Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion and Its Legacy at the Wadsworth Atheneum

Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion & Its Legacy
March 5, 2016–July 10, 2016

Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion & Its Legacy is the first exhibition to fully explore the Romantic era as a formative period in costume history. Presenting historic garments alongside literary works, paintings, prints, and decorative arts, the exhibition examines how European fashions from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras influenced and inspired new styles created between 1810 and 1860.

Gothic to Goth illustrates how early nineteenth century costume—just like fine and decorative art, architecture, interior design, literature, and music—moved away from the order and rationality of the previous half-century to embrace imagination and emotion, originality and vision, and individuality and subjectivity as guiding principles. The exhibition culminates with a look at recent Goth and Steampunk fashions, revealing their roots in the rich imagination and aesthetic of Romanticism.

Lynne Z. Bassett, Costume and Textile Historian and museum consultant, is organizing the exhibition.

PublicationA 128-page, full-color illustrated catalogue, including an extended essay by Bassett, will accompany the exhibition.

Gothic to Goth Tours

Join a docent for a tour of Gothic to Goth: Romantic Era Fashion & Its Legacy Saturdays & Sundays at 2:30 pm from March 5, 2016–July 10, 2016. Tours are free with museum admission and meet by the Museum Shop.