The Academical Dress of the Ionian Academy, 1824–1864

The Ionian Academy was founded in 1824 at Corfu, then part of a protectorate of the British Empire. However, its academical dress bore little resemblance to that of British universities but, rather, was based upon the costume of Classical Greece, largely due to the influence of the first Chancellor, a notable philhellene. Context will be given through a brief consideration of the Protectorate and of the organizational structure of the University; an account of the first Chancellor will follow. We shall examine the classically inspired dress of students, graduates and university officers worn at the institution during its early years. Reforms to dress brought in during latter years will also be considered. Limited pictorial evidence, state records, university annals and contemporary reports of the institution will be examined. [Excerpt from Introduction]