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Exhibition Tour: Imagine Me and You—When Costumes Ruled the World

A purple robe with long sleeves and yellow floral motifs.
Robe decorated with swaying vine motif, Türkiye (Turkey), Ottoman period, 18th–19th century. Gold- and silver-colored metallic thread on silk satin ground. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Estate of Margaret F. Schroeder, 1999.323.

Tour

In-Person
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

This event does not require registration; see further details below.

Join Talitha Maria G. Schepers, curator of the exhibition Imagine Me and You: Dutch and Flemish Encounters with the Islamic World, 1450–1750 (May 18–August 18, 2024), for a deep dive into 16th-century costume books. Although European costume depictions showed attire in incredible detail, their main aim was not to provide insight into contemporary fashion but to classify and bring order to an ever-expanding world. Fashion at the time did not have today’s connotations of seasonal change in style and taste. What people wore defined their social identity, providing crucial information about their gender, religion, profession, and social rank. People were accustomed to “reading” one another through their clothing. We warmly invite you to join us in a close examination of some of the costume depictions on view in Imagine Me and You.

Led by:
Talitha Maria G. Schepers, Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Curatorial Fellow, Division of European and American Art, and exhibition curator

Please check in with museum staff at the Visitor Services desk in the Calderwood Courtyard to request to join the tour. Tours are limited to 18 people and are available on a first-come, first-served basis; no registration is required.

The Harvard Art Museums are now offering free admission every day, Tuesday through Sunday. Please see the museum visit page to learn about our general policies for visiting the museums.

Support for Imagine Me and You: Dutch and Flemish Encounters with the Islamic World, 1450–1750 is provided by the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Support Fund and the Melvin R. Seiden and Janine Luke Fund for Publications and Exhibitions. Related programming is supported by the M. Victor Leventritt Lecture Series Endowment Fund.

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance.