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Drama Research Guide:Costume

• Reference Resources at Hunt Library
  • Bibliography
  • Historic Costume Bibliography
• Databases
• Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
• Technical
  
• Research Tips
  • Browsing the book stacks in Hunt Library
  • Searching the Library Catalog (Cameo

• Images on the Web
  

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Reference Resources

The following is a selection of standard online databases and reference books. Reference books are non-ciruculating and shelved on the 4th floor of Hunt Library directly behind the Arts Reference Desk.

• Bibliography

Anderson, Barbara and Cletus. Costume Design. Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 2nd edition, 1999.
FA-REF-4 TT507 .A66 1999 (Earlier editions are in the circulating stacks in Hunt Library)

Jowers, Sidney and John Cavanagh. Theatrical Costume, Masks, Make-up and Wigs : a Bibliography and Iconography London ; New York : Routledge ; Romsey : Motley Press, 2000.
FA-REF-4 Z5691 .J68 2000

• Databases (Carnegie Mellon Users)

  Dictionaries

  The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers
  Full-text dictionary (via Credo Reference)

  Images

  Digital Image Database (from the Carnegie Mellon Visual Resources Collection)
  A growing collection of digitized costume images including selected images scanned for Professor Barbara Anderson's costume courses at Carnegie Mellon, and artists costume design for the Ballets Russes.

  ArtStor
  A growing collection of images from various historical collections, plus an extensive Image Gallery. Try searching keywords such as costume or clothing. Searching here can be hit or miss especially since narrowing down to a particular era or date can be tricky. Ask a librarian for help.

  Periodical Indexes (for citations to articles)

  Design and Applied Arts Index
  International Index to the Performing Arts
  

• Encyclopedias and Dictionaries (selected)

  Boucher, Francois Leon Louis. 20,000 Years of Fashion: The History of Costume and Personal Adornment. New York, N.Y.: H.N. Abrams, 1987
  FA-REF-4 GT510 .B6713 1987

  Calasibetta, Carlotte Mankey. Fairchild's Dictionary of Fashion. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1988.
  FA-REF-4 TT503 .C34 1988

  Cassin-Scott, Jack. The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Costume and Fashion 1550-1920. Poole: New York: Blandford, 1986
  STACKS-4 GT585 .C83 1986

  Davenport, Millia. The Book of Costume. New York: Crown Publishers, 1948.
  FA-REF-4 GT513 .D38 2 Vols.

  Ribeiro, Aileen. The Visual History of Costume. London: Batsford, 1989.
  FA-REF-4 GT733 .V57 1989

  Tarassuk, Leonid and Blair, Claude, eds. The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons... New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982.
  FA-REF-4 746.9 C737

  The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers
  Full-text dictionary online(via Credo Reference)

  Wilcox, Ruth Turner. The Dictionary of Costume. New York: Scribner, 1969.
  FA-REF-4 GT507 .W5

  Yarwood, Doreen. Encyclopedia of World Costume. New York: Scribner, 1978.
  FA-REF-4 GT507 .Y37

• Technical

  Holkeoer, Katherine Strand. Patterns for Theatrical Costumes: Garments Trims and Accessories from Ancient Egypt to 1915. New York: Drama Book Publishers, 1992.
  FA-REF-4 TT633 .H65 1992

  Ingham, Rosemary and Covey, Liz. The Costume Technician's Handbook. Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann Educational Books, Inc., 1992. FA-REF-4 TT507 .I47 1992
  

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Research Tips

The following are general tips. When in doubt, ask a librarian!

Browsing the Books Stacks in Hunt Library

Books on dress and costume are shelved depending on the emphasis and subject matter. Start browsing with the following sections. Ask at the Arts Reference Desk for more help.

GT500-2370 Manners and Customs: Costume, Dress, Fashion
GR 420-426 Folklore: Costume, Jewelry
NK4700-4890 Costume
NK8800-9506 Textiles
PN2000-3307 Dramatic representation; stage and set design
PN2067 Costuming for the stage
TT490-696 Clothing manufacture

Searching the Library Catalog (Cameo)

• For a specific search
  Try using the "Word or Phrase" option to search specific terms such as: veils; men's clothing; etc.
  If that doesn't work, ask a librarian or try a broader search.

• For a broader search, try using costume or it's synonyms, e.g.
  • costume
  • fashion
  • clothing
  • dress
    
  with other keywords such as:
• exhibitions
• design or (designers)
• history
• motion pictures
• philosophy
• psychology
• Shakespeare
• social life and customs
• symbolic aspects
• politics
• (by century) e.g. 19th century
• (by country) e.g. Great Britain
  

Images on the Web

• The Character Shop
  A special effects company specializing in animatronics, makeup effects, puppets, and robotics - they created the Budweiser Frogs! Site includes glossary of special effects terms.

• The Costume Gallery
  Includes descriptions and images of period costumes. Also includes links to websites that provide goods and services to the fashion and costuming industry.

• Costume Imagebase (John Rininger)
  A searchable index of costume/fashion-related images in books and periodicals. A citation index; does not include the actual indexes.

• The Costume Page (Amy Zetterberg)
  Over 2,000 links to costume-related sites.

• The Costumer's Manifesto (Tara Maginnis)
  Links to many aspects of costuming and types of costume, from ancient Babylon to the 1990's, including ethnic costume. Features text and images.

• The History of Costume by Brian & Schneider - c. 1861 - 1880 (C. Otis Sweezey)
  Images of plates of historical dress from antiquity to the end of the 19th century, with a Victorian perspective. From the book originally published as "Zur Geschichte der Kostume," printed from 1861 to 1880 in Munich by the publishing firm of Braun and Schneider.

• Make-Up and Mask Links (Tara Maginnis, Ph.D.)
  From the Costumer's Manifesto site.

• New York Public Library Digital Gallery
  Many costume images including reproductions from Racinet's Costume Historique

• Oriental Costumes Their Designs and Colors
  From Max Tilke's Oriental Costumes, Their Designs and Colors,
  Berlin : E. Wasmuth, 1922
  Translated by L. Hamilton

• The Costume Site (Lauren Podolak/Milieux)
  Online sources for costumes, materials, accessories, books, etc.