Links
Since everybody else has it and I think it's a good resource I decided to list some favourite links. I have divided them into broad categories
but there will always be sites that are hard to define so it's worth the while to look through the lists under all the headlines. Since I'm adding a brief description
this is a fairly time-consuming work so I won't do all of it at one time, but add more as I have the time/energy. A lot of my bookmarks are also only in the computer at my work
so it may take I while before I put them here.
Costume
Viking:
Three viking costumes, a rich man, a rich woman
and a warrior, at the Swedish National Museum of Antiquities. Very good and based on recent
research in the field. For some reason the english versions have been taken down, so you will have be satisifed with the pictures. There are also patterns, which you find by klicking on "mönster".
Unfortunately only with instructions in swedish. I have translated the text on the patterns for women's dress. They can be found
here.
Medieval:
Dame Helen's Pennsic XXXI classes. Dame Helen has two excellent articles on how to
make cotheardies based on the Greenland (Herjolfsnes) grave finds and on 14th century sewing techniques.
Ariadne la Noire's Cotehardie Documentation Page A site with pictures of the tight 14th century
garment commonly known as a cotehardie. It also includes later examples of the same style of dress.
Cynthia Virtue's articles on costume. Instructions on how to make mainly headgear for your medieval costumes.
The articles and instructions are directed mainly at producing the "right look" and are sometimes based more on "what works" than on archaeological finds/academic research/period methods.
They are a good source for tips an tricks however.
Renaissance:
A Festive Attyre. Great site with lots of pictures and analysis on mainly italian
16th century dress. Interesting and well documented experimental research on construction as well as the famous "Featured Attyre", where you each week
can see costumers showing their renaissance clothing.
Mode Historique. While this site deals with more periods than the renaissance, the main content is still directed to elizabethan clothing, so that's why I put it under this headline.
Good research, excellent costumes. I especially recommend her article on bumrolls and farthingales and her ongoing research concerning french hoods.
The elizabethan costuming page. A huge site with links to articles and other web pages. The quality of the links are varying, some pages are very well researched and some
are more directed at modern "cheats" than actual research. Everything written by the site owner Drea Leed is worth reading and well researched though. She has written some very good instructions on how to make elizabethan
clothing, from underpinnings to headwear that will enable you to make your own, historically correct, elizabethan outfit.
The curious Frau. Good site on german renaissance clothing by Marion McNealy. Rare pictures as well as dress diaries, articles and "how-tos". Including a recreation of a knitted hat from 1583.
Sempstress Inspirational, fun and helpful site on elizabethan clothing. Brutally honest about when she has documentation for something she's done
and when she hasn't. Good instructions on how to drape patterns, make hats and other useful things. I did say fun too, didn't I?
Blackwork embroidery archives. Modern charted blackwork patterns in period style. Beautiful and inspirational.
Tudor bonnets, Men and Women: A Portfolio of Images. I love them, one day I will make one of those oversized white berets and
wear it on top of several wired coifs. Just you wait!
Later periods:
Reconstructing History. Some information on Irish medieval and renaissance clothing, but mainly articles and pictures of the 17th and 18th century. under the headline "Irish" you will find presentation and analysis
of several archaeological finds, mainly from the renaissance. Good.
La couturière Parisienne Everything you need to make 18th century clothes as well as huge picture archive covering the later middle ages to the 20th century. The main focus is on the 18th century however.
More than one period
Margurie's pages Articles on clothing in several eras. Good information on
how to cut a bliaut (tight 12th century "dress" worn by both sexes), how to wear your hair and how to make those lovely 12th century braids with the aid of false hair. Among other things.
Art
11th century:
The Bayeux tapestry
12th century:
Art-roman net French site with lots of pictures from romanesque churches from different parts of France.
The Fecamp psalter, 12th century flemish manuscript. To get larger pictures you have to go directly to
De Koninklijke Biblitheek's collection. In the search form you then type "Fecamp" in "place of origin".
The St. Alban's psalter.
13th century:
Hortus Deliciarum. An early 19th century copy of a destroyed 12th century manuscript.
Images from Alphonso X (Spain) Book of games
Cantigas de Santa Maria. Images from the song collection Cantigas de Santa Maria by
the same Castilina king, Alphonso X.
The life of king Edward the confessor
The Maciejowski Bible A french manuscript from c. 1250. Lots of images in very good resolution.
The Murthly hours. Scottish manuscript from the 1280s.
14th century:
Codex Manesse. Images from the early 14th century german manuscript with this name.
The bohemian bathhouse babesfrom the Wenceslaus Bible.
Hardenberger CodexA norwegian manuscript (probably executed in Bergen) from c. 1340.
has some very special examples of male clothing with trains.
Romance de Alexander, ca 1338-1344. Huge pictures that take forever to load, but amazing pictures of clothing.
Flemish manuscript with Arthurian tales. From the 1330s or around 1340.
The Nedstryn altar frontal from c. 1300-1325 (Norway).
The St. Olaf altar frontal from Trondheim, early 14th century.
The Dresden manuscript of Der Sachsenspiegel. Made between 1295 and 1363, I would guess the middle of the 14th century.
The Taymouth Hours, c. 1325-1335.
15th century:
Late medieval german manuscripts at the Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg.
Le très riches heures du Duc de Berry
Late medieval german manuscripts at the university of Dramstadt.
Digitalieserung spätmittelalterliche Handschriften aus der Bibliothke Palatina. What it says: Late
medieval manuscripts.
16th century:
The frazzled Frau. Vast collection of german renaissance art depicting women's clothing.
Tudor and elizabethan portraits. Wonderful site.
Goode Gryphon. Becky has collected quite a few french and spanish pictures you don't see very often. Some of them are small but it's still a very
useful site if you're interested in french and spanish 16th century.
There are many more places to see 16th century art, for example at The elizabethan costuming page and at A Festive Attyre.
More than one century:
The Bodleian library. here you can look at images from many medieval
manuscripts.
Karen Larsdatter's Homepage. Elements of material culture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance as represented through artwork of the period,
as she puts it herself. Excellent site with period art grouped after which items they depict.
Early manuscripts at Oxford University.
Medeltidens bildvärld A vast collection of images of medieval art, covering altarpieces, baptismal funts, wall paintings and wooden sculptures from churches and museums
in Sweden.
Kalkmalerier i danske kirker. Medieval wall paintings from danish churches.
Digital Facsimiles of Copenhagen Manuscripts at the Royal Library in Copenhagen.
Turning the pages, at the British Library. Here you can browse through, among others,
the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Luttrell Psalter.
Archaeology and preserved clothing
Pre-historic:
Medieval:
Some Clothing of the Middle Ages.Historical Clothing from Archaeological finds.
The page on medieval archaological finds. Here you find information on most archaeological finds of European medieval clothing, including drawings of the finds, interpretations of the patterns and an excellent
list of sources (Marc Carlson who's made the page is a librarian. You can see that).
Footwear of the Middle Ages. More by Marc Carlson but this time directed at shoes and how to make them as well
as archaeological finds.
Some extant clothing of the Middle Ages Cynthia Virtue presents preserved garments from the middle ages. An indispensable source.
Maggie Forest/Marienna Jensdatter's page. A collection of high quality articles concerning pre-historic and medieval clothing and textile arts.
Renaissance:
Other sources
Pre-historic:
Medieval:
The dye woorkes. A collection of dye recipies from 300 AD - 1860, including recipies from the middle ages and the renaissance.
Renaissance:
General:
The fabric burn test. Wondering what your "mystery fabric" is made of? Here's a guide that will help you some.
Shopping
I have never bought anything from these places. The reason I put them here is that they have things I would like to buy and use for my
costuming.
Jewelry findings on-line have brass ornaments that I would love to put on for example
14th century clothing, since it was common at this time to adorn clothes with metal ornaments, often called "bezants". They would also look good on belts.
Raymond's Quiet press. Reproductions of jewellery, belt mountings, buckles and other metal objects from roman times to the reanissance.
Very reasonable prices.
Tudor Jewellery. Not as cheap as the above but with some really lovely tudor jewellery.