Textiles

Costumes in the collection consist mainly of items of women’s clothing from the late eighteenth century to the present. There is a small collection of men’s clothing, mainly suits and uniforms. Notable are the eighteenth and nineteenth century waistcoats for men. The collection of children’s costume is small, except for the infants’ section where there is a large selection of dresses and accessories, dating mostly from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Also included is a large collection of Chinese and Japanese robes and a collection of modern rural Xhosa costume. There is also an extensive collection of ecclesiastical wear from the Roman Catholic Church.

There is an extensive storage collections of textiles.