Bouquet frill from bouquet holder belonging to the ballerina Fanny Cerrito (1817-1909). Satin, net, lace and pierced paper.

Bouquet holder of a paper round with pierced decoration at the edge, cut diagonally in centre to take the bouquet; the paper is covered with an outer layer of pleated ivory satin covered with fine net, and edged with lace. Fixed to the paper is a label: Harding, 29 Maddox Street, Revent Street, By Special Appointment, MARCHAND DE BOUQUETS / TO H.R.H. THE PRINCESS OF WALES

Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest

The object is a bouquet holder and probably came originally with a small cane cone placed through the cuts in the paper holder which actually held the bouquet. It came with a note in Margaret Rolfe hand: "Bouquet holder. Bouquet frill. Head-dress trimmed with heather (S.8-1987) Lace embroidered with pearls (unnumbered). These belonged to Fanny Cerrito, and were given to my grandmother by Marguerite Troubetskoi niece of Marie Taglioni."
The frill is part of a unique collection of memorabilia and personal effects which evoke Marie Taglioni in the last decades of her life. She was a keen needlewoman and the collection contains both examples of her own work and her personal sewing accessories. A collection of Taglioni memorabilia was amassed by Margaret Rolfe, the granddaughter of Taglioni's closest friend in London, Mrs Boggs Rolfe; she attended Taglioni's dancing classes and received many gifts of Taglioni memorabilia, both from Taglioni herself and from her grandmother. These she passed to Cyril Beaumont, probably for the London Archives of the Dance (a number of the objects were referred to in "The London Archives of the Dance and some of its Treasures" by Cyril Beaumont, Ballet Annual, first issue, Adam & Charles Black, London, 1947, p110); the Archives never achieved an independent home and part of the collection, including the Taglioni memorabilia, 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.

S.820-2001