Theatre Costume
1910 (made)
Artist/Maker |
This costume was designed by Alexander Golovine for a Princess in Mikhail Fokine's ballet The Firebird, first produced by the Diaghilev Ballets Russes in 1910. It is in the form of a sarafan, a traditional Russian loose dress and may seem very simple for a royal character, but this is in keeping with the characters in Russian folk tales on which The Firebird is based. The design is a combination of painting outlined by embroidered chain stitching.
One problem with theatre costumes in a museum context is that their condition varies greatly, unlike fashion clothes, which have usually been worn very little before being cast aside as the next fashion comes along. A theatre costume in good condition indicates that it was not worn very much and so comes from a production that was a failure, while a costume from a popular production may have been worn a great deal and be in very bad condition. Theatre and especially dance costumes, like this one, are subjected to a great deal of stress - not just from the physical movement of the performers, but also from the excessive sweat, caused from a combination of physical exertion plus the heat of the powerful stage lights; this eventually rots the fabrics and causes colours to fade.
One problem with theatre costumes in a museum context is that their condition varies greatly, unlike fashion clothes, which have usually been worn very little before being cast aside as the next fashion comes along. A theatre costume in good condition indicates that it was not worn very much and so comes from a production that was a failure, while a costume from a popular production may have been worn a great deal and be in very bad condition. Theatre and especially dance costumes, like this one, are subjected to a great deal of stress - not just from the physical movement of the performers, but also from the excessive sweat, caused from a combination of physical exertion plus the heat of the powerful stage lights; this eventually rots the fabrics and causes colours to fade.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Wool and flannel, with embroidered decoration |
Brief description | Costume for a Princess in Fokine's ballet, The Firebird, designed by Alexander Golovine, Diaghilev Ballets Russes, 1910 |
Physical description | Long kaftan of off white wool with long sleeves pleated on the inner arm to the elbow and side skirts split to the knee. Under each arm is an inset of brilliant blue facecloth. The costume is decorated with patterns in blue, green, pink and silver outlined in chain stitching (much deteriorated) |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Purchased with the assistance of the London Archives of the Dance |
Object history | This would appear to be an early design for one of the Princess' costumes and date from the 1910 production. It differs in several respects from examples already in the Museum collection. |
Summary | This costume was designed by Alexander Golovine for a Princess in Mikhail Fokine's ballet The Firebird, first produced by the Diaghilev Ballets Russes in 1910. It is in the form of a sarafan, a traditional Russian loose dress and may seem very simple for a royal character, but this is in keeping with the characters in Russian folk tales on which The Firebird is based. The design is a combination of painting outlined by embroidered chain stitching. One problem with theatre costumes in a museum context is that their condition varies greatly, unlike fashion clothes, which have usually been worn very little before being cast aside as the next fashion comes along. A theatre costume in good condition indicates that it was not worn very much and so comes from a production that was a failure, while a costume from a popular production may have been worn a great deal and be in very bad condition. Theatre and especially dance costumes, like this one, are subjected to a great deal of stress - not just from the physical movement of the performers, but also from the excessive sweat, caused from a combination of physical exertion plus the heat of the powerful stage lights; this eventually rots the fabrics and causes colours to fade. |
Collection | |
Accession number | S.1-2004 |
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Record created | March 1, 2005 |
Record URL |
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