Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Center

The Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Centeris a study center for understanding historic costumes and textiles. It was created in 1992 under the direction of the Nevada State Museum and Nevada Historical Society. The Marjorie Russell Center is composed of the costume and textile collections of both founding institutions as well as the Jessie Pope costume collection from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Home Economics. The size of the collections is approximately 10,000 artifacts. Most significant is the women’s collection which ranges from the eighteenth century to current day fashions. Other strengths are the quilt collection, hats, children’s wear, political and ceremonial dress, flags, banners, and military and men’s wear. The purpose of the Marjorie Russell Center is to enhance the awareness of fashion history as it relates to society, history, and material culture. Dress is an important symbol, communicating historic trends, economic status of the wearer, and various ideals of beauty. Important artifacts within the center include:

A Delphos gown by Mariano Fortuny
Leisure wear, including tea gowns, a Mother Hubbard, wrappers and housecoats
Examples of turn-of-the-century ready-to-wear
Chinese embroidered garments
A Daughter of Charity habit
Artistic dress and shoes
Entertainment costumes from the gaming industry
State and federal flags
First Ladies ball gowns
Beaded handbag made for Nevada’s admission to the Union
Governor Bob Miller’s cowboy boots

Not only is the center a repository for artifacts, but it is also a research facility, providing technical data on various aspects of historic costumes and textiles.