Motley costume design
Costume Design
1933 (drawn)
1933 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A pencil and watercolour sketch of a costume for Anne in Richard of Bordeaux. The dress, though medieval in style, is strongly influenced by the fashions and silhouette of the 1930s. It is pale green in colour with a repeated motif of pale blue leaves and has a long, sweeping train. The long, hanging, sleeves are turned back to reveal the white lining. She also wears a pale green and white headdress with a white veil at the rear and a large white and green necklace.
The dress was designed in 1933 for the actress Dame Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies (1891-1992) to wear in Act I, Scene II of the play Richard of Bordeaux in which she played Anne of Bohemia. The sketch is signed Motley, the working name of the trio of stage designers Elizabeth 'Percy' Montgomery, and the sisters Sophia and Margaret Harris. Having worked on an OUDS production of Romeo and Juliet directed by John Gielgud, he invited them to design his production of Richard of Bordeaux.
Richard of Bordeaux written by Gordon Daviot (pseudonym for Elizabeth MacKintosh) depicts a romanticised version of the story of Richard II of England, emphasizing the relationship between Richard and his queen Anne of Bohemia. It was first staged in 1932 when it was given two performances at the New Theatre, and was revived at the same theatre in the following year, where it ran for 463 performances. John Gielgud starred as Richard.
The mediaeval costumes proved inspirational. The Sketch devoted a page to a photoshoot of puppets dressed as Gielgud and Ffrangcon- Davies in poses from the play, and also produced a faux-medieval fashion spread with Ffrangcon-Davies modelling the two-horned headdress. The play ran for more than 14 months, including a regional tour. After the last performance in a theatre in Golders Green, the police had to be called to keep back the crowd that surged against the stage door.
The dress was designed in 1933 for the actress Dame Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies (1891-1992) to wear in Act I, Scene II of the play Richard of Bordeaux in which she played Anne of Bohemia. The sketch is signed Motley, the working name of the trio of stage designers Elizabeth 'Percy' Montgomery, and the sisters Sophia and Margaret Harris. Having worked on an OUDS production of Romeo and Juliet directed by John Gielgud, he invited them to design his production of Richard of Bordeaux.
Richard of Bordeaux written by Gordon Daviot (pseudonym for Elizabeth MacKintosh) depicts a romanticised version of the story of Richard II of England, emphasizing the relationship between Richard and his queen Anne of Bohemia. It was first staged in 1932 when it was given two performances at the New Theatre, and was revived at the same theatre in the following year, where it ran for 463 performances. John Gielgud starred as Richard.
The mediaeval costumes proved inspirational. The Sketch devoted a page to a photoshoot of puppets dressed as Gielgud and Ffrangcon- Davies in poses from the play, and also produced a faux-medieval fashion spread with Ffrangcon-Davies modelling the two-horned headdress. The play ran for more than 14 months, including a regional tour. After the last performance in a theatre in Golders Green, the police had to be called to keep back the crowd that surged against the stage door.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Motley costume design (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | paint and ink on paper |
| Brief description | Costume design by Motley for Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Anne of Bohemia in Richard of Bordeaux, New Theatre, 1933 |
| Physical description | A pencil and watercolour sketch of a costume for Anne in Richard of Bordeaux. The dress, though medieval in style, is strongly influenced by the fashions and silhouette of the 1930s. It is pale green in colour with a repeated motif of pale blue leaves and has a long, sweeping train. The long, hanging, sleeves are turned back to reveal the white lining. She also wears a pale green and white headdress with a white veil at the rear and a large white and green necklace. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by the British Theatre Museum Association |
| Object history | Bequeathed to the British Theatre Museum Association by Peter Henchie and acquired by them in June 1973. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Literary reference | Richard of Bordeaux |
| Summary | A pencil and watercolour sketch of a costume for Anne in Richard of Bordeaux. The dress, though medieval in style, is strongly influenced by the fashions and silhouette of the 1930s. It is pale green in colour with a repeated motif of pale blue leaves and has a long, sweeping train. The long, hanging, sleeves are turned back to reveal the white lining. She also wears a pale green and white headdress with a white veil at the rear and a large white and green necklace. The dress was designed in 1933 for the actress Dame Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies (1891-1992) to wear in Act I, Scene II of the play Richard of Bordeaux in which she played Anne of Bohemia. The sketch is signed Motley, the working name of the trio of stage designers Elizabeth 'Percy' Montgomery, and the sisters Sophia and Margaret Harris. Having worked on an OUDS production of Romeo and Juliet directed by John Gielgud, he invited them to design his production of Richard of Bordeaux. Richard of Bordeaux written by Gordon Daviot (pseudonym for Elizabeth MacKintosh) depicts a romanticised version of the story of Richard II of England, emphasizing the relationship between Richard and his queen Anne of Bohemia. It was first staged in 1932 when it was given two performances at the New Theatre, and was revived at the same theatre in the following year, where it ran for 463 performances. John Gielgud starred as Richard. The mediaeval costumes proved inspirational. The Sketch devoted a page to a photoshoot of puppets dressed as Gielgud and Ffrangcon- Davies in poses from the play, and also produced a faux-medieval fashion spread with Ffrangcon-Davies modelling the two-horned headdress. The play ran for more than 14 months, including a regional tour. After the last performance in a theatre in Golders Green, the police had to be called to keep back the crowd that surged against the stage door. |
| Associated objects |
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| Other number | 1973/A/83 - BTMA accession number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1168-2010 |
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| Record created | June 23, 2010 |
| Record URL |
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