Costume design

Physical description

Full length female figure with skipping rope, wearing off the shoulder white and blue shaded dress closely fitted to top thigh from where it is cut into deep scallops edged and decorated in gold; from beneath the scallops is a knee-length pale blue ruffled skirt. The bodice is supported by narrow tied shoulder straps and has small sleeves on upper arm in blue and white with large frills. The bodice is decorated with scallops and dots in blue edged gold and silver, and the waist and hips are accented by v-shaped bands and stripes in blue and gold. Pen and ink, watercolour and gold and silver paint on card.

Date

1908 (Drawn)

Artist/maker

Crafter, Robert (costume designer)

Materials and Techniques

Pen and ink,watercolour and gold and silver paint on card

Marks and inscriptions

'Skipping Rope / Dancers.'
'CRAFTER. / 08.'

Dimensions

Height: 244 mm, Width: 150 mm, Height: 251 mm Card, Width: 177 mm Card

Object history note

Costume design by Robert Crafter for Skipping Rope Dancers in unidentified production, dated 1908.
The design was probably part of the London Archives of the Dance; the Archives never achieved an independent home and part of the collection was stored with Cyril Beaumont, where it became inextricably mixed with his own collection and came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.

Historical significance: An example of 19th century stage costume in the realistic tradition, but executed imaginatively by a leading dance and musical theatre designer of the period.

Descriptive line

Costume design by Robert Crafter for Skipping Rope Dancers in unidentified production, dated 1908.

Materials

Watercolour; Pen and ink; Card; Gold paint; Silver paint

Techniques

Drawing (image-making)

Subjects depicted

Costume

Production Type

Unique

Collection code

T&P