Theatre 154 - “Reading” Dress: Archival Study of Clothing

This course is an introduction to a methodology for the study of dress as material culture, examining physical structures, terminology, technology of clothing production, as well as some of the historical, social and cultural variables shaping- and shaped by- clothing. It is a hand-on class using garments from the Smith Historic Clothing Collection. Students work in small teams to study several similar garments, identifying common features as well as distinctions that may reflect different classes, aesthetic choices and industrial influences. S/U only. Enrollment limited to 24 students.