What They Wore: Costumes from the 16th to the 20th Centuries

What is this about?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, costume is defined as “The mode or fashion of personal attire and dress (including the way of wearing the hair, style of clothing and personal adornment) belonging to a particular nation, class, or period.”

The same source says that costume may also be defined as “The dress and ‘get-up’ of an actor or actress in representing a character in the play.” The two frequently crop up in academic circles as students in theatre, apparel design, history, anthropology, and other disciplines seek information about and illustrations of the clothing and fashion of various times and places.

Special Collections has many excellent costume sources for consultation, and this exhibit is designed to share some of the most colorful of them with you. The books range from mass produced modern books and portfolios to a rare incunabulum (a book typeset and printed by hand before 1600). Books in Special Collections are listed in the online catalog and must be used in the Special Collections reading room in Strozier Library. With permission, patrons may take digital photos of images needed for personal study or for inclusion in reports and papers. A digital camera and camera stand are available for your use if you don’t have your own camera. You can download photos taken with the Special Collections camera to a flash drive or CD, or email them.