The Greatest Show on Earth
Costume
1952 (made)
1952 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Costume worn by James Stewart as Buttons the Clown in the film The Greatest Show on Earth, 1952.
Cecil B. DeMille’s epic tale of circus life was set in the real environment of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Charlton Heston portrayed the circus ringmaster and was supported by an all-star cast. James Stewart portrayed Buttons the Clown, who appears in the same costume and clown make-up for the entire film. Edith Head designed the costumes, which won the 1952 Academy Award for Best Costume Design. It also won Best Film and Best Story.
The British Film Institute (BFI) acquired its costume collection for display at the Museum of the Moving Image, which existed on the South Bank in London between 1988 and 1999. The collection is made up of British, European, American and Japanese films and covers the period from the silent film era to the mid-1990s. It contains a wealth of historic and significant film costumes worn by major performers and designed by some of the 20th century’s most important film costume designers. The collection was transferred to the V&A in 2015.
Cecil B. DeMille’s epic tale of circus life was set in the real environment of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Charlton Heston portrayed the circus ringmaster and was supported by an all-star cast. James Stewart portrayed Buttons the Clown, who appears in the same costume and clown make-up for the entire film. Edith Head designed the costumes, which won the 1952 Academy Award for Best Costume Design. It also won Best Film and Best Story.
The British Film Institute (BFI) acquired its costume collection for display at the Museum of the Moving Image, which existed on the South Bank in London between 1988 and 1999. The collection is made up of British, European, American and Japanese films and covers the period from the silent film era to the mid-1990s. It contains a wealth of historic and significant film costumes worn by major performers and designed by some of the 20th century’s most important film costume designers. The collection was transferred to the V&A in 2015.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 13 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
|
| Title | The Greatest Show on Earth (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Wool, silk, and cotton, decorated with appliqué and stiffened with plastic. Button and buckle fastenings. |
| Brief description | Costume worn by James Stewart as Buttons the Clown in the film The Greatest Show on Earth,1952 |
| Physical description | Costume consisting of coat, trousers, shirts, gloves, bow ties and spats, worn by James Stewart as Buttons the Clown in the film The Greatest Show on Earth,1952. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by the British Film Institute |
| Summary | Costume worn by James Stewart as Buttons the Clown in the film The Greatest Show on Earth, 1952. Cecil B. DeMille’s epic tale of circus life was set in the real environment of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Charlton Heston portrayed the circus ringmaster and was supported by an all-star cast. James Stewart portrayed Buttons the Clown, who appears in the same costume and clown make-up for the entire film. Edith Head designed the costumes, which won the 1952 Academy Award for Best Costume Design. It also won Best Film and Best Story. The British Film Institute (BFI) acquired its costume collection for display at the Museum of the Moving Image, which existed on the South Bank in London between 1988 and 1999. The collection is made up of British, European, American and Japanese films and covers the period from the silent film era to the mid-1990s. It contains a wealth of historic and significant film costumes worn by major performers and designed by some of the 20th century’s most important film costume designers. The collection was transferred to the V&A in 2015. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1675:1 to 13-2015 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | May 29, 2015 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
