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Chaplin

Costume
1992 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Costume for a 'Yankee Doodle Dancer,' worn by Moira Kelly as Hetty Kelly in the film Chaplin, 1992.

Richard Attenborough’s biopic was partly based on Charlie Chaplin’s own autobiography. The film follows Chaplin’s life, from his impoverished upbringing in London to becoming the world’s first international film star. Robert Downey Jnr. won a BAFTA for his performance as ‘the little tramp’. Costume designers John Mollo and Ellen Mirojnick shared credit for the film. Moira Kelly portrayed two characters in the film, music hall performer Hetty Kelly and Oona O’Neill Chaplin, Chaplin’s fourth wife.

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 6 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Costume
  • Corset
  • Costume
  • Knickers
  • Costume
  • Tights
  • Costume
  • Garter
  • Costume
  • Headpiece
  • Costume
  • Necklaces
TitleChaplin (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Silk, decorated with gold braid, stiffened with plastic boning, with metal fastenings, and decorative details in plastic, glass and feathers.
Brief description
Costume for a 'Yankee Doodle Dancer,' worn by Moira Kelly as Hetty Kelly in the film Chaplin,1992
Physical description
Costume for a 'Yankee Doodle Girl' consisting of corset, knickers, tights, garter, headpiece and necklace, from the film Chaplin, 1992
Dimensions
  • Headpiece, width width: 25cm
  • Headpiece, length length: 35cm
  • Necklace, width width: 4cm
  • Necklace, length length: 52cm
  • Garter, width width: 4cm
  • Garter, length length: 19cm
  • Shorts, width width: 50cm
  • Shorts, length, waist to crotch length: 36cm
  • Tights, hip width width: 17cm
  • Tights, waist to foot, laid flat length: 80cm
  • Corset, armpit to armpit, width width: 39cm
  • Corset, shoulder strap to hem, laid flat length: 70cm
Credit line
Given by the British Film Institute
Summary
Costume for a 'Yankee Doodle Dancer,' worn by Moira Kelly as Hetty Kelly in the film Chaplin, 1992.

Richard Attenborough’s biopic was partly based on Charlie Chaplin’s own autobiography. The film follows Chaplin’s life, from his impoverished upbringing in London to becoming the world’s first international film star. Robert Downey Jnr. won a BAFTA for his performance as ‘the little tramp’. Costume designers John Mollo and Ellen Mirojnick shared credit for the film. Moira Kelly portrayed two characters in the film, music hall performer Hetty Kelly and Oona O’Neill Chaplin, Chaplin’s fourth wife.

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.1679:1 to 6-2015

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Record createdMay 29, 2015
Record URL
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