Costume design by Wilhelm for an Old Pilgrim in Act I of The Mousme,Shaftesbury Theatre, 9th September 1911

Costume design for an Old Pilgrim in Act I. The design depicts a full length elderly male figure in a Japanese style costume with a beard and brushed back, balding white hair. The costume consists of a calf-length, grey kimono worn over a blue kimono and pale blue striped trousers. A grey green patterned sash is worn around the waist; a large fabric bag is worn over his left shoulder; and a bundle of packages tied with rope is worn over his right shoulder. The figure holds a large walking stick in his right hand, and a wide-brimmed straw hat in his left. The costume is completed with a pair of sandals.

Bequeathed by Michael Hugh Venables

This costume design by Wilhelm is part of a collection of 15 designs by Wilhelm bequeathed to the Theatre Museum by the late Michael Hugh Venables. The design was executed for a production of Alex M. Thompson & Robert Courtneidge's musical comedy The Mousme at the Shaftesbury Theatre, September 9th 1911. The lyrics were by Arthur Wimperis & Percy Greenback, the music was composed by Lionel Monckton & Howard Talbot, and the scenery was designed by Conrad Tritschler. The production was produced by Robert Courtneidge, and the choreography was arranged by Espinosa & Alfred H. Majilton. The costumes were made by Mrs Woolcott and the wigs were made by Clarkson.

Wilhelm (William Charles Pitcher RI, 1858-1925) was one of the most inventive and prolific late 19th century costume designers whose early passion for stage spectacle led to his employment designing pantomime costumes for Drury Lane Theatre. His attention to detail and ability to create visually stunning and decorative costumes were aspects of his work that appealed to producers and public alike, and led to his constant stream of work throughout his life. He was a well known illustrator of children's books as well as a costume designer, but his detailed and superbly decorative designs for the Empire Theatre ballet costumes from 1908 to 1915, led to an obituary writer noting: 'The name C. Wilhelm should be written in gold on the history of ballet.'

The acquisition of some of Wilhelm's designs for The Mousme is especially welcome for the Theatre Museum, which also holds the designs he did for the gentlemen's costumes in The Mikado at the Savoy Theatre twenty-six years earlier. A fashion for all things Japanese had first made an impression in Britain in the 1860s and was given new impetus in London by the 1884 Japanese Village Exhibition in Knightsbridge. By 1885, Japanese artefacts imported to London had started a craze for Japonism. 'We are all being more or less Japanned' wrote The Daily Telegraph theatre critic after the first night of The Mikado, and the popularity of a Japanese setting had not lost its appeal as late as 1911 when Wilhelm designed these costumes for The Mousme.

This design was executed for a production of Alex M. Thompson & Robert Courtneidge's musical comedy The Mousme at the Shaftesbury Theatre, 9th September 1911. The lyrics were by Arthur Wimperis & Percy Greenback, the music was composed by Lionel Monckton & Howard Talbot, and the scenery was designed by Conrad Tritschler. The production was produced by Robert Courtneidge, and the choreography was arranged by Edouard Espinosa and Alfred H. Majilton. The costumes were made by Mrs Woolcott and the wigs by Clarkson.

Wilhelm (William Charles Pitcher RI, 1858-1925) was one of the most inventive and prolific late-19th century costume designers whose early passion for stage spectacle led to his employment designing pantomime costumes for Drury Lane Theatre. His attention to detail and ability to create visually stunning and decorative costumes appealed to producers and public alike and led to a constant stream of work throughout his life. He was a well-known illustrator of children's books as well as a costume designer, but his detailed and superbly decorative designs for the Empire Theatre ballet costumes from 1908 to 1915, led to an obituary writer noting: 'The name C. Wilhelm should be written in gold on the history of ballet'.

The museum also holds the costumes Wilhelm designed for the gentlemen's costumes in The Mikado at the Savoy Theatre twenty-six years earlier. A fashion for all things Japanese had first made an impression in Britain in the 1860s and was given new impetus in London by the 1884 Japanese Village Exhibition in Knightsbridge. By 1885 Japanese artefacts imported to London had started a craze for Japonism. 'We are all being more or less Japanned' wrote the Daily Telegraph theatre critic after the first night of The Mikado, and the popularity of a Japanese setting had not lost its appeal as late as 1911 when Wilhelm designed these costumes for The Mousme.

S.367-2001