This subject guide covers finding materials on the history and construction of costumes.Resources listed in this guide are available through the UBC Library and on the web. Related materials on history may be found in the Koerner Library, while materials on the arts will be found in the I.K. Barber Learning Centre. For additional help with your research, schedule an appointment with the Theatre librarian or visit the reference desk in the Koerner Library.
UBC Departments Department of Theatre and Film Humanities & Social Sciences Division, UBC Library Art + Architecture + Planning Division, UBC Library
Librarians UBC Vancouver Brenda Peterson (Humanities & Social Sciences) UBC Vancouver Kevin Madill (Art + Architecture + Planning)
For help finding articles, see the UBC Library's Finding Journal Articles guide. To find articles on a topic, begin your research in the indexes/databases listed on this page:
Academic Search Complete A multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 4,600 peer-reviewed journals. Art Full Text Indexes art, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning journals. Reproductions of works of art appearing in periodicals are also indexed. Art Retrospective A bibliographic database that cumulates citations to Art Index volumes 1-32 of the printed index published between 1929-1984. Design and Applied Arts Index: DAAI Design and applied arts index contains over 110,000 references from more than 490 design and craft periodicals published 1973-2001. Humanities Index The Humanities Index covers many disciplines in the humanities and includes citations from 600 English-language periodicals, over 400 of them peer-reviewed. International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance with Full Text An index to journal articles, books, book chapters and dissertation abstracts on all aspects of theatre and performance. International Index to the Performing Arts International Index to the Performing Arts provides indexing and abstracts for approximately 220 international performing arts periodicals. It also indexes a variety of documents such as biographical profiles, conference papers, obituaries, interviews, discographies, reviews and events. Readers' Guide Abstracts Find popular and general interest articles on a number of topics in U.S. and Canadian periodicals. Social Sciences Index Coverage includes a wide range of interdisciplinary fields covered in a broad array of social sciences journals. WorldCat OCLC catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide.
Librarians UBC Vancouver Brenda Peterson (Humanities & Social Sciences) UBC Vancouver Kevin Madill (Art + Architecture + Planning)
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias Background information can be found in encyclopedias, dictionaries and bibliographies. UBC Library provides access to many excellent resources in both print and online versions; a select number are listed below. Berg Fashion Library The Greenwood encyclopedia of clothing through world history The Thames & Hudson dictionary of fashion and fashion designers A dictionary of costume and fashion : historic and modern : with over 950 illustrations The Historical encyclopedia of costumes Encyclopedia of world costume Esquire’s encyclopedia of 20th century men’s fashion Encyclopaedia Judaica (see: Dress) (Online version also available) The Catholic encyclopedia; an international work of reference on the constitution, doctrine, discipline, and history of the Catholic Church. (see: Vestments) Bibliographies Aesthetics and clothing: an annotated bibliography Costume: a general bibiography Catalogue of the Harvard University Fine Arts Library, the Fogg Art Museum. Supplement (See Volume 4: Costume) Bibliography of Costume Bibliographie Générale du Costume et de la Mode From nudity to raiment : an introduction to the study of costume Theatrical costume, masks, make-up and wigs : a bibliography and iconography Theatrical costume: a guide to information sources Exhibition Catalogues 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: A well-fashioned image : clothing and costume in European art, 1500-1850 Beyond the silhouette: fashion and the women of historic Kingston Dangerous liaisons : fashion and furniture in the eighteenth century Dressed to rule : 18th century court attire in the Mactaggart art collection Goddess: the classical mode The golden age of couture : Paris and London, 1947-57 Print/Microform Resources Index of American design: part 1, Textiles, costume and jewelry The consolidated catalog to the Index of American Design National Portrait Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 1856-1979 Theatre costume design in the Victoria and Albert Museum
UBC Library CatalogueBooks on this subject can be found in the UBC Library catalogue using subject headings such as: Clothing and Dress Costume Costume Design Dress Accessories Dressmaking Fashion Theatrical Makeup Some general subjects may also be helpful, i.e.: Aesthetics Color Design Also try subdivisions under classes of people, i.e.: Children's costumes Men's Clothing And try names of individual articles of apparel, i.e.: Shoes Jewelry Or types of costume, i.e.: Uniforms Church Vestments Also check by geographical location, i.e.: Costume - United States - History France - History Costume - France Or names of relevant individuals (note: look for subheadings such as Portraits, or Pictorial Works), i.e.: Austen, Jane Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821 - Portraits
Librarians UBC Vancouver Brenda Peterson (Humanities & Social Sciences) UBC Vancouver Kevin Madill (Art + Architecture + Planning)
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 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 Newspapers and News Sources guide.
Librarians UBC Vancouver Brenda Peterson (Humanities & Social Sciences) UBC Vancouver Kevin Madill (Art + Architecture + Planning)
DatabasesExpand your results using the following search terms: portrait, portraiture, caricature, fashion plate, engraving, the names of characters, or the titles of productions.
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. LUNA Commons A digital library of over 300,000 images licensed for educational use at UBC covering the areas of art, architecture, and material culture. Images span ancient history through the present, and cover a number of cultures and geographic areas.
Print Resources While many books contain illustrations, there are also indexes to assist in looking for relevant subjects. These include: A.L.A. Portrait Index An index to portraits contained in printed books and periodicals. Illustration Index see: Costume World Painting Index Costume index : a subject index to plates and to illustrated text Photography index : a guide to reproductions
Librarians UBC Vancouver Brenda Peterson (Humanities & Social Sciences) UBC Vancouver Kevin Madill (Art + Architecture + Planning)
For general help in finding theses visit the Library's Dissertations and Theses research guide. To find electronic theses and dissertations completed at UBC, search cIRcle: UBC'S Information Repository.Use the advanced search as shown below. Othere sources for Theses and Dissertations: ProQuest Dissertations and Theses - Full Text Doctoral dissertations: 1861-present; masters theses: 1988-present (selective coverage, since many institutions do not submit masters theses for inclusion). Online abstracts for dissertations available since July 1980, full text since 1997. Use the advanced search as shown below. Theses Canada Portal Indexes Canadian theses and dissertations from 1965 to present. Also provides free access to electronic theses and dissertations harvested monthly from Canadian universities.
Librarians UBC Vancouver Brenda Peterson (Humanities & Social Sciences) UBC Vancouver Kevin Madill (Art + Architecture + Planning)
Institutions Bata Shoe Museum Cleveland Press Shakespeare Photographs 1870-1982: Image collection from Cleveland State University Library. Costume History Collection: Western Michigan University Libraries Digital Collections The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion in Colors at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum explores the history of costume through colour 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. The Gladys Marcus Library at FIT : The library at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. The Goldstein Museum of Design at the University of Minnesota Kyoto Costume Institute Musee des arts decoratifs Search the collection for images Search for subject-related museums in France Search for subject-related resources Oriental Costumes Hosted by the Reference Department, Indiana University Libraries Textile Museum of Canada Victoria & Albert Search the National Art Library for subject-related textual information Search the collection for images
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..."
General Websites Christie's Auction House (search for images under Auction Results) The Costume Gallery : "A central location on the web for costume and fashion". The Costumer's Manifesto : A search engine for costume related sites. Footware of the Middle Ages : With special emphasis on Britain, Scandanavia, Germany, Ireland and elsewhere. Vintage Textile : A commercial site specializing in High-style Vintage Clothing and 18th Century Costume.
Librarians UBC Vancouver Brenda Peterson (Humanities & Social Sciences) UBC Vancouver Kevin Madill (Art + Architecture + Planning)
