Subject Resources for

Theatrical Costume

Printable version

This subject guide covers finding materials on the history and construction of costumes. Related materials on history may be found in the Koerner Library, while materials on the arts will be found in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

 
Contents:

Dress (Robe à la Française), 1760–1780
British; Made England; silk
Photo courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

Books

In addition to keyword searching, books on this subject can be found in the
UBC Library online catalogue using subject headings such as:

Some general subjects may also be helpful, i.e.:

   
Jacket, 1600–1625; British; linen, silk, wool
Photo courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art

 
 
 
Also try subdivisions under classes of people, i.e.:

And try names of individual articles of apparel, i.e.:
Or types of costume, i.e.: Also check by geographical location, i.e.:

Or names of relevant individuals (note: look for subheadings such as Portraits, or Pictorial Works), i.e.:

 

Bibliographies



Shoes, 18th century; British; silk, leather
Photo courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art
   

 

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Three specific sources are:

 

Exhibition Catalogues



Coat, ca. 1833; British
Made London, England; silk
Photo courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art 		Exhibition catalgoues are another good source for information on costume and dress. To search for exhibition catalogues in the UBC Library catalogue, add exhibition? to your keyword search terms.
Some sample titles include:

Online exhibitions also provide excellent information and images. Please see the Museum Collections section of this guide for links.

   

Museum Collections



Jacket, ca. 1785, French; silk, linen
Photo courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art 		Online Resources:

Print/Microform Resources

 

Article Indexes & Databases

To find articles, begin your research in these indexes/databases:
Suit, 1774–1792, Louis XVI
French; Made Paris, France; silk
Photo courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art


Newspapers

Newspapers are good sources of information on theatrical productions, as well as illustrations. Indexes to newspapers include:
  • Proquest Historical Newspapers
    Coverage:
    1851-2001 for The New York Times
    1889-1987 for The Wall Street Journal
    1877-1988 for The Washington Post
    1908-1991 for The Christian Science Monitor

  • Times (London) Digital Archive (1785-1985)
    A full-image online archive of every page published by The Times [London] from 1785-1985. The text within the images is fully searchable at the article level.

  • Globe and Mail: Canada's Heritage from 1844
    An electronic full-page newspaper digital archive of all the editions and versions of The Globe from June 1844 to The Globe and Mail until December 2005.

  • Newspaper index [microform]
    The Provincial Library has indexed 4 major B.C. newspapers (Sun, Province, Victoria Daily Colonist and Victoria Daily Times). Ask in Government Publications Division, Koerner. Coverage 1900-1980.
For more newspaper resources and information on searching, visit the How to Find Newspaper Articles guide.
 

Images & Illustrations

Images
In addition to images found in exhibition catolgues and museum collections. UBC Library subscribes to the online image database ARTstor.

  • ARTstor
    ARTstor is a digital library of art images, information about the images, and software tools designed to enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship. ARTstor contains approximately 550,000 images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, and social sciences.


Illustrations
While many books contain illustrations, there are also indexes to assist in looking for relevant subjects.
These include:

 

Bonnet (Poke Bonnet), 1849–1855
American; straw, silk
Photo courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

Web Resources

Resources:
  • Celluloid Wrappers : Costume in the movies.

  • The Costume Gallery : "A central location on the web for costume and fashion".

  • The Costume Site : Online Costuming Sources for Historical, Science Fiction & Fantasy Costumers.

  • The Costumer's Manifesto : A search engine for costume related sites on the Net.

  • Elizabethan Period Costumes : Includes descriptions, photos, a guide to reference sources, patterns, and where to get accessories.

  • Fashion Plate Collection : Digtial collection from the University of Washington containing plates from leading French, American, and British fashion journals of the 19th and early 20th century.

  • Footware of the Middle Ages : With special emphasis on Britain, Scandanavia, Germany, Ireland and elsewhere.

  • Greek Costume through the Centuries : Anna Mavromatis' award-winning web site contains descriptions and images of Greek dress ranging from the Minoan civilization, through Ancient Greece, Roman/Byzantium times, to the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. The site also has a short bibliography.

  • The History of Costume : Originally printed from 1861 to 1880 in Munich by the publishing firm of Braun and Schneider, the on line version includes all 500 plates of historical dress from antiquity to the end of the nineteenth century.

  • A History of Kimono : With pictures of kimono for women, men and children.

  • Ravensgard Costuming and Textiles Page : Oriented towards Medieval and Renaissance costuming.

  • Vintage Textile : A commercial site specializing in High-style Vintage Clothing and 18th Century Costume.


Libraries:


Organizations:

  • Australian Costumers' Guild
    Learn about armoury, corsetry, historical costuming, fantasy costuming, make-up, and more.

  • Costume Society of America
    "advances the global understanding of all aspects of dress and appearance", offering information on the annual symposium, study tours, awards and scholarships, links to regional websites, and more.

  • International Costumers' Guild
    "...a worldwide organization of costume professionals and hobbyists chartered to promote the educational, cultural, literary, artistic, and theatrical advancement of costume design and construction..."
 

 
Dress, Evening, spring/summer 1923
Design House: House of Lanvin
Designer: Jeanne Lanvin
French; silk, metallic thread, glass beads
Photo courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

 

 

 


Dress, 1926; French; silk, cotton;
Photo courtesy: Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

Related Subject Guides

 
 

UBC Deparments

 
 

And don't forget to try: UBC Library Catalogue or Web/Internet Search Tools
Contact: Paula Farrar
Last Updated: 23-Mar-2011


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