This is the Encyclopaedia Britannica (11th ed.) article "Costume," covering the history of dress from the ancient Near East and Egypt through Aegean, Greek, Etruscan and Roman dress to medieval, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian and Victorian English fashion. It also covers modern European and non-European dress, official costume, and a bibliography of costume literature. It opens with a discussion of modesty, ornament and the origins of clothing. It is illustrated with line drawings and photographic plates of sculptures, brasses, manuscripts and portraits. It has little on tapestry or weaving as such.