Jenna Bossert, Potential Sources for Thesis Research

I have long had a love for fashion and history; therefore, I would love to combine these interests for my senior thesis. I stumbled upon old issues of fashion magazines at the RIT Archives and instantly was struck with a moment of clarity. For my senior thesis, I want to research how women’s clothing styles of the 20^th century are tied to concurrent historical events of the time.

            As mentioned in my first blog post, my research on this topic will be extensive and span a variety of different mediums. In the past week, I have come across some helpful resources that I was not aware of previously. I will list them here. Firstly, I was looking through The Wallace Center’s Library Catalog and typed “Vogue” to see what type of results I would get. I found that through ProQuest, I have access to The Vogue Archive, which includes scans of photographs, illustrations, and articles featured in issues from 1892 to the present day. I feel that this resource will benefit my research since popular culture and fashion history are covered throughout the issues.

Screenshot of the Vogue Archive database available through ProQuest

             Secondly, I came across the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Fashion collection. Many time periods, trends, and designers are featured throughout this expansive collection. Most notably for my research, V & A has several webpages dedicated to research about 20^th Century fashion as well as an abundance of information about particular time periods of the 20th century. These webpages features exhibition information and articles about trends as well as textiles and design styles. I feel that V & A’s Fashion collection and content on its website will prove to be useful for me as I research the historical ties interwoven with clothing. I will also be looking into books, such as Dressing for the Culture Wars and other mediums.