Not currently on display at the V&A

Costume Design

1946 (Painted, drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Costume design possibly for Fay Compton as Candida. The design depicts a full length female figure wearing a late 19th century style costume. The costume consists of a white blouse and purple skirt worn under a calf length blue coat with yellow collar & cuffs, and a blue "motoring" hat with pink veil. To the upper right of the figure is a detail of the hat and veil.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil, white & black paint, and gouache on paper.
Brief description
Costume design by Maise Meiklejohn probably for Fay Compton as Candida in "Candida", Continental tour 1946-7, and Piccadilly Theatre, March 27th 1947
Physical description
Costume design possibly for Fay Compton as Candida. The design depicts a full length female figure wearing a late 19th century style costume. The costume consists of a white blouse and purple skirt worn under a calf length blue coat with yellow collar & cuffs, and a blue "motoring" hat with pink veil. To the upper right of the figure is a detail of the hat and veil.
Dimensions
  • Height: 370mm
  • At widest point width: 277mm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • ' Shaw ' (Textual information; Lower right hand corner; handwriting; pencil; Meiklejohn)
  • ' £30 ' (Textual information; On reverse lower right hand corner.; handwriting; pencil; Meiklejohn)
Object history
This costume design by Maise Meiklejohn is part of an extensive collection of designs by the artist purchased by the Theatre Museum in 1990. The design was executed for a production of George Bernard Shaw's play "Candida" performed on a Continental tour in 1946-7, and at the Piccadilly Theatre, March 27th 1947. The production was directed by Peter Powell, and the cast included Jack Hawkins as Rev. James Mavor-Morell, and Fay Compton as Candida.

Historical significance: This design was executed for a production commissioned by the actor/producer Alec Clunes, whose greatest achievement was his direction of eight seasons of plays at the Arts Theatre during a period when money and actors were scarce and scenery hard to get. He introduced an ambitious and intellectually demanding repertory of unearthed English classics and promoted the staging of foreign plays, as an alternative to the usual West End fare of "leg shows" and average drawing room pieces, which earned him the status, according to one critic of "pocket national theatre". He also put on a series of Shaw revivals, including "Candida" which was toured by the Arts Theatre under the auspices of the British Council in 1946, and which then went into the Piccadilly Theatre in 1947 with Jack Hawkins and Fay Compton in the leading roles.

Leela Meinertas, 1990.
Production
Reason For Production: Commission
Subjects depicted
Associations
Literary referenceCandida
Collection
Accession number
S.143-2002

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Record createdApril 16, 2002
Record URL
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