Creating a 1940s Costume: A Historical Investigation

Authors

Jennifer Mott, Lindenwood UniversityFollow

Student Type

Graduate

Document Type

Recording

Abstract

The purpose of this Art History research investigation was to create a costume from the 1940s by immersing myself in a time period when people often made their own clothing. This was done to better understand what it means to have a personal connection to the items I wear. Our experiences as consumers in the twenty-first century are vastly different than those belonging to the people that lived during the mid-twentieth century because almost all of our clothing is purchased from corporations and created by people that we will likely never meet. For this investigative study, I shopped for and used materials that would have been used during the 1940s and also employed sewing techniques that would have been popular during that time. To get a fuller sense of how it would have felt to be a dressmaker from this time period, I also did my best to abide by the regulations that were in place for clothing production during World War II. I chose the 1940s because it is one of the periods I studied while taking History of Costume at Lindenwood University, but it is also one of my favorite eras and I knew I would enjoy researching it. I have created a video documenting my process, final product, and reflections along the way.

Author Bio

I attached a word document containing my references and materials used. Since my submission is a video, this is the only written material that will be attached.

This research investigation can be found on YouTube by accessing the following link:

https://youtu.be/L6WWYLjSAIo

Recommended Citation

Mott, Jennifer (2022) "Creating a 1940s Costume: A Historical Investigation," The Confluence: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62608/2150-2633.1037
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theconfluence/vol2/iss1/1

Date

July 16, 2022