Milner Library’s Ueckert Circus Wardrobe Collection

An anonymous donor has been inspired by the collective support of this project and will contribute $500 once we reach $3,500! This second challenge gift will help us meet our initial project goal of raising enough funds to purchase one mannequin and accessories.

Milner Library’s Special Collections department is home to the nationally prominent Circus and Allied Arts Collection, one of the largest of its kind.

Recently, Milner Library was gifted the stunning Ueckert Circus Wardrobe Collection consisting of more than 2,000 pieces of clothing and accessories dating from the 1880s to the 1980s. Milner Library wants to make the wardrobe pieces accessible to students, faculty, staff, and the wider community. To do that, the library needs male and female museum-quality mannequins and accessories to display them properly. While the initial goal of this project is to purchase a single museum-quality mannequin with accessories, the long-term target is to be able to purchase at least two mannequins with accessories (at least one male, one female). This would allow us to display more of these beautiful costumes within the library and beyond while preserving their delicate and ornate details.

Faculty and students in the Departments of History, Family and Consumer Sciences, the School of Theatre and Dance, and many more academic units use the collections in their coursework, classrooms, and research. Beyond the Illinois State community, anyone who is researching or has an interest in American circus history will also benefit from the library's ability to display wardrobe items.

Your gift today will help us toward our goal of increasing access to these beautiful and historically significant pieces.