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Illinois State University’s Milner Library has recently concluded a two-year, grant-funded project to organize, research, and describe the Ueckert Circus Wardrobe Collection.
The collection is an unparalleled assemblage of circus costuming, accessories, and props dating from the 1880s to the early 2000s. It includes over 1,200 artifacts from many notable American circuses and features everything from functional staff uniforms to elaborate works of wearable art. Over the course of the project each item’s provenance and history were researched, and a full conservation assessment of the collection was completed. The work culminated in a comprehensive, item level finding aid that is available to researchers.
The costumes at Milner Library are now available for online discovery and research. (Photo/Becky Koch)In the summer of 2023, textile conservators Coleen Callahan and Shea Masterson from Costume and Textile Specialists visited Milner Library to inspect the collection and perform a full conservation assessment. Along with conservation and display guidance, they offered insight into historical costume construction, materials, and design. They also supplied a hands-on workshop for library personnel on mannequin dressing and display. Select wardrobe pieces can now be viewed in the floor 3 stairwell of Milner Library.
Displays at Milner Library showcase a few of the collection’s treasures. (Photo/Becky Koch)Researchers Rainie Themer Bosquet and Maritza Atayde spent two years researching and documenting the history of individual wardrobe pieces. Bosquet and Atayde used resources in Milner Library’s existing Circus and Performing Arts collection to identify who wore items, when they were worn, and for what performances and circuses.
“Researching the pieces of wardrobe in the Ueckert Circus Wardrobe Collection was a challenge, but it was also so rewarding to discover the histories of each of these pieces,” said Bosquet, the lead researcher. “The Ueckert Circus Wardrobe Collection is home to not only exquisite examples of circus wardrobe but also to hundreds of stories about the circus artists, time period, and culture. I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to work so closely with such a unique collection for the past two years.”
The Ueckert Circus Wardrobe Collection will be of interest not only to historians of the circus and performing arts but also to textile and costume researchers.
“I’m excited about the research potential and the learning possibilities that this world-class collection offers,” said Maureen Brunsdale, Milner’s Special Collections librarian. “The sky is the limit with regard to the topics and fields of study these materials could provide,”
Milner Library’s Digitization Center is in the process of photographing significant pieces in the collection. When completed, those will be accessible through the Milner Library website. Visit Findingaids.Library.IllinoisState.edu/Repositories/2/Resources/314 to access the Ueckert Circus Wardrobe Collection finding aid, and reach out to Maureen Brunsdale ([email protected]) with questions about the collection.
This project was supported in part by the Federal Save America’s Treasures grant administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
