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      Fashion and Textiles

      PEM’s fashion and textiles collection reveals how design shapes our identity across cultures and eras.

      Fashion & Textiles

      Dress and adornment are potent symbols of identity and powerful tools for connection.

      PEM’s collections of fashion and textiles represent an incredible geographic range and centuries of artistry. From the everyday to the exceptional, these holdings intersect with every collecting department in the museum, including the Phillips Library.

      The museum’s American clothing collection is among the most important in the United States, with examples dating from the early 18th century to the present and representing many of New England’s prominent families, including the Crowninshields, who helped establish Salem as a seafaring hub. Among its areas of strength are military uniforms, a collection established by the Essex Institute following the end of the American Civil War in 1865, and significant holdings representing the work of notable designers, dressmakers and milliners.

      George Rea Curwen’s collection of American decorative arts and textiles undergirds our holdings of New England fiber works, which span the 17th century to the present and comprise pictorial needlework and samplers, quilts and coverlets, domestic furnishings and contemporary fiber arts. The central portion of this collection was acquired in 1899.

      PEM’s international textile and dress holdings represent the efforts of artists working in Europe, East and Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea and Oceania, as well as within the nations of Native America. These works of art include striking and technically superior examples of flags, banners, and domestic textiles, as well as clothing and adornment, from everyday items to haute couture. Ranging from hand-embroidered Indian kanthas (quilts) and capes made from mammal intestine by Unangax̂ (Aleut) artists in Alaska to a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawai’ian) boar tusk bracelet and runway fashions by contemporary Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, many of these objects enrich other collection areas. Finally, PEM’s renowned footwear collection is one of the largest in the U.S., and encompasses items from across the globe, with the majority made between the 17th century and the present.

      In 2019, PEM opened its first gallery dedicated to the exploration of fashion and design, signaling the critical role this important collection plays in revealing who we are and how we continuously and creatively respond to our changing world.

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      Highlights from this collection

      Cape, about 1820
      Cape, about 1820

      Unangax̂ (Aleut) artist, name once known, Aleutian Islands

      Dress, 1927
      Dress, 1927

      Jeanne Adèle Bernard Sacerdote (1868–1962, France) for Jenny, Paris

      Evening “tuxedo” jumpsuit, late 1990s–early 2000s
      Evening “tuxedo” jumpsuit, late 1990s–early 2000s

      Geoffrey Beene (1927–2004, United States)

      Kiss Me Dolores, 2010s

      ON VIEW

      Kiss Me Dolores, 2010s

      Charlotte Olympia, United Kingdom

      On view in the Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery of Fashion and Design.

      Wedding dress, 1872
      Wedding dress, 1872

      Artist in Salem, United States

      Salem Light Infantry uniform, about 1812
      Salem Light Infantry uniform, about 1812

      Artists in the United States

      Banyan (dressing gown), mid-1700s
      Banyan (dressing gown), mid-1700s

      Artists in the United Kingdom and the United States

      Dress, 1940s
      Dress, 1940s

      Claire McCardell, for Townley Frocks Inc.

      Corset, 1893–95
      Corset, 1893–95

      Les Grands Magasins du Louvre, Paris

      Bracelet, early 21st century
      Bracelet, early 21st century

      Cody Sanderson (Diné (Navajo) and Hopi, b. 1964)

      Cape, about 1820
      Cape, about 1820

      Unangax̂ (Aleut) artist, name once known, Aleutian Islands, Cape, about 1820. Mammal intestine, esophagus, hair, and dye. Gift of Thomas Meek, before 1821. E3662.A.

      Dress, 1927
      Dress, 1927

      Jeanne Adèle Bernard Sacerdote (1868–1962, France) for Jenny, Paris, Dress, 1927. Glass, silk, lamé, metal. Gift of Mrs. Edward Gates, 1970. 132306.

      Evening “tuxedo” jumpsuit, late 1990s–early 2000s
      Evening “tuxedo” jumpsuit, late 1990s–early 2000s

      Geoffrey Beene (1927–2004, United States), Evening “tuxedo” jumpsuit, late 1990s–early 2000s. Wool and silk crepe. Gift of Iris Barrel Apfel, in memory of Syd and Sam Barrel. 2013.61.37.

      Kiss Me Dolores, 2010s
      Kiss Me Dolores, 2010s

      Charlotte Olympia, United Kingdom, Kiss Me Dolores, 2010s. Rhinestones, leather and silk satin. Gift of Susan Esco Chandler. 2018.34.8AB.

      On view in the Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery of Fashion and Design.

      Wedding dress, 1872
      Wedding dress, 1872

      Artist in Salem, United States, Wedding dress, 1872. Silk and cotton. Gift of Annie L. Cutts, 1958. 129156.1A-D.

      Salem Light Infantry uniform, about 1812
      Salem Light Infantry uniform, about 1812

      Artists in the United States, Salem Light Infantry uniform, about 1812. Broadcloth with gilt braid, buckskin, and wool felt. Gift of Mrs. John C. Dow, 1902. 100044, 100045, and 100046.

      Banyan (dressing gown), mid-1700s
      Banyan (dressing gown), mid-1700s

      Artists in the United Kingdom and the United States, Banyan (dressing gown), mid-1700s. Silk damask and linen. Gift of the heirs of Andrew Nichols, 1975. 133574.

      Dress, 1940s
      Dress, 1940s

      Claire McCardell, for Townley Frocks Inc., Dress, 1940s. The Albert Szabo and Brenda Dyer Szabo Collection. 2018.29.3.

      Ensemble, from the collection "Fashion as Resistance", Fall/Winter 2018
      Ensemble, from the collection "Fashion as Resistance", Fall/Winter 2018

      Carla Fernández (Mexican, b. 1973), Ensemble, from the collection "Fashion as Resistance", Fall/Winter 2018. Rayon, acrylic paint. Museum purchase, made possible by the Willoughby Stuart Memorial Fund. 2020.7.1AB.

      Corset, 1893–95
      Corset, 1893–95

      Les Grands Magasins du Louvre, Paris, Corset, 1893–95. Satin brocade, lace, metal, and ribbon. Anonymous gift, 1922. 116364.

      Bed cover, early 18th century
      Palampore (bed cover), early 18th century

      Artists in India, Palampore (bed cover), 1710-50. Cotton embroidered with silk and metal. Museum purchase, the Veldman-Eecen Collection, made possible by an anonymous donor. 2012.22.82. © Fotostudio John Stoel.

      Applique Rising-Sun Quilt, about 1845
      Applique Rising-Sun Quilt, about 1845

      Artist in Massachusetts, Applique Rising-Sun Quilt, about 1845. Cotton. Gift of Miss Bessom S. Harris, 1969. 131932.

      Bracelet, early 21st century
      Bracelet, early 21st century

      Cody Sanderson (Diné (Navajo) and Hopi, b. 1964), Bracelet, early 21st century. Silver. Gift of Charles Franklin Sayre. 2014.21.2

      Loans and acquisitions

      Loans and acquisitions

      PEM is committed to providing the broadest possible access to its collection through the loan of objects for educational and scholarly purposes. Learn how to request a loan from the museum’s collection.

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