Fashion Design
1922 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is one of a group of nine costume designs for the American actress Pearl White's music-hall performances at the Casino de Paris, 1922. There are two designs for similar costumes, which show a strong Thai influence in their design, and were probably designed for chorus girls rather than for the principal leads or Pearl White herself. This particular design was probably drawn from an original statue or existing illustration and formed the basis for the other design (E.22188-1957), as it appears to show a male figure, whilst the other has clearly been adapted and re-interpreted to make it into a female costume.
Pearl White (1889-1938) was a silent film actress best known for starring in the 1914 serials The Perils of Pauline and The Exploits of Elaine. In 1921, following the breakdown of her marriage, White moved to Paris, and made plans to launch a revue at the Casino. Employing 160 chorus girls, plus fifteen principals alongside White herself, the show was being advertised through posters, and the scenery and costumes had been completed, when there was a fire at the casino in May 1922. All the scenery and almost all the costumes were destroyed, and the cast were put out of work. These designs, which were probably designed by the House of Worth for White, are possibly the only surviving documentation of costumes designed for this revue, although a poster by Bouet portrays White in the hat, collar and necktie from E.22185-1957.
The House of Worth, founded in Paris in the 1850s by Charles Frederick Worth and Otto Bobergh, quickly came to the attention of Empress Eugenie of France, and subsequently became one of the couturiers of choice of royalty across Europe, dressing many crowned heads including those of Norway, Italy, Denmark, Russia, Belgium and Spain. After Worth died in 1895, his son, Jean-Philippe, became designer. After the 1910s, Jean-Philippe appointed his nephew, Jean-Charles to succeed him as designer, and in the mid-1930s, Roger Worth, Charles' great-grandson, took over as designer. Roger's brother, Maurice, was the last designer for Worth in the early 1950s before the Paris house of Worth was bought out by Paquin in 1953. Paquin closed in 1956, donating a wide range of fashion plates and designs from the combined Worth and Paquin archives and reference collections to the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Pearl White (1889-1938) was a silent film actress best known for starring in the 1914 serials The Perils of Pauline and The Exploits of Elaine. In 1921, following the breakdown of her marriage, White moved to Paris, and made plans to launch a revue at the Casino. Employing 160 chorus girls, plus fifteen principals alongside White herself, the show was being advertised through posters, and the scenery and costumes had been completed, when there was a fire at the casino in May 1922. All the scenery and almost all the costumes were destroyed, and the cast were put out of work. These designs, which were probably designed by the House of Worth for White, are possibly the only surviving documentation of costumes designed for this revue, although a poster by Bouet portrays White in the hat, collar and necktie from E.22185-1957.
The House of Worth, founded in Paris in the 1850s by Charles Frederick Worth and Otto Bobergh, quickly came to the attention of Empress Eugenie of France, and subsequently became one of the couturiers of choice of royalty across Europe, dressing many crowned heads including those of Norway, Italy, Denmark, Russia, Belgium and Spain. After Worth died in 1895, his son, Jean-Philippe, became designer. After the 1910s, Jean-Philippe appointed his nephew, Jean-Charles to succeed him as designer, and in the mid-1930s, Roger Worth, Charles' great-grandson, took over as designer. Roger's brother, Maurice, was the last designer for Worth in the early 1950s before the Paris house of Worth was bought out by Paquin in 1953. Paquin closed in 1956, donating a wide range of fashion plates and designs from the combined Worth and Paquin archives and reference collections to the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | watercolour, pen and ink and pencil |
| Brief description | Design for a Thai inspired costume for Miss Pearl White's music-hall revue at the 'Casino de Paris'. Paris, 1922. Probably designed by the House of Worth. In the style of Erté. |
| Physical description | 1 of 9 designs for music-hall costumes for Pearl White at the Casino de Paris. This design shows a figure in a Thai style costume including an exaggeratedly large fretwork screen. |
| Credit line | Given by the House of Worth |
| Summary | This is one of a group of nine costume designs for the American actress Pearl White's music-hall performances at the Casino de Paris, 1922. There are two designs for similar costumes, which show a strong Thai influence in their design, and were probably designed for chorus girls rather than for the principal leads or Pearl White herself. This particular design was probably drawn from an original statue or existing illustration and formed the basis for the other design (E.22188-1957), as it appears to show a male figure, whilst the other has clearly been adapted and re-interpreted to make it into a female costume. Pearl White (1889-1938) was a silent film actress best known for starring in the 1914 serials The Perils of Pauline and The Exploits of Elaine. In 1921, following the breakdown of her marriage, White moved to Paris, and made plans to launch a revue at the Casino. Employing 160 chorus girls, plus fifteen principals alongside White herself, the show was being advertised through posters, and the scenery and costumes had been completed, when there was a fire at the casino in May 1922. All the scenery and almost all the costumes were destroyed, and the cast were put out of work. These designs, which were probably designed by the House of Worth for White, are possibly the only surviving documentation of costumes designed for this revue, although a poster by Bouet portrays White in the hat, collar and necktie from E.22185-1957. The House of Worth, founded in Paris in the 1850s by Charles Frederick Worth and Otto Bobergh, quickly came to the attention of Empress Eugenie of France, and subsequently became one of the couturiers of choice of royalty across Europe, dressing many crowned heads including those of Norway, Italy, Denmark, Russia, Belgium and Spain. After Worth died in 1895, his son, Jean-Philippe, became designer. After the 1910s, Jean-Philippe appointed his nephew, Jean-Charles to succeed him as designer, and in the mid-1930s, Roger Worth, Charles' great-grandson, took over as designer. Roger's brother, Maurice, was the last designer for Worth in the early 1950s before the Paris house of Worth was bought out by Paquin in 1953. Paquin closed in 1956, donating a wide range of fashion plates and designs from the combined Worth and Paquin archives and reference collections to the Victoria & Albert Museum. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1957-1958 London: HMSO, 1964 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.22189-1957 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
