The Tempest thumbnail 1
The Tempest thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

The Tempest

Costume
1979 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Costume worn by Angela Whittingham a Spirit and Attendant to Miranda in the film, The Tempest, 1979.

Derek Jarman was one of the most influential film makers of the 1970s, 80s and 90s. He trained as a painter, at the Slade School of Fine Art, and later worked as a set designer for opera and as the designer for Ken Russell’s film The Devils (1971).

Jarman began making his own films in 1976 with Sebastiane. In 1979 he filmed William Shakespeare’s The Tempest starring Heathcote Williams as Prospero and Toyah Wilcox as Miranda. The production and costumes were designed by Yolanda Sonnabend, a prominent theatre designer and painter, with Nicholas Ede.

This costume was part of a collection owned by the British Film Institute (BFI) and acquired for display at the Museum of the Moving Image, which existed on the South Bank in London between 1988 and 1999. The collection is made up of costumes from British, European, American and Japanese films from the silent film era to the mid-1990s. It contains a wealth of historic and significant costumes worn by major performers and designed by some of the 20th century’s most important film costume designers. The collection was transferred to the V&A in 2015.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Costume
  • Dress
  • Costume
  • Collar
  • Costume
  • Headpiece
TitleThe Tempest (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Cotton ground with gold lamé, synthetic net, feathers and plastic boning. Decorated with appliqué and hanging decorations
Brief description
Ccostume worn by Angela Whittingham as a Spirit and Attendant to Miranda in the film The Tempest, 1979, designed by Yolanda Sonnabend

Physical description
Costume consisting of dress, collar and head piece, worn by Angela Whittingham as a Spirit and Attendant to Miranda in the film The Tempest, 1979
Credit line
Given by the British Film Institute
Summary
Costume worn by Angela Whittingham a Spirit and Attendant to Miranda in the film, The Tempest, 1979.

Derek Jarman was one of the most influential film makers of the 1970s, 80s and 90s. He trained as a painter, at the Slade School of Fine Art, and later worked as a set designer for opera and as the designer for Ken Russell’s film The Devils (1971).

Jarman began making his own films in 1976 with Sebastiane. In 1979 he filmed William Shakespeare’s The Tempest starring Heathcote Williams as Prospero and Toyah Wilcox as Miranda. The production and costumes were designed by Yolanda Sonnabend, a prominent theatre designer and painter, with Nicholas Ede.

This costume was part of a collection owned by the British Film Institute (BFI) and acquired for display at the Museum of the Moving Image, which existed on the South Bank in London between 1988 and 1999. The collection is made up of costumes from British, European, American and Japanese films from the silent film era to the mid-1990s. It contains a wealth of historic and significant costumes worn by major performers and designed by some of the 20th century’s most important film costume designers. The collection was transferred to the V&A in 2015.
Collection
Accession number
S.1681:1 to 3-2015

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Record createdSeptember 22, 2015
Record URL
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