Portable Pets: Live and Apparently Live Animals in Fashion, 1880-1925 by Julia Long (former FIDM Museum Study Collection Manager) is published in the current issue of Costume, the journal of the Costume Society of Great Britain. Julia’s article features this fine specimen of an apparently live animal, along with other objects from our collection. You can read her abstract here. In September, Julia will begin a 9-month Master of Studies in the History of Art and Visual Culture at the University of Oxford. Congratulations and good luck to you, Julia!

Everyone on the FIDM Museum staff is actively engaged with research into the history and theory of dress and textiles. Typically sparked by a specific object within the collection, we present our research in both scholarly and community venues. Participating in conferences, such as those hosted by the Costume Society of America or the Popular Culture Association, allows us to both spread information about the collection and to learn from other scholars who have similar research interests. We also make sure our research findings are available to FIDM students and faculty.

Through these venues, we often meet other scholars and artists whose research can benefit from interaction with our collection. Past visitors have included well-known designers, students and scholars from a variety of institutions both local and international. We are always interested in assisting outside researchers, so if you have questions about our collection, don’t hesitate to ask.

In October, two members of the FIDM Museum staff will be traveling to Stockholm to participate in the Fashion & Materiality symposium at Stockholm University. Stay tuned for more information about their participation in this event!