Costume designed by Léon Bakst for Harlequin in Mikhail Fokine's ballet Carnaval for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes created in 1910, probably made for Leonid Leontiev who danced the role in Paris 1910 and Rome 1911. This costume is made to the first design for Harlequin and is the style worn by Fokine at the first performances in 1910. Both Fokine and Leontiev were photographed by Druet and Bert wearing this first version of the costume. This matches Leontiev's costume exactly, whereas Fokine's costume had a noticeably different pattern of lozenge shapes. Originally the costume had a large ruff at the neck and was worn with a black cap and half mask. When Nijinsky danced the role the costume was changed to lozenge-decorated fights worn with a white floppy shirt with black cravat. Again the dancer wore a cap and mask.

Tamara Karsavina who frequently danced the role of Columbine in Carnaval described the pantomime-ballet in one act as ‘very gay, and very mischievous, in the old tradition of commedia dell’arte’. Choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to music by Robert Schumann (orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov, Liadov, Glazunov and Tcherepin) it had scenery and costumes designed by Léon Bakst. The costumes for the Ballets Russes were executed by Mlle. Muelle of Paris. Diaghilev’s dancers first performed Carnaval at the Theater des Westerns, Berlin on 21 May 1910 with the choreographer in the role of Harlequin. An earlier version of the ballet had been staged at the Pavlov Hall St Petersburg on 20 February 1910. It was first performed by the Ballets Russes in London on 21 June 1911 at the Royal Opera House and remained in the company’s repertoire until its very last season at the Casino Theatre, Vichy, France on 3 August 1929. It remained a popular work danced by many companies until the 1970s.