History is Always in Fashion: The Practice of Artifact-based Dress History in the Academic Collection

Abstract

Historic textile and clothing collections based in academic settings have a particularly unique characteristic when compared to museum collections, in that they welcome hands-on work by students and faculty. The academic collection provides a springboard toward new knowledge, looking at the past in order to understand the future. Our aim is to share how we value our collection, not as a static repository but as a fluid and active space of discovery. The University of Delaware Fashion and Apparel Studies Historic Costume and Textiles Collection (HCTC) as a repository of clothing and accessories from the fourteenth century to present day, is a treasure trove of opportunity for the practice of artifact-based dress history by the active engagement of collection, conservation, documentation, exhibition, and interpretation. The researchers conducted a contextual review of creative artifacts and research projects initiating within the HCTC. The case vignettes outlined connect HCTC artifacts through research and classroom projects. The researchers adopted the format of case vignettes from the health sciences, applying the format to teaching and research scenarios. The “patient” within these cases is the artifact of inquiry. The artifacts are the result of practice, yet, also inspire further iteration. Clothing and appearance (i.e. dress) are forms of nonverbal communication. Varying social, national, ethnic and gender groups project their identities through their dress. Clothes are made from textiles, and many of the important textile traditions are made to be displayed on the body. When examined from both historical and contemporary perspectives, as well as through analysis of cultural differences, clothing and appearance contribute to our understanding of the world. How this might be taught and/or applied to creative research is the focus of this article.