Not currently on display at the V&A

Costume Design

ca. 1960-1970 (made)
Artist/Maker

Costume design by Ronald Cobb for a cabaret costume representing a Yacht (design no.3), worn in the 'On the Other Side of the Tracks' number in Opposite Numbers at the "Eve" club


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Bodycolour, watercolour, pencil, ink, gold paint and crayon on artist's board
Brief description
Costume design by Ronald Cobb for a cabaret costume representing a Yacht (design no.3), worn in the 'On the Other Side of the Tracks' number in Opposite Numbers at the "Eve" club
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Ronald D. Cobb' (Signature. Lower left hand corner.)
  • 'No.3 / 21" Inside Circ' (Textual information. Upper left hand corner.)
  • 'The Other Side of the Tracks' (Textual information. Upper right hand corner.)
  • 'Mina' (Textual information. Upper left hand side.)
Object history
Eve was, until its closure in 1992, almost the last in a line of London night clubs that stretched back to the 1920s. It was founded in 1953 by two former employees of Murray's Cabaret Club, Helen Archer and her husband, Jimmy O'Brien. On a tiny stage, barely twelve feet square, they presented some of the most imaginative and inventive floor shows ever seen in London. The designer for the shows was another former Murray's employee, Ronald Cobb. Working in conjunction with Helen Archer, he designed and supervised the making of hundreds of costumes which illustrated and symbolised the selected songs and were deliberately designed to be as complex as possible, so that regular clients saw new 'points' each time they visited. This design was for a costume worn in a sequence called Opposite Numbers (see designs S.718 to S.736-1996). There are two photographs showing this costume in the Theatre Museum's photographic collection (filed under Eve Club). Associated production: Director and choreographer: Helen Archer. Eve, London. Performance category: Cabaret. Cabaret costumes and designs given by Helen and Jimmy O'Brien: S.694:1 to S.736-1996.
Subject depicted
Collection
Accession number
S.721-1996

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Record createdOctober 7, 2010
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