WHO WE ARE
Established by Carolyn Wingo in 1967 to support the teaching mission of the Department of Textile and Apparel Management within the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri, the Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection collects and preserves clothing and textiles of historic and artistic value for purposes of teaching, research and exhibition. Over 7,000 artifacts range in date from the 19th to the 21st century. An additional 4,000 archival resources – books, magazines, illustrations, and photographs - are also maintained within collection holdings. Artifacts are housed in the climate-controlled Josephine Margaret Holik Conservatory and exhibited in the Abigail and Nicholas Filippello Exhibition Showcase in Gwynn Hall on the University of Missouri campus.
WHAT WE DO
The MHCTC encourages textile appreciation and scholarship through preservation, exhibition, research and educational programming. Artifacts and virtual exhibitions are used in numerous TAM classes, such as Basic Concepts of Apparel Design and Production, Integrated Apparel Production, Apparel and Textile Presentation Techniques, Digital Textile and Apparel Applications, Creativity and Problem Solving, History of Western Dress, and 19th & 20th Century Western Dress. Artifacts are also used within interdisciplinary coursework such as Plant Sciences Wedding Floral Design and the Honors Tutorial Get Real, Go Places: Let Objects Take You There.
The MHCTC develops and participates in educational programming with campus and community museums, departments and institutions while maintaining active memberships in numerous national professional organizations, including the Costume Society of America, the American Association for State and Local History, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the International Textile and Apparel Association. Explore activities and events in our most recent NEWSLETTER or see examples of interdisciplinary teaching, research and exhibition on the COLLECTION page.
EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS
MHCTC develops exhibitions and educational programming with campus and community museums, departments and institutions to encourage interest in historic dress and use of Collection artifacts. Annual exhibitions in the Abigail and Nicholas Filippello Exhibition Showcase in Gwynn Hall include a summer exhibit of the Curator’s choice and a fall showcase. Related events often include invited guest presentations and interdisciplinary partnerships in which historic dress and textiles are used as inspiration for visual and applied design and research projects.
The MHCTC partners with numerous institutions throughout the state and the nation in the creation of quality exhibitions. Examples include University of Missouri institutions such as the Museum of Art and Archaeology, the Museum of Anthropology, the State Historical Society of Missouri, and Ellis Library Special Collections and Rare Books. Regional and national collaborations include the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming; the Missouri State Museum in St. Louis; and local Columbia institutions such as the Boone County History and Culture Center, the Center for Studies and Stephens College Costume Gallery.
Visit the MHCTC’s EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS to explore past exhibits.
COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
The MHCTC is the premiere repository for University of Missouri-related apparel and textile artifacts, as well as an important resource for local, state and regional history. MHCTC actively collects artifacts with Missouri-related provenance, including those belonging to Notable Missourians and prominent designers, manufacturers and retailers of the past and present. Housed in the climate-controlled Josephine Margaret Holik Conservatory in Gwynn Hall, the Collection includes apparel and accessories for men, women and children, as well as military apparel, world dress and household textiles. Explore a variety of COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS.
CORNETT FAMILY QUILTS: A collection of fifty-eight quilts made over a period of 100 years by a single Missouri farming family.
NOTABLE MISSOURIANS: Highlights Missouri’s role in local, regional and national history. In Progress
PATRICIA GEORGE ILLUSTRATIONS: Fashion illustrations for Kansas City retailer Harzfeld’s, The Independent society journal, and more!