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Not currently on display at the V&A

The Yeomen of the Guard

Theatre Costume
1992 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Red wool military style jacket and black wool trousers, costume possibly worn in a D'Oyly Carte Opera Company production of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's opera, The Yeomen of the Guard, designed by James Hendy, 1992.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Theatre Costume
  • Jacket
  • Theatre Costume
  • Trousers
TitleThe Yeomen of the Guard (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Wool, braid, metal
Brief description
Costume consisting of jacket and trousers, possibly worn in a D'Oyly Carte Opera Company production of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's opera, The Yeomen of the Guard, 1992

Physical description
S.712:1-2019: Jacket

Long sleeved jacket with small upright collar. The collar is secured with a metal hook and bar, whilst the jacket fastens at the centre front with a row of 8 buttons (7 of these are new, made from plastic but imitating metal and decorated with an embossed design of a lion rampant; there is another single button at the base, plain metal, flat).

The coat has a red felted wool ground and flares out slightly from the waist to the hem. The cuffs and collar are bound with lengths of navy cotton velvet, with lengths of gold metallic braid used to decorate both. Two large metal hooks are present at the proper left and proper right waist (their position suggests they would support a separate belt).

Epaulettes formed from heavy gold cord are present at each shoulder. Further decorative buttons and lengths of metallic braid have been positioned at the centre back of the jacket, imitating the cut out ‘vents’ often present in coats of this style.

The interior of the jacket is lined with pale brown ribbed silk, with panels of cream wool at the base (from the waist seam to the hem). There are also sections of quilting.


S.712:2-2019: Trousers

Pair of black wool trousers with fold braid at the side seam.

Pair of high waisted black wool trousers, largely plain, but a wide band of metallic gold braid runs vertically up the side seam. They have a button fly at the centre front (where they are secured with 5 buttons and a metal hook and bar). They also taper towards the ankle and so feature a vent/opening at this point, again secured with buttons (3 in total).

They are not lined but have been faced with panels of cream silk at the interior of the waist. There are two pairs of buttons, at the rear and front for braces. There is also a small concealed pocket at the proper front of the trousers (set into the waist).



Dimensions
  • S.712 1 2019, jacket, collar to hem length: 87 (approximate)
  • S.712 1 2019, jacket, across shoulders width: 50cm (approximate)
  • S.712 1 2019, jacket, across hem, front width: 68cm (approximate)
  • S.712 2 2019, trousers, waist to hem length: 92cm (approximate)
  • S.712 2 2019, trousers, across waist width: 44cm (approximate)
Marks and inscriptions
  • “L&H NATHAN LTD/143 DRURY LANE’ [Red text on white ground] This cotton tape label has been annotated in black ink with: MR WILKES (A maker’s label at the interior of the centre back neck reads [S.712:1-2019])
  • ‘HERBERT CHAPPEL LTD/ 50 Gresham St London EC7/22 Suffolk St, London SW.’ [Blue text on cream ground, woven] (There is a further label on an internal pocket at the proper left side: [Blue text on cream ground, woven - S.712-2019] )
  • ‘L&H Nathan Ltd/143 Drury Lane’ – [red text on cream fabric, woven]. Further handwritten annotation on the label reads: ‘MR. WILKES’ (Maker's label, centre back of the neck [S.712:2-2019])
Summary
Red wool military style jacket and black wool trousers, costume possibly worn in a D'Oyly Carte Opera Company production of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's opera, The Yeomen of the Guard, designed by James Hendy, 1992.
Collection
Accession number
S.712:1,2-2019

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Record createdNovember 26, 2019
Record URL
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