Art & Architecture Collection > Costume and Fashion History: A Guide to Resources

Electronic Resources

Visual Resources

The Library’s website www.nypl.org provides access to the Digital Gallery, where thousands of costume related imagery can be found. Two sections in particular, “Customs and Costume: Surveys and Examples of National Studies to 1900” and “Dress and Fashion: Design and Manufacture” show historical costume plates. Also to be found in the Digital Gallery is the online resource of the Picture Collection, with over 30,000 images from the collection. The Picture Collection, with over a million physical images on file in folders, is located at the Mid-Manhattan Library on 5th Avenue and 40th Street. A limited amount of historical costume images can be found by searching the scholarly image database ARTstor, which compiles artworks and illustrations from museum and other cultural collections.