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Dress and Textiles

 

The Leeds dress and textiles collection details the history of what people have worn in the past.

It includes the textiles they have used for their clothing, furnishing and decorating their homes.

The dress collection is predominantly British and consists of clothes and accessories for men, women and children, mainly dating from the 18th century onwards. Many of the items have been worn, bought or made in Leeds and the surrounding Yorkshire region.

Outstanding garments include an 1881 dress by Charles Worth, worn by the daughter of a Yorkshire mill owner, and a particularly strong collection of garments dating from the 1960s by some of the best known British fashion designers: Jean Muir, Bill Gibb, Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne Westwood, Bruce Oldfield, and Philip Treacy.

A significant and unique area of the collection is the large quantity of material relating to the tailoring manufacturing industry in Leeds. The collection includes items such as tools and equipment, suits, photographic archive and promotional material. Although a number of the Leeds tailors are represented in the collection, the two Leeds’ manufacturers best represented are Burton and Hepworths.

The textile collection includes some extremely rare fragments dating back to the 15th century. The collection contains fragments and also complete items highlighting the wide variety of techniques used in the production of textiles for dress, furnishings and interiors.

The online exhibits Fast x Slow Fashion and The New Look, along with many items from the collections are available to view online on our Google Arts & Culture page.

Undergarments from the 18th century, featuring a hoop and stay to give shape under a dress

Collection highlight

Pair of Stays and Hoop

This pair of stays and hoop date from about 1760 to 1780. Worn under a dress, the stays – the word used for corset during the 1700s – and the hoop, which is worn tied to the waist, created the fashionable female shape of the time. The stays are made up of many layers and stiffened with strips of whalebone, inserted between rows of fine hand stitching. Strips of cane are used to shape the hoop.

Both these objects are part of a collection of dress and textiles that all came from one collector called Kenneth Wright Sanderson (1896 – 1977). Sanderson was quite a flamboyant figure, who came from Leeds and was extremely passionate about historic dress. In the early 20th century Sanderson amassed a unique collection of items, in particular, 18th century fashions. He was a fervent advocate of the importance of history dress at a time when few people recognised its historic importance.

Discover more of our collections

Archaeology and Numismatics Collection

The Leeds archaeological collections are diverse, covering many thousands of years of history and prehistory, and representing a wide range of ancient cultures from around the world.

Fine Art Collection

The Leeds fine art collections are Designated as being of national and international significance. The collection has particular strengths in the areas of 18th and early 19th century English watercolours, 20th century British Art and a modern sculpture collection.

Decorative Arts Collection

The Leeds Decorative Arts collections are Designated as being of national and international importance. They are linked to local crafts people past and present, and feature major collections of furniture, ceramics, wallpapers, modern crafts, metalwork, textiles and costume.

World Cultures Collection

World Cultures is a significant collection area for Leeds, with over 12,000 items demonstrating the city’s historic links to the wider world, and the multicultural vibe of contemporary arts and culture.

Social History Collection

The Leeds social history collections started with an emphasis on ‘bygones’ and folk life in the 1920s. Reconstructed street displays at Abbey House were then added in the 1950s, recreating life in Victorian Leeds.

Natural Science Collection

The Leeds natural science collection comprises around 800,000 specimens, and is hugely diverse in terms of subject area, specimen type, and taxonomic range. It is designated as being of national and international significance.

Industrial History Collection

The Leeds industrial collections are largely based at Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills, and have been designated as of national and international significance.

Our Collections

Explore Leeds Museums and Galleries large collection of Art, Archaeology, Decorative Arts, Natural Science, Dress and Textiles, Industrial, World Cultures and Social History.