Lois Jett Historic Costume Collection

The Lois Jett Historic Costume Collection began in 1962. It was started by Lois Jett, an Apparel Merchandising and Design faculty member within the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Today, this teaching collection houses approximately 2000 artifacts of historic clothing and accessories. The garments date from c1870-2000 and were worn by men, women, and children - predominantly in the Midwest.

Mission

The mission of the Collection is to stimulate interest and further study in all aspects of costume history.

Purpose and Use

The Lois Jett Historic Costume Collection enhances teaching students about historic costume. This hands-on experience allows students to learn how and why clothing changed over time, as well as how to properly care for historic garments.

Students learn how to plan and execute educational exhibits that would be of interest to the public. The Lois Jett Historic Costume Collection also offers research opportunities for independent student and faculty scholarship.

Preservation

All artifacts donated to the Lois Jett Historic Costume Collection are only used for educational and research purposes. In order to best preserve the garments for future generations, the Collection uses museum standards for proper handling of the items. All artifacts are cataloged on a computer database.

Contact

For more information or to become a Friend of the Collection, contact:

Jennifer Banning, Ph.D.
(309) 438-5960
jbannin@ilstu.edu