Leila Old Historic Costume Collection

Leila Old Historic Costume Collection

The Leila Old Historic Costume Collection, gathered from Idahoans, alumni and friends of the university, reflects clothing across lower-, middle- and upper-class society in Idaho, in good times and bad, from around 1850 to the present.

Over 18,000 items are represented in the collection dating from the Civil War to the present, including a lace collection of more than 8,000 items donated by Kathleen Warnick.

Items in the collection include:

• Clothing and undergarments
• Outerwear, footwear, accessories and adornments
• Personal symbols and gear
• Toiletries articles
• Recreational artifacts
• Personal communications and documents

Selected pieces are displayed on the first floor of the Niccolls building.

To donate, please contact Ann Barrington.

History

Leila Old began gathering and organizing clothing and textiles soon after she joined University of Idaho's Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences (formerly Home Economics) in 1967.

Over time, Old accumulated a sizeable and valuable collection that included clothing, accessories, hats and shoes, costume jewelry, old magazines and other illustrative materials. These items were used as a teaching resource for the school.

With the help of student Marge Stanton, Leila began to organize and catalog all the dress items using the Robert Chenhall classification system.

The collection was officially named the Leila Old Historic Costume Collection in 1981.