Costume design
Costume Design
early 20th century (made), 1905 (made)
early 20th century (made), 1905 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a costume for a character named ‘Electrigal’, whose dress and headgear are comprised of sparks of electricity. The evident novelty of electricity in this design suggests it may date from the 1880s when the newly invented lightbulb began to make a more widespread appearance.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Costume design (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Drawn with pencil on paper and then coloured with gouache, signed and inscribed with pencil. |
| Brief description | H A Homann; design for a costume for 'Electri-gal', 1905 |
| Physical description | Design/ illustration of a woman in theatrical garments on card. The figure of the woman is in the centre of the stage wearing a dress and headdress of white, with red, blue and yellow electric bolts and 'TRIGAL' spelt out at bottom of dress. 'ELECTRI-GAL' is written lightly in pencil beneath the figure & signed 'Homann 1905'. The back of the card has the outline of part of a figure. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Design |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Jillian Lees |
| Object history | The firm of W. Homann & Son of 60 Berners Street, London, were interior designers and house painters. Their most prestigious commission came from Queen Victoria for Osborne House (c.1847-50), and throughout the 19th century they continued to design interiors for grand houses. It seems that William Henry Homann originally established the firm in the 1840s. His son, Henry William Homann was admitted to the Company of Painters and Stainers in 1864. H. W. Homann’s son, H. A. Homann, continued the family business into the 20th century. Under H. A. Homann the company seems to have diversified and undertook work for the Drury Lane Theatre, for which the donor believes these works to have been completed. |
| Production | Believed to have been made for an un-identified production at Drury Lane theatre. |
| Summary | This is a costume for a character named ‘Electrigal’, whose dress and headgear are comprised of sparks of electricity. The evident novelty of electricity in this design suggests it may date from the 1880s when the newly invented lightbulb began to make a more widespread appearance. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.2782-2016 |
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| Record created | July 11, 2016 |
| Record URL |
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