Not currently on display at the V&A

Costume Design

1929 (Drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Full length faceless female figure on pointe, wearing calf-length stylized peasant dress. The black elbow-sleeved bodice is fastened at the front with red lacing, and the lower balloon sleeves are gathered into red cuffs; the pale bistre yellow skirt is decorated with grey brown crosses and has a transparent band around the hem; over the side hips is a is a short overskirt in turquoise blue edged in white, with a similar panel at centre front. On the head is a pale bistre yellow beret with a white bandeau brim, trimmed with a turquoise blue stylized feather. To lower left is a drawing of the hat seen from the back and lower right pencil drawing of the back of the costume showing the skirt. Worn with red pointe shoes. Annotated. Signed and annotated. Pencil, watercolour and gouache.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil, watercolour and gouache on paper
Brief description
Costume design by Hedley Briggs for Phoebe (Molly Lake) in Ninette de Valois' ballet The Picnic, Old Vic, 1929.
Physical description
Full length faceless female figure on pointe, wearing calf-length stylized peasant dress. The black elbow-sleeved bodice is fastened at the front with red lacing, and the lower balloon sleeves are gathered into red cuffs; the pale bistre yellow skirt is decorated with grey brown crosses and has a transparent band around the hem; over the side hips is a is a short overskirt in turquoise blue edged in white, with a similar panel at centre front. On the head is a pale bistre yellow beret with a white bandeau brim, trimmed with a turquoise blue stylized feather. To lower left is a drawing of the hat seen from the back and lower right pencil drawing of the back of the costume showing the skirt. Worn with red pointe shoes. Annotated. Signed and annotated. Pencil, watercolour and gouache.
Dimensions
  • Height: 260mm
  • Width: 202mm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Ballet / Vaughan Williams.' (Textual information; Upper left corner; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • 'Design for / Peasant Girl.' (Textual information; Upper left side; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • 'Miss Molly Lake.' (Textual information; Lower left corner; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • 'White lawn tied round / head under hat - to show about / 2' (Textual information; Upper right side; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • 'This is continued at / the back without a division - gathered a / little. / N.B. The + / on skirt to be / stencilled. / Shirt to reach / to calf.' (Textual information; Down right side; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • 'Hedley Briggs / 1929.' (Signature; date; Right bottom edge toward centre; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • 'skirt length / 26 / 15 points' (Textual information; Reverse lower left corner; Handwriting; Pencil)
Credit line
Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest
Object history
This design by Hedley Briggs is for Phoebe in Ninette de Valois' ballet The Picnic at the Old Vic 1929, and the role of Phoebe was created by Molly Lake. The design came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.

Historical significance: A rare example of ballet costume design from the early years of The Royal Ballet, when de Valois small group of dancers was working at the Old Vic, with the occasional opportunity appear in a short ballet - often as a curtain raiser to the main performance. There were few specialist dance designers at this period, and Briggs is an example of a dancer who could also design productions when necessary.
Subject depicted
Collection
Accession number
S.217-2000

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Record createdNovember 9, 2000
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