Abstract
Costumes have played an important role in the history of films and television in the United States. However, it is a topic that has not been widely examined by scholars. The role of Western Costume Company, a Los Angeles-based company that has provided costumes for countless films, in the costume industry is the subject of this project. Oral histories provided a tool to create a historical record of Western Costume Company and of costuming in general. The nine oral histories conducted for this project were used to supplement the historical record of both the history of Western Costume and the history of costuming in general. Oral history interviews also allowed for personal insights from people in the field. In addition to the interviews, secondary research was conducted on the history of film, the history of costumes, the history of Western Costume Company, and the history and methodologies of oral histories. This thesis relates the process of creating an oral history project, the stories that the interviewees provided, and a broader history of costumes in film.