"Visual Reference" is a general term for a wide range of materials that fall into two general categories:
Primary sources were created, written or constructed in the period and place being studied. Examples include clothing advertisements from women's magazines, dress patterns printed in period newspapers, drawings by a fashion designer, or actual articles of clothing. Primary resources that are rich with images can provide hints of the ideals, concerns, and values of a place and time. Examples of primary sources included in earch century in this research guide.
Secondary sources are written by scholars and costumers who have studied and synthesized a wide variety of primary resources. In this research guide Secondary sources are arranged by century indicated on each tab. To find more, search OBIS using the tips on the "Databases" tab of this guide.