The Theater Costume Museum at the Kostroma State Drama Theater named after A. N. Ostrovsky was founded in 2005. Over more than 200 years of the theater's existence, a unique collection of historical costumes has been gathered, which became the foundation of the museum. The theater's collection includes over 12,000 items of theatrical costumes, among which special attention is drawn to costumes made of brocade, velvet, taffeta, shtoff, and other rare fabrics, the production of which has already ceased.

Initially, the exhibition occupied all floors of the theater, and one of its first visitors was V. V. Putin in 2005. In 2006, the collection of historical costumes was presented in Turkey at the VI International Theater Festival of the Black Sea countries.

In 2010, the museum was allocated a separate building in the historical center of the city, in the house where the founder of Russian theater, Fyodor Volkov, was born. The museum includes seven halls, where more than 100 costumes are exhibited simultaneously. In addition to permanent exhibitions, the museum offers themed tours, the opportunity to take photos in historical costumes, group tours at convenient times, interactive exhibitions for children, and traveling exhibitions.