Designed by Léon Bakst for Felicita in The Good-Humoured Ladies or Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur; originally performed by Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome, on 12 April 1917 under the Italian title Le Donne di Buon Umore. It was a one act comic ballet choreographed by Léonide Massine to music by Domenico Scarlatti, orchestrated by Vincenzo Tommasini, based on the play by the Venetian dramatist Carlo Goldoni.
The original designs for the set and costumes by Léon Bakst were more stylised and experimental, giving the performers the appearance of marionettes, but the production was revised and more traditionally re-designed for performances at the London Coliseum from 5 September 1918. The ballet remained in the Ballets Russes repertory until 24 March 1927 and was mounted for de Basil’s Ballets Russes in 1935.
The ballet Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur (The Good-Humoured Ladies) is set in 18th century Venice at Carnaval. Leon Bakst's designs, like this for the flirtatious Felicita, a role created by Olga Khokhlova, communicate a great level of detail and sense of character, but also required considerable interpretation by the dressmaker, including how to preserve the dancer's modesty.