Theatre Costume
circa 1960 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Ornate headdress with embellished crown and integral blue grey curled wig, worn by a showgirl at Murray's Cabaret Club.
Cabaret costumes are among the most intricate and lavish of all theatrical costumes, successors, in ingenuity and style, to pantomime costumes of the late 19th and early 20th century. At that time whole scenes were devoted to parades of costumes on a theme, like flowers, styles of porcelain, sweets or countries. In the 1960s the idea of parading spectacular and imaginative costumes continued in nightclub floor shows, though on a smaller scale.
This costume was worn by a showgirl at Murray's Cabaret Club, an intimate London nightclub situated in Beak Street in Soho.Murray's opened in 1933 and finally closed its doors in 1975. The founder, Percival Murray, established it as a respectable restaurant and club and it had a strict membership and admission policy. Royalty and film stars were regular patrons. The club was known for its floorshows which featured showgirls in elaborate, if brief, costumes.
Cabaret costumes are among the most intricate and lavish of all theatrical costumes, successors, in ingenuity and style, to pantomime costumes of the late 19th and early 20th century. At that time whole scenes were devoted to parades of costumes on a theme, like flowers, styles of porcelain, sweets or countries. In the 1960s the idea of parading spectacular and imaginative costumes continued in nightclub floor shows, though on a smaller scale.
This costume was worn by a showgirl at Murray's Cabaret Club, an intimate London nightclub situated in Beak Street in Soho.Murray's opened in 1933 and finally closed its doors in 1975. The founder, Percival Murray, established it as a respectable restaurant and club and it had a strict membership and admission policy. Royalty and film stars were regular patrons. The club was known for its floorshows which featured showgirls in elaborate, if brief, costumes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Feathers, beads, cotton net, silk, paste gems |
| Brief description | Costume from Murray's Cabaret Club. 'Crown' headdress |
| Physical description | Costume from Murray's Cabaret Club. 'Crown' headdress. Heavily beaded headdress with integral grey blue wig with ringlets, below a large upstanding crown. This crown is embellished with large blue gems and a narrower diamante style edging. The top of the headdress is trimmed with a wide gold head band covered with silver net on which the gem covered crown sits. The headdress is founded upon a base, moulded to fit the wearer's head. The interior of this base is lined with a beige cotton net wig cap and reinforced with cotton tape. |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | Ornate headdress with embellished crown and integral blue grey curled wig, worn by a showgirl at Murray's Cabaret Club. Cabaret costumes are among the most intricate and lavish of all theatrical costumes, successors, in ingenuity and style, to pantomime costumes of the late 19th and early 20th century. At that time whole scenes were devoted to parades of costumes on a theme, like flowers, styles of porcelain, sweets or countries. In the 1960s the idea of parading spectacular and imaginative costumes continued in nightclub floor shows, though on a smaller scale. This costume was worn by a showgirl at Murray's Cabaret Club, an intimate London nightclub situated in Beak Street in Soho.Murray's opened in 1933 and finally closed its doors in 1975. The founder, Percival Murray, established it as a respectable restaurant and club and it had a strict membership and admission policy. Royalty and film stars were regular patrons. The club was known for its floorshows which featured showgirls in elaborate, if brief, costumes. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.952-1984 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
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