Costume Design thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Costume Design

1946 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Design for the wig and makeup of Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, showing two male heads facing to the right, the left hand head in profile, the right hand head in three-quarter face, both showing the large nose with pencil shading to indicate facial makeup, a brown Vandyke beard and a brown wig, the hair brushed back from the face and reaching to the nape of the neck. The design is inscribed with details of the wig and the names of the play, the theatre company, the actor and the character and is fixed in a mount.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil and water-colour on paper
Brief description
Design by Tanya Moiseiwitsch for the wig and makeup for Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, Old Vic Company at the New Theatre, 1946
Physical description
Design for the wig and makeup of Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, showing two male heads facing to the right, the left hand head in profile, the right hand head in three-quarter face, both showing the large nose with pencil shading to indicate facial makeup, a brown Vandyke beard and a brown wig, the hair brushed back from the face and reaching to the nape of the neck. The design is inscribed with details of the wig and the names of the play, the theatre company, the actor and the character and is fixed in a mount.
Dimensions
  • Design height: 377mm
  • Design width: 504mm
  • Mount height: 458mm
  • Mount width: 558mm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'CYRANO OLD VIC COMPANY / RALPH RICHARDSON / CYRANO de BERGERAC / 1640' (Textual information; Upper left hand corner; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • 'Mid brown / Sleek strong hair / very well dressed, / ?set with plastic? / Fringe of / hair on bandage / for Act 5.' (Textual information; Upper right hand corner; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • 'REF.1' (Maker's identification; Lower left hand corner; Handwriting; Pencil)
Object history
This is one of four designs for Edmond Rostand's play, Cyrano de Bergerac, acquired by the Theatre Museum from the designer, Tanya Moiseiwitsch. The production was staged by the Old Vic Company at the New Theatre, 24 October 1946, and was directed by Tyrone Guthrie. Ralph Richardson played Cyrano.

Historical significance: An example of period costume design of the post-war period and of the work of one of the most significant theatre designers of the 20th century.
Subjects depicted
Association
Literary referenceCyrano de Bergerac
Bibliographic reference
Edelstein, T. J. (ed.), The stage is all the world: the theatrical designs of Tanya Moiseiwitsch, Chicago, David and Alfred Smart Museum of ARt, University of Washington Press, 1994
Collection
Accession number
S.5-2001

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Record createdJanuary 23, 2001
Record URL
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