Costume Illustrations
Historical costume illustration for museums, publishers, authors, editorial projects, and screen productions.
Eleanor Houghton creates research-led illustrations that reconstruct historical dress through close study of garments, material culture, and visual evidence.
Available for illustration commissions, editorial work, and historical visual research.
Her work has been exhibited and collected by institutions including the Brontë Parsonage Museum, Jane Austen’s House Museum, Chawton House Library, The Bankfield Museum, and The Morgan Library (New York).
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1808 Printed Day Dress and Shawl
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George Eliot's Boots
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1775 Gentleman's Court Coat
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1850s Mechlin Lace
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Charlotte Brontë's Thackeray Dress
Case Study
Eleanor Houghton was commissioned by Bankfield Museum to produce artworks for the exhibition Inspired: The Art of Making Historical Dress (January 2024–January 2025). The exhibition formed part of Calderdale’s Year of Culture 2024 and was an Arts and Humanities Research Council–funded project in collaboration with the London College of Fashion.
She was asked to produce four drawings of an 1840s striped silk gown from the museum’s collection. The illustrations were displayed alongside the garment itself, allowing visitors to explore its internal structure and notice construction details that are not normally visible.
Eleanor’s annotated drawings were exhibited as part of the display and were widely engaged with by visitors for the insight they offered into the hidden construction of historical dress.
Costume Illustration Testimonials
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"Aside from her professional talents, Eleanor is a delightful person to work with. She is a true scholar, while also generous and friendly to fellow researchers and writers. I cannot recommend her highly enough."
Sharon Wright, Writer and Journalist
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“I had the great privilege of working with Eleanor on a lengthy period costume project and was astounded not only by her grasp of historical fashion but also by her instinct for it. She is meticulous, wonderfully intelligent and so incisive in her choices. I could not recommend her with more enthusiasm - she is a jewel.”
Antonella Gambotto Burke, Writer and Journalist
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"Dr Eleanor Houghton has worked with Bankfield Museum on a number of exhibitions in the Fashion Gallery. For 'The Art of Making Historical Fashion' exhibition in 2024 she produced a series of stunning detailed drawings of an 1840s day dress from the collection. These were displayed alongside her other works including bonnets, models and sketches. All of these works were enjoyed by visitors from around the world with comments such as 'beautiful drawings', 'love it, so inspiring!'"
Elinor Camille-Wood, Museum and Heritage Consultant, Curator of 'The Art of Making Historical Fashion'
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“Eleanor produced a wonderful, detailed drawing that became a key plate in my book. She also provided me with an explanation of their likely attire, based on her intimate knowledge of early nineteenth century fashion, for the chapter ‘Becoming Mrs Brontë.”
Sharon Wright, Writer and journalist
Behind the Work
Drawing is central to Eleanor Houghton’s historical illustration practice. When studying surviving garments, she uses a close, sustained approach to looking—often described as a “slow” method of observation. This involves careful attention to construction, wear, movement, scale, and the embodied experience of dress, including how garments shape posture and how they behave in motion.
Drawing is used as a tool for testing and developing historical understanding. It allows questions about material, structure, and use to be explored visually, often revealing details that are not immediately apparent through text-based research alone.
In her work as a historical consultant, drawing also functions as a means of communication, enabling Eleanor to convey costume ideas, reconstructions, and character interpretations to clients in film, publishing, and museum contexts.
Commission Illustration
Eleanor Houghton creates historical costume illustrations for museums, publishers, authors, editorial clients, and screen productions.
She also collaborates with museums and heritage organisations to develop illustrated products and retail ranges, and works with publishers and shops on commissioned or licensed designs.
Typical work includes:
Historical costume reconstruction
Book and editorial illustration
Exhibition interpretation
Visual research for costume and production design
