Theatre Costume
1928
| Artist/Maker |
Costume worn by the actress Cecily Byrne (1889-1975) as the Countess von Baltin in By Candle Light at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London in September of 1928.
The dress, which has been carefully cut and sewn to flatter its wearer, is an early example of the 'bias-cut' style that would dominant fashionable female evening wear in the 1930s. A credit in the programme for the productions from September 1928 suggests that the costumes were made by a dressmaker called 'Katherine' who operated from 18 Conduit Street.
The dress, which has been carefully cut and sewn to flatter its wearer, is an early example of the 'bias-cut' style that would dominant fashionable female evening wear in the 1930s. A credit in the programme for the productions from September 1928 suggests that the costumes were made by a dressmaker called 'Katherine' who operated from 18 Conduit Street.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Evening dress worn by Cecily Byrne as the Countess von Baltin in By Candle Light, Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 1928. |
| Physical description | Costume worn by Cecily Byrne as the Countess von Baltin in By Candle Light, Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 1928. Full length, bias cut evening evening dress of dark purple/blue satin. The dress fits closely to the figure flaring out at the hem and with a soft 'cowl' neckline at the front and deep 'V' at the rear. |
| Production type | Unique |
| Credit line | Given by Jennifer Aylmer Jones MBE |
| Object history | This costume was worn by Cecily Byrne as the Countess von Baltin in Siegfried Geyer's play 'By Candle Light' performed at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 18th September 1928. The play was adapted from the German by Harry Green, and the production was directed by Leslie Faber. |
| Production | Reason For Production: Commission |
| Literary reference | By Candle Light |
| Summary | Costume worn by the actress Cecily Byrne (1889-1975) as the Countess von Baltin in By Candle Light at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London in September of 1928. The dress, which has been carefully cut and sewn to flatter its wearer, is an early example of the 'bias-cut' style that would dominant fashionable female evening wear in the 1930s. A credit in the programme for the productions from September 1928 suggests that the costumes were made by a dressmaker called 'Katherine' who operated from 18 Conduit Street. |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1194-1982 |
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| Record created | May 6, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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