Not on display

Jessica Tandy as Cordelia in King Lear

Costume Design
1940 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Costume design by Roger Furse for Jessica Tandy as Cordelia in King Lear, Old Vic, 1940

Roger Furse (1903-1972) was one of the leading British theatre designers of the mid 20th century. He studied at the Slade and in Paris, but abandoned painting for theatre design in the 1930s, becoming well known for his settings and costumes for plays, ballets and films. Furse was particularly associated with the work of Laurence Olivier, for whom he designed the films of Henry V, Hamlet, Richard III and The Prince and the Showgirl, and he frequently worked for the Old Vic, designing Shakespeare productions which starred some of the great names of British theatre.

Furse was responsible for the sets and costumes for productions of King Lear at the Old Vic in 1940 and 1946. The 1940 production, John Gielgud’s second Lear, was directed by Lewis Casson with advice from Harley Granville Barker, and featured Cathleen Nesbitt, Fay Compton and Jessica Tandy as Lear’s daughters. Furse gave the play a Renaissance setting, using heavy brocade fabrics like the one represented in this design for the costume worn by Cordelia in the play's first scene.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleJessica Tandy as Cordelia in <i>King Lear</i> (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Pencil and watercolour on paper
Brief description
Costume design by Roger Furse for Jessica Tandy as Cordelia in King Lear, Old Vic, 1940
Physical description
Costume design for Jessica Tandy as Cordelia. Full length female figure wearing a Renaissance style dress in pale yellow with an all over pattern in green, and a gold tiara with hanging loops of pearls. Annotated by the artist and signed.
Dimensions
  • Height: 56cm
  • Width: 38.4cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • '"King Lear" / Old Vic 1940' (Pencil annotation, upper left hand corner)
  • 'Cordelia - / 1st costume / Miss Jessica Tandy / stiff, gold & green brocade / ruffles & inner sleeves / organza' (Pencil annotation, upper right hand corner)
  • 'roger furse.' (Artist's signature in pencil, lower right hand corner)
  • '18 x 10¾ suggest for London' (Pencil annotation, beneath image, right)
Credit line
Given by Patricia J. Defty on behalf of Ena Churchill
Literary referenceKing Lear
Summary
Costume design by Roger Furse for Jessica Tandy as Cordelia in King Lear, Old Vic, 1940

Roger Furse (1903-1972) was one of the leading British theatre designers of the mid 20th century. He studied at the Slade and in Paris, but abandoned painting for theatre design in the 1930s, becoming well known for his settings and costumes for plays, ballets and films. Furse was particularly associated with the work of Laurence Olivier, for whom he designed the films of Henry V, Hamlet, Richard III and The Prince and the Showgirl, and he frequently worked for the Old Vic, designing Shakespeare productions which starred some of the great names of British theatre.

Furse was responsible for the sets and costumes for productions of King Lear at the Old Vic in 1940 and 1946. The 1940 production, John Gielgud’s second Lear, was directed by Lewis Casson with advice from Harley Granville Barker, and featured Cathleen Nesbitt, Fay Compton and Jessica Tandy as Lear’s daughters. Furse gave the play a Renaissance setting, using heavy brocade fabrics like the one represented in this design for the costume worn by Cordelia in the play's first scene.
Collection
Accession number
S.2501-2013

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Record createdJuly 8, 2013
Record URL
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