ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to provide a guide to the visual material available on costume, and in particular to stress those items which are most likely to fulfil the roles. A fairly recent development has been the introduction to the history syllabus of projects on costume, often requiring pupils to describe and explain changes in fashion in a particular era, and sometimes involving the making of garments to illustrate those changes. The Gallery of English Costume is housed in a mid-eighteenth century house and has, as a permanent feature of its exhibition, a chronological display of historic dress from the seventeenth century to the present. The best general history of costume on film remains Common Ground's English Costume series, which uses brass rubbings, contemporary drawings, portraits and fashion plates. Postcards illustrating costume can be obtained from most art galleries and museums.
