The Costume and Textiles Collections
The Museum's collections contain more than five thousand textiles and costumes from all over the world, forming one of the largest and most significant collections of its kind in Britain. In addition, the Museum has thousands of mats, baskets and personal adornments. The Museum has collected textiles and costumes since its foundation in 1884 and continues to collect through anthropological fieldwork, commissions from producers and donations. Many of the collections were made by Cambridge-based scholars and are complemented by significant archives.
Almost half of the textile collections are from Asia, as well as over a thousand from Africa and from the Americas, and hundreds from the Pacific and from Europe. Historical highlights include ancient archaeological textiles from Peru and over six hundred Pacific barkcloths, some collected during Captain James Cook's eighteenth century voyages. Recent acquisitions include contemporary Maori clothing from New Zealand and Naga cloths from India.
The Museum's collections contain a huge variety of costumes and textiles - from lengths of cloth and garments to shoes, hats and bags, from textile production tools to furnishings. The artefacts are made from a full range of natural and artificial materials including cotton, silk, wool, animal skins, fibrous plant materials and synthetic fabrics. All manner of techniques can be seen, including weaving, felting, embroidery, netting and dyeing.
Just a small proportion of the Museum's collections are on display in the permanent galleries. For more information about the textile collections, explore this website and visit our on-line database.
Almost half of the textile collections are from Asia, as well as over a thousand from Africa and from the Americas, and hundreds from the Pacific and from Europe. Historical highlights include ancient archaeological textiles from Peru and over six hundred Pacific barkcloths, some collected during Captain James Cook's eighteenth century voyages. Recent acquisitions include contemporary Maori clothing from New Zealand and Naga cloths from India.
The Museum's collections contain a huge variety of costumes and textiles - from lengths of cloth and garments to shoes, hats and bags, from textile production tools to furnishings. The artefacts are made from a full range of natural and artificial materials including cotton, silk, wool, animal skins, fibrous plant materials and synthetic fabrics. All manner of techniques can be seen, including weaving, felting, embroidery, netting and dyeing.
Just a small proportion of the Museum's collections are on display in the permanent galleries. For more information about the textile collections, explore this website and visit our on-line database.
