Janet Arnold was born on October 6th, 1932, in Bristol, United Kingdom.

(The left picture is Bristol during the 1930s. The picture above is of Janet Arnold in 1991 giving a lecture.) 

When she was younger, she was educated in Bristol at Red Maids School and the West of England College of Art.

(The the picture to the right is the Red Maids School. The picture to the left is the West of England College of Art.)

Janet at a young age developed a love of  theatre, due to her mother taking her to the Bristol Old Vic, the Theatre Royal founded in 1766, since she was a little girl.

(These are pictures of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre.)

When she was a student, she worked at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in the wardrobe department, gaining experience of cutting out period costumes.

(The picture on the right, is a vintage picture of workers in the wardrobe department at Old Vic. The picture on the left is a modern picture of a period costume done at Old Vic today!)

In 1954, Janet traveled to London. In her spare time, when she wasn’t playgoing, she would work in the wardrobe department at the Mermaid Theatre. A theatre she would work for throughout her life.

(The left is a picture of London in the 1950s. The right is a vintage photo of the Mermaid Theatre.)

After she got her certificate in arts and crafts, she then got a national diploma of design in dress by an art teacher's diploma and certificate of education from Bristol University. She decided to postpone teaching. She instead began observing professionals and tried her hand in the London workrooms of Frederick Starke and Victor Stiebel.

(The left photo is Bristol University, and the right photo is Victor Stiebel.)

During the late 1950s and 1960s, she taught at Hammersmith Day College and at Avery Hill College of Education as a senior lecturer.

(The left photo is the Hammersmith school, and the right photo is the Avery Hill School.)

From her earliest days teaching at Hammersmith and eventually at another school called "Royal Holloway College", she knew students were the key to the future. Janet's students truly mattered the most to her.

(The left photo is Janet giving a lecture, and the right photo is Royal Holloway College.)

To better teach her students, she needed to increase her own knowledge and practical skills. She began collecting every piece of evidence relating to dress history.

(The left photo is Janet taking photos, and the right photo is of some of her sketches.)

She began keeping track of all these pieces of evidence by photographing them using slides.  She was always bent over in concentration as she would photograph a garment. She estimated that she has over 300,000 color slides.

(The left is a photo of only a handful of Janet's slides. The right photo is Janet bent over concentrating into her work.)

Eventually, she went on to work for West Surrey College of Art and Design. After that, in 1978, she began a long partnership with the Department of Drama and Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway College, London University.

(The left photo is the London University, and the right photo is the West Surrey College.)

In 1992, she was appointed Visiting Professor in the History of Dress at University of the West of England, in Bristol. Her own college she graduated from! Teaching work, regular intermittent income, and writing her books financed by freelance work and fellowships became her income.

(The photo to the left is Yale Centre for British Art, in New Haven. This centre had a fellowship with Janet. The right photo is the University of West of England.)

She did a lot of research for museums. She acted as a consultant to many museums in Britain, and was involved in research projects on the funeral effigies in Westminster Abbey, the Spitalfields graves clothes, and work on the finds from Henry VIII's ship the Mary Rose.

(The left photo is of the Mary Rose ship, and the right photo are effigies at Westminster Abbey.)

She then worked for the BBC in the 1970s. She inspired a gown worn by actress Glenda Jackson who played Queen Elizabeth on the TV series, "The Six Wives of Henry VIII". She also partly wrote six short programmes called, "For The Sake of Appearance".

(The left photo is of the "For The Sake of Appearance" program, and the right photo is of the "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" TV series.)

She also largely wrote for two short films called, "Looking at Costume" and "Fashion and Fabric". Janet throughout her career as well wrote many articles for many Dress History organizations.

(Both photos are from Janet Arnold's work. They are pattern drafts of existing old garments from different periods.)

In the 1980s, she wrote two books, "Patterns of Fashion c1560-1620" and "Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd". These two books made her reputation as the leading authority on clothing during this period.

(The left photo is her "Patterns of Fashion c1560-1620" book, and the right photo is her "Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd" book.)

Janet always was good at making and keeping friends. Through her work, and eventually her illness of cancer, she maintained wonderous relationships.

(Both pictures are Janet doing things she loves, documenting and teaching.)

Janet Arnold sadly passed away on November 2nd, 1998, in London, United Kingdom, due to complications from lymphoma. She worked right up until the end. Planning for the opening of her retrospective exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in February of 1999, which she did not live to see through. 

(The left photo is the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the right photo is Janet doing her work.)