The museum is currently closed.
This non-circulating research library features thousands of hard-to-find resources on global textiles and traditional dress. Resources are multilingual and cover artistic, cultural, historical, and technical information. While visiting, you can access serials, rare books, monographs, auction catalogs, ephemera, and films. We also hold the personal archives of important textile scholars including Irene Emery and Charles Grant Ellis.
Plan a Visit
The library is open Wednesday–Friday from 1–4 p.m. and by appointment. You will find it on the fourth floor of the museum. Email Librarian Tracy Meserve at [email protected] to schedule an appointment and help us prepare for your visit.
Research Tools
- Irene Emery papers: finding aid (PDF): We hold the personal archives of Irene Emery (1900–1981), a pioneering textile scholar best known for her seminal 1966 publication The Primary Structures of Fabrics: An Illustrated Classification.
- Irene Emery papers: inventory (XLS)
Explore Other Research Centers
The museum and shop are temporarily closed to visitors in response to the coronavirus.
Phone: +1 202-994-5200
[email protected]
701 21st St. NW
Washington, DC 20052
Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro
(Blue, Orange and Silver lines)