‘Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare’ exhibit at UC Irvine

A portrait of Ophelia by John Hayter from the book “The Heroines of Shakespeare,” on display during the opening of “Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare” at the Muriel Ansley Reynolds gallery at UCI’s Langson Library.

Guests look at historical photographs of the character Ophelia from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” on display during the “Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare” at the Muriel Ansley Reynolds gallery at UCI’s Langson Library.

Guests look at photographs of costumes from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” during the opening of “Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare” at the Muriel Ansley Reynolds gallery at UCI’s Langson Library.

A student is inspired to sketch by a display at the opening of “Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare” at the Muriel Ansley Reynolds gallery at UCI’s Langson Library.

A rendering of a costume from Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” on display during the opening of “Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare” at the Muriel Ansley Reynolds gallery at UCI’s Langson Library.

Photographs of Helena Modjeska as Rosalind in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” and a vintage copy of the book “The Works of William Shakespeare” are part of the exhibit “Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare” at the Muriel Ansley Reynolds gallery at UCI’s Langson Library.

A modern costume designed for character Ophelia from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is on display at “Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare” at the Muriel Ansley Reynolds gallery at UCI’s Langson Library.