Visual Reference Tools
"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.
Primary Sources
- Digital Public Library of America
All of the materials found through DPLA—photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and so much more—are free and immediately available in digital format. The cultural institutions participating in DPLA represent the richness and diversity of America itself, from the smallest local history museum to our nation’s largest cultural institutions. - Victoria & Albert Museum: Collections
The V&A is the leading museum of art and design in the West, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity with particular strengths in architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewelry, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance. [From the website]
Primary sources - period clothing
- Europeana Fashion
Includes historical clothing and accessories, contemporary designs, catwalk photographs, drawings, sketches, plates, catalogues and videos – from more than 30 European public and private institutions. Descriptions are in the language of the owning institution. Enter a keyword and then limit by geography, date (YEAR:[1500 TO 1550]), object type, etc.
- Gallery of Costume, Manchester Art Gallery
One of England's largest costume collections with over 21,000 items covering all aspects of the history of dress from 1600 to the present. The collection is particularly strong in18th century fashion and 19th century women's and children’s dress. Search for "Collection Group = Costume."
- The Textiles Collection, University for the Creative Arts at Farnham
A teaching collection with over 3,000 artifacts demonstrating a wide range of textile techniques and processes. Samples include Coptic textiles from 800-1000 AD through to British woollen cloths, Kashmir shawls, African strip weaving and Scandinavian furnishing fabrics from 1950 to 1990.
Museums, Galleries and Library Collections
- Démodé - Extant CostumesA librarian-curated list of international historical costume and fashion collections available online. Provides a list of digitized costume collections arranged by country.
- Fashion Museum BathA selection of items from the Museum's collections, complemented by detailed descriptions.