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“Being able to translate the information in these books into a tangible example of costume is always an exciting and rewarding process,” O’Neil said.
O’Neil made a 1790s gown by following the step-by-step directions within The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking. She created an 18th-century cape with guidance from Costume Close-Up: Clothing Construction and Pattern 1750-1790. When creating historical costumes, she references the historical photographs in her collection to have a better understanding of the clothing’s silhouette.
“Clothing is such a personal way of understanding history,” O’Neil explained. “I mean, it’s literally the shape of someone’s body in their clothing. [It lets people] really click with history in such a tangible way.”
For O’Neil, the most rewarding part of collecting books and archival materials is this ability to connect people with history, and to bring new life to old materials.
At every turn, she looks to make historical dress more approachable for everyone from the hobbyist to the historical reenactor to the fellow graduate student. In addition to her collection of books and archival materials, she shares her insights with the growing, dynamic historical dress community through her Costume and Conservation YouTube channel and website.
“My long-term goal is to really connect the public to textile conservation and, specifically, costume conservation,” O’Neil said. “I want to connect them to these antique clothes and shine a light on textile conservation as a field — get people excited about it, get the public to know who we are.”
Seth Trotter Book Collecting Contest
Margaret O’Neil is one of three winners of the Friends of the University of Delaware Library’s 2021 Seth Trotter Book Collecting Contest. The other winners are Katrina Anderson and Logan Gerber-Chavez. The Friends created the contest to encourage reading and research, the creation of personal libraries, and an appreciation of printed or illustrated works for pleasure and scholarship among UD undergraduate and graduate students. Friends of the University of Delaware Library provides fundraising support for UD's Library, Museums and Press.