The Association of Dress Historians supports and promotes the study and professional practice of the history of dress, textiles, and accessories of all cultures and regions of the world, from before classical antiquity to the present day.
To further the ADH objective to support and promote the study and professional practice of dress and textile history, we offer a number of awards and grants, which are detailed on this page.
We currently request that all applicants are members of ADH at the time of application.
All questions and applications about our awards and grants should be sent to awards@dresshistorians.org.
Nominations are now open for 2023. This non-monetary award celebrates a dress history book that was published between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022. Eligible books must be published in English and the subject must fall within the wide definition of the history of dress, textiles, and accessories of any culture and region of the world, from before classical antiquity to the present day.
Nominations are accepted from ADH members. Please send the book details (e.g. the title, author, and publishing house) to awards@dresshistorians.org by the deadline 1 March 2023.
The winner of the 2023 ADH Book of the Year will be announced at the ADH Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 4 December 2023.
This non-monetary award celebrates an outstanding article that was published in The Journal of Dress History during 2022. Published authors are automatically entered for this award.
This £250 award includes mentorship by the ADH Awards Sub-Committee. To apply, submit an academic paper between 4000 words (minimum) and 6000 words (maximum), which includes footnotes but excludes the required 150–word (maximum) abstract, five (minimum) images with references, bibliography, and 150–word (maximum) author’s biography.
This award requires that the winning paper is published in The Journal of Dress History. Currently enrolled students and students within one year of graduation can apply. Submit an article and proof of current or previous student status to awards@dresshistorians.org by the deadline 1 November 2023.
Madeleine Ginsburg (1928-2020) was a pioneering dress historian, museum curator, and longstanding member of The Association of Dress Historians. In 1957, Madeleine was hired by The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, as its first curator of dress, long before the discipline of dress history was firmly established in academic and museological circles. Her new position symbolised a shift in the museum toward a slow but important acknowledgement of the importance of dress within the greater research area of art and design. In 2017, the ADH established The Madeleine Ginsburg Grant in her honour.
This grant is specifically designed for an undergraduate or postgraduate student undertaking an unpaid curatorial or archival internship or placement role with a collection that specifically focuses on dress or textiles. The internship or placement must not form part of the candidate’s academic course, i.e. is not supported by their university.
To apply for this £500 grant, send a letter explaining why you are applying for the grant and where you have been accepted for an internship, alongside a reference letter from your academic supervisor to awards@dresshistorians.org by the deadline 1 November 2023.
Professor Emerita Aileen Ribeiro was Head of The Department of Dress History at The Courtauld Institute of Art, 1975-2009. She is Patron Emerita of The Association of Dress Historians. This grant was established in her honour and supports the purchase of book images up to £500.
To apply:
*Authors published in The Journal of Dress History retain the copyright to their journal article.
The ADH Awards Sub–Committee has granted the following accolades.
2021:
Suchitra Choudhury, with the article, “Textile Orientalisms: Oriental Shawls in British Literature and Culture,” published in the Summer 2022 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2020:
Elizabeth L. Block, with the article, “Gowns and Mansions: French Fashion in New York Homes during the Late Nineteenth Century,” published in the Spring 2021 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2022:
Katie May Anderson
The Brunel Museum, London
2021:
Emily Lashford
The Silk Museum
Macclesfield, England
2019:
Amelia Brookins
Globe Theatre Library and Archive
London, England
2018:
Madeleine Luckel
The Costume Institute
New York, New York, United States
2018:
Lucie Whitmore, with the article, “‘Chic Rag–and–Tatter Modes:’ Remnant Fashions during the First World War,” published in the Winter 2018 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2017:
Nora Ellen Carleson, with the article, “Harry Collins and the Birth of American Fashion, 1910–1950,” published in the Summer 2018 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2022:
Sally Jones, University of Brighton, with the article “Murder, She Wore: The Mediation of Edith Thompson Through Her Dress,” to be published in a future issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2021, First Prize:
Nancy J. Membrez, with the article, “The Falda-Pantalόn Scandal: A History of the Skirt-Trouser Fashion in Madrid, Spain 1908-1911,” published in the Late Summer 2021 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2020, First Prize:
Jessica Rose Harpley, with the article, “Glittering Baubles: An Examination of Chatelaines in Britain, 1839–1900,” published in the Autumn 2020 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2020, Second Prize:
Angela Lassig, with the article, “William Clark (1830–1902): A Colonial New Zealand Draper and Clothier, 1854–1888,” published in the Summer 2020 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2020, Honourable Mention:
Allie Yamaguchi, with the article, “‘Thing to Wear’ to ‘Thing to Undress:’ Representation of Japanese Kimonos in Late Victorian Paintings,” published in the Spring 2020 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2020, Honourable Mention:
Harper Franklin, with the article, “The Supreme Law for the Hat Is To Be Ravishing: The Theatre Hat Controversy in the United States, 1880–1900,” published in the Winter 2020 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2018:
Erica Munkwitz, with the article, “Wearing the Breeches: Riding Clothes and Women’s Work during the First World War,” published in the Winter 2018 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
2017:
Sarah Magill, with the article, “Standardised or Simplified? The Effect of Government–Imposed Restrictions on Women’s Clothing Manufacture and Design during the Second World War,” published in the Summer 2018 issue of The Journal of Dress History.
Eanna Morrison Barrs
Stockholm University
Stockholm, Sweden
Irene Calvi
The University of Bologna
Bologna, Italy
Zara Kesterton
The University of Cambridge
Cambridge, England
Caroleen Molenaar
The University of Leicester
Leicester, England
Sofia Nadjimov
Parsons School of Design
New York, United States
Lynda Xepoleas
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York, United States
Irene Calvi
The University of Turin
Turin, Italy
Olga Dritsopoulou
The Victoria and Albert/
Royal College of Art
London, England
Amy–Louise Holton
The University of Brighton
Brighton, England
Katharine Lawden
The University of Oxford
Oxford, England
Milly Westbrook
The University of Brighton
Brighton, England
Emmy Sale
The University of Brighton
Brighton, England
Mariza Galindo
Parsons School of Design
New York, United States
Stefan Zaric
The University of Belgrade
Belgrade, Serbia
Copyright © 2021
The Association of Dress Historians (ADH)
Registered Charity #1014876 of The Charity Commission for England and Wales
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