Indian bandhani textile featuring traditional resist-dyeing technique
Textiles in the Historic Costume & Textiles Collection are from both Western and non-Western traditions.
The earliest textiles date from the fifteenth century. Pre-Columbian South American textile artifacts woven on a backstrap loom and silk velvet European liturgical textiles with gold couched embroidery span the technology of textile manufacturing at this time.
The approximately 1,000 textile examples offer a historical chronology of Western textile design and manufacturing techniques for both dress as well as furnishing fabrics including quilts, coverlets, paisley shawls and Spanish shawls.
The Collection also offers many examples of design and manufacturing techniques from cultures around the globe. Especially significant is a collection of over 60 Indonesian, mostly ikat, textiles from the collection of Fred Richman.