Historic Costume & Textiles Collection

Special Collections Digital Exhibit

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Patrick Kelly, Eiffel Tower dress, 1989, black wool knit

The Special Collections within the University Libraries has curated an online exhibit, highlighting treasures from each of the collections. The ongoing pandemic has made in-person exhibits impossible, but artifacts from the collections will continued to be shared. This exhibit is entitled, “Journeys: Treasures from Special Collections.” In this exhibition, the Special Collections of The Ohio State University Libraries gathered objects that represent a wide range of journeys. Some objects record journeys to remote parts of the world or journeys to bring about political change. Other objects represent journeys to overcome adversity, journeys to find home, or creative and spiritual journeys. All the objects in this exhibition show how a journey molds an object or a person into something more.
The Historic Costume & Textiles Collection chose to highlight objects that celebrate the journeys and accomplishments of several African American artists. Please enjoy this digital exhibit and discover the journey of both artifact and artist on the library.
Visit the online the exhibition.

Campus Fashion: 150 Years of College Style

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The Gallery is closed per state and university COVID 19 protocols, however you can view a digital version of the exhibition online by visiting our Fashion2fiber website. Or you can just view the gallery installation here.

The Ohio State University began celebrating its 150th anniversary this academic year and we are doing our part with an exhibition that takes a look at what people were wearing on college campuses for the past 150 years. The exhibit features what people wore to class, what they wore in the dorms (today sometimes those garments are the same but that was not true in the past), what was worn to football games or other activities, and what clothing was worn for special occasions related to college life such as formals or joining honors societies, fraternities or sororities.

Maxine and Loyal Richard while students at Ohio State University in 1932. Looks like they are going to a football game!

Formal gown worn by Ruth Weinman Herndon when a Freshman at OSU in 1925

In addition, we are featuring some student projects from design, construction, pattern-making and tailoring classes from years past. Pictures from the OSU Archives photograph collection in the exhibition highlight student life over the decades. A particular interesting series highlights the evolution of classes in Nutrition and Fashion from the early days of the Department of Domestic Science, and School of Home Economics.

Spotlights about alumni who’ve worn clothing in the exhibition include Grace Heck Faust, who graduated OSU Law School in 1930 (one of two female law graduates) and was the first woman in Ohio to be elected as a prosecuting attorney.

Dr. Ruth E. Moore is another notable OSU alumna. She received all her degrees at Ohio State and was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in a natural Science. She taught at Howard University Medical College and also chaired the Department of Bacteriology from 1947-58.

 

Gallery location and hours can be found here

Red or Blue?

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red-or-blue-webSeptember 1, – December 10, 2016

Red and blue are the colors of our states during election season, so we’ve decided to explore those colors in our fall exhibition, Red or Blue? Join us this election season as we delve into the cultural meanings and psychology of the colors of the season, and view some of our best examples of red and blue gowns, suits and dresses from various decades of the twentieth century.

Blue satin Galanos 1986

Blue satin Galanos 1986

Red chiffon halston 1970s

Red chiffon Halston 1970s

The Historic Costume & Textiles Collection is featuring some of its best examples of red and blue in its latest exhibition. These colors first were used in television election coverage in 1976, although at that time, neither color was ‘assigned’ to one political party. In addition to political affiliations, cultural meanings of red and blue also have shifted over time, having different meanings in the past than they do today. We will look into these meanings as well as the natural dye sources for these colors. Approximately thirty garments will be on display in the upper Gladys Keller Snowden gallery in Campbell Hall, including designer evening gowns, daywear and suits. Related materials will be in the lower gallery.

View images from the exhibition

Check out the digital exhibition on Fashion2Fiber

And The Bride Wore…

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September 17 – December 13, 2014 and January 22 – May 9, 2015

1903-Cullman

And the Bride Wore…

And The Bride Wore… had two installations, one during Fall semester, and the second in Spring semester to maximize the number of dresses to display in the upper gallery space.

View exhibition installation images 

Explore digital exhibit on Fashion2Fiber

The exhibition was organized around several themes, instead of being a strict timeline of wedding gown fashions, and featured dresses from the 1880s through the end of the 20th century and into the 21st. All have interesting stories which accompany them. The themes include, “Something Old” and “Something New” which are pretty self-explanatory, “Something Borrowed”—a dress borrowed or re-cycled from a previous bride, “Something Blue”—a non-white wedding gown, “Generations”—more than one generation of brides in a family, “War Brides”—dresses worn around various war times, and “Local Interest”—dresses with stories and connections local to Columbus and Ohio. Each installation will feature 15-16 gowns and all thematic areas.

wedding photo no border

Henriette Seroi and Colin Robertson 1919

Henriette Seroi’s story was featured in a Columbus Bride blogpost. Click here to read more.

The gowns featured in the exhibition, as well as other wedding gowns in the museum’s collections, can be viewed online on our website Fashion2Fiber

Jellison-Cover-ImageDr. Katherine Jellison joined us for a talk about her book,  It’s Our Day: America’s Love Affair with the White Wedding 1945–2005 and the research related to it on February 25, 2015, as a public program related to the exhibition.

 

Please contact us if you have questions about our exhibitions and programs

Welcome

The Historic Costume & Textiles Collection is a scholarly and artistic resource of apparel and textile material culture. The 11,500+ holdings encompass a range of three dimensional objects such as textiles and articles of clothing and accessories for men, women, and children, including national dress costume, from the mid-18th century to contemporary 21st century designers.

Visitors

Visitors are welcome to tour exhibitions when they are on display in gallery spaces. Gallery hours and location can be found on the visit us page or you may contact us for upcoming information on exhibitions, programs, and events.

Research

The Collection is available to researchers by appointment only, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call or email to make arrangements.

Contact Us

The Historic Costume & Textiles Collection
175 Campbell Hall
1787 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210

Telephone: (614) 292-3090
Fax: (614) 688-8133
Email: strege.2@osu.edu