Vassar College Costume Collection

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Vassar College Costume Collection

Welcome to our collection of authentic historic clothing from the nineteenth century to today. Our digitization project is a work in progress, so please bear with us, and please share your feedback. You can read more on our About page. Thanks for visiting!

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Featured Items

Front View of Cream and Black Printed Silk Dress with Black Lace

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Textile Stabilization Workshop with Colleen Callahan, part of the Historic Costume Preservation Workshop. ...more

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Textile Stabilization Workshop with Colleen Callahan, part of the Historic Costume Preservation Workshop. ...more

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Textile Stabilization Workshop with Colleen Callahan, part of the Historic Costume Preservation Workshop. ...more

Front View of Black and Gold Beaded Dress

Front View of Brown Tea Gown

Front View of Black Silk Dress with Train

Front View of Pink Patterned Dress

Photographs of wedding dresses of Leontine McPhillips, Mary Lee Hartzell, and Anna Langdell

Photographs of wedding dresses of Leontine McPhillips, Mary Lee Hartzell, and Anna Langdell, for wedding wear exhibition For Better and For Worse ...more

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Textile Stabilization Workshop with Colleen Callahan, part of the Historic Costume Preservation Workshop. ...more

Featured Exhibit

For Better and For Worse

For Better and For Worse: Sixteen Decades of Wedding Wear at Vassar May 23-June 9, 2013 at the Palmer Gallery, Main Building, Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY) In 2007, Vassar received a donation of four wedding dresses from the same Vassar family—three generations of dresses. The exhibition includes these four dresses,plus a fifth dress on loan to represent the fourth generation, as well as other wedding wear and photographs collected over the years. Explore changing views of marriage over the last 160 years, including current views on marriage equality. Continue through the ... Continue Reading.

Recent Items

Pink Nightgown with Lace

A pink nylon nightgown that is loose-fitting and ankle length. There is a loose, low collar with white lace lining just beneath. The lace mirrors the collar's shape, scooping down and… ...more

Period Undergarments

Overview of Garment

This undergarment is a cream jumper. It is cotton with an embroidered dot design on the hem and neckline. Bodice (a) high waist with open and striped waistband. Sleeves (b) straps. Closures… ...more

Blue Floral Fish and Butterfly Chinese Silk Panel Embroidery

Two-paneled, mirrored tapestry on robin's-egg-blue silk brocade; embroidery depicts fish below a square pavilion on the bottom; various coral and teal flowers in the middle and upper… ...more

Black Satin Beaded Pleated Bodice with Pink Accents

Black satin bodice with beading, pleats boning, full-length, leg-o-mutton sleeves, high collar and pink accents on reverse of satin, shoulder ruffles. ...more

Sun and Moon Chinese Silk Embroidery Panel

Chinese silk embroidery panel of multiple people in four mirrored scenes that begin in the day and end in the night, from top to bottom.

Scene 1: A person carrying red fruits on a platter… ...more