Page content
CWF Costume Design Center
Costume Design Center
75th Anniversary
Costumes were first worn October 20, 1934, by Colonial Williamsburg hostesses at the Raleigh Tavern for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s visit for the dedication of the Duke of Gloucester Street. These first costumes were deemed so successful that November 5, 1934, all hostesses in the remainder of the exhibition buildings were required to wear costumes.
75th Anniversary Timeline
Explore 75 years of costumed interpretation.
Dressing for the Occasion
by Mary Miley Theobald
CWF Costume Design Center Source List
Resources for the reproduction of historic costume.
Multimedia and related links
-
Podcasts
- View descriptions
-
75 Years of Costume Design
Colonial Williamsburg marks 75 years of costumed interpretation in 2009. Costume Design Center Director Brenda Rosseau describes the metamorphosis from 1934. November 2, 2009
Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript
Video podcast: Watch (mov) | Transcript
-
Fashion and Function
A corset's engineered strictness defines the shape of the 18th-century woman. Journeywoman Brooke Welborn explains the trend. May 5, 2008
Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript
-
The Art of the Cut
Translating a man's measurements into suits for all seasons is the task of the skillful tailor, says apprentice Neal Hurst. June 18, 2007
Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript
-
Clothing Speaks
Clothing says what words do not, in the 18th century as well as the 21st. Textiles and costumes curator Linda Baumgarten explains. January 29, 2007
Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript
-
Milliner and Mantua Maker
Janea Whitacre has been creating beautiful dresses in the Margaret Hunter Shop for 24 years. August 7, 2006
Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript
- more...
- Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.
- Subscribe to our podcast RSS feeds:
Audio | Image enhanced | Video
-
Journal articles
-
Laundries
Largest Buildings in the Eighteenth Century Backyard
-
Aesthetic Appeal
Jewelry from our Collection
-
Asynchronous (Adjective: Not coinciding in time)
Eighteenth-Century Clothes for a Twenty-First-Century Pose
-
Colonial Dress Codes
- more articles...
Daily jigsaw puzzles
Historic Triangle
iCitizenForum
