‘A Last Hurrah’. A tribute to an indomitable and resilient spirit who never gave up. She is much missed, but her legacy will never be forgotten.
