International Journal of Textile Science 2012, 1(5): 29-35 DOI: 10.5923/j.textile.20120105.01 Critical Comparative Analyses of the Display and Interpretation of Two Historical Costume Collections in the United Kingdom Arwa Khomayyies Fashion Design, College of Art & Design, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Abstract Historical costume and textiles convey cultural meanings and values; a display gets people to see things. Different display techniques allow visitors to engage visually with objects and allow the curator to send certain messages. Therefore the ways in which historical costumes and textiles are displayed reflect a museum’s approach to its collections. The aim of this paper is to analyse and compare the displays of costume collections in two museums in the United Kingdom: Lotherton Hall in Leeds and Bankfield Museum in Halifax. This paper also discusses the difficulties of exhibiting costumes and possible solutions. It also explores the interpretation of textiles and costumes in order to reveal questions of historical value and hidden cultural messages. Keywords Museum, Costumes, Interpretation, Textiles, Collection, Display 1. Introduction Museums are one of the most important spaces for the preservation and display of cultural artefacts. Although museums contain many types of collection, historical costumes and textiles are well represented and can be used to exhibit items of cultural, historical and artistic significance. Naomi Tarrant has defined ‘costumes’ as ‘all types of clothing whether every day, ceremonial, fancy, folk or theatrical, which have been worn in the past’[1]. There are many ways to present textiles and historical costumes. Museum exhibitions present these objects history as educational aids to inform the public about art, culture, and history[2]. Although museum scholars have long been aware of the power of museum, displays to create compelling narratives about different collections, according to Stephanie Moser, there is a lack of understanding about the extent to which exhibitions create knowledge about the subject they seek to present[3]. Also, as Alexander Palmer points out, there has been a lack of academic and professional training for costume and textile curators[4] that could lead to some poor costume displays in some museums. For centuries, museums stored and preserved collections in an elitist way. Traditional museums have also displayed their historical collections chronologically. The collections are likely to have some objects which are richly documented * Corresponding author: arwadk@gmail.com (Arwa Khomayyies) Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/textile Copyright © 2012 Scientific & Academic Publishing. All Rights Reserved and other objects that are not. Some artefacts may be in good condition while others may need extensive conservation. The curators select items according to their perceived historical and cultural relevance, to the aim of the exhibition. Textile collections often featured in displays are intended to last a long time and thus influence the way they are interpreted[5].Since the 1970s the museum world has undergone radical change, caused by political and economic pressure. This pressure has forced museums professionals to shift their attention from their collections and to their visitors[6].There has been a noticeable change in museums as a result of this new attempt to control certain aspects of display. This approach has motivated contemporary curators to arrange their collections in ways that appeal to of the visitors. Max Ross claims that “the movement towards a more visitor-centred ethos can be seen as entailing a corresponding shift in the identity of the museum professional, from ‘legislator’ to ‘interpreter’ of cultural meaning”[7]. This idea is compatible with the new museology: people-centred, action- oriented, and devoted to social change and development[8].This emphasizes the correlation between the visitors and the exhibition. Ross suggested that museums must become less exclusive and more responsive to a diverse public and the communities they are supposed to serve. He also asserts that consumers could force museums to consider their needs as they depend on visitor income[9]. Furthermore, Kreps confirms that visitors are a museum’s greatest human resource; therefore traditional methods could be combined with new professional practices to meet the visitors’ needs and to pass on cultural messages[10]. Costume and textile curators in