Costume and Textiles: Recent Acquisitions from A to Z

The inaugural installation in the Costume and Textiles Study Gallery features a selection of textiles, historic costumes, and contemporary fashions acquired by the Museum during the past decade. Illustrating the encyclopedic nature of the costume and textiles collection, the objects on view include works of amazing beauty and rarity, examples of exquisite workmanship and design, items of historic significance—and sometimes the unexpected. 

All of the approximately 50 objects on view—from a Neoclassical dress with whitework embroidery from about 1800 to a futuristic T-shirt designed by Belgian artist Walter Van Bierendonck in the 1990s—are part of the Museum’s permanent collection of costume and textiles. Remarkable for their depth and breadth, these holdings currently number more than thirty thousand objects, making the collection one of the largest in the country. Acquired thanks to the generosity of numerous donors both of works of art and of funds for purchases, these recent additions illustrate the continued growth and amazing scope of this valuable public resource. 

Curator: Kristina Haugland • Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles and Supervising Curator for the Study Room and Academic Relations

Location: Costume and Textiles Study Gallery, second floor, Perelman Building