Not currently on display at the V&A

Costume Design

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

Projected costume design for Ann in Act IV. The design depicts a full length female figure wearing an early 20th century style costume. The costume consists of a yellow flared skirt and jacket worn over a white blouse. The figure also wears a white hat decorated with a black feather & black gloves, and she carries a parasol in her right hand. To the right of the figure is a pencil drawing showing a back view of the costume. The design has been attached to a paper mount with brown tape.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil, black & white paint, and gouache on paper.
Brief description
Projected costume design by Maise Meiklejohn for Ann in Act IV of "Man & Superman", Arts Theatre, 1946.
Physical description
Projected costume design for Ann in Act IV. The design depicts a full length female figure wearing an early 20th century style costume. The costume consists of a yellow flared skirt and jacket worn over a white blouse. The figure also wears a white hat decorated with a black feather & black gloves, and she carries a parasol in her right hand. To the right of the figure is a pencil drawing showing a back view of the costume. The design has been attached to a paper mount with brown tape.
Dimensions
  • Height: 302mm
  • Width: 225mm
  • Mount height: 330mm
  • Mount width: 239mm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • ' Ann. Act IV. Man and Superman ' (Textual information; Lower left hand corner of the mount.; handwriting; pencil; Meiklejohn)
  • ' Maise Meiklejohn - 1946 ' (Signature; date; Lower right hand corner of the mount.; handwriting; pencil; Meiklejohn, Maise Dele)
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 projected production of George Bernard Shaw's play "Man and Superman" at the Arts Theatre in 1946.

Historical significance: This costume design was probably executed for a projected production 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".
Leela Meinertas, 1990.
Production
Reason For Production: Commission
Subjects depicted
Association
Literary referenceMan and Superman
Collection
Accession number
S.203-2002

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Record createdAugust 19, 2002
Record URL
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