Child's clown costume worn in 1885 by Edward Granville Eliot (1878-1950), based on a costume worn by the renowned Victorian clown and pantomime performer Harry Payne (1833-1895)

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Cream jersey waist-length jacket with flounced sleeves of cream cotton twill, sewn with cotton frill around the neckline, two sections on each side of the bodice, and around each cuff. Five buttonholes are sewn into the front opening of the bodice, fastened with five nickel-plated copper 'Best Ring Edge' buttons sewn on the opposite edge. The frilled collar, bodice frill and six sleeve flounces are trimmed with pale turquoise and red narrow petersham braid, matching the pale turquoise and red serpentine appliqué shapes machine-sewn on the front and back of the bodice and sleeves. Metal eyelets and buttons are sewn onto the waist to attach the breeches

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Cream cotton twill breeches with eighteen cream cotton flounces, each trimmed with pale turquoise and red narrow petersham braid machine-sewn around the hips and legs - six around the hips and six around each leg

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Cotton belt made of cream twill cotton, sewn with two narrow bands of pale turquoise and red narrow petersham braid and attached to a frilled cream twill cotton peplum sewn with matching petersham braid. Fastened with a cream cotton-covered button and a buttonhole

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Cream machine-knitted wool tights embroidered in wool with multicoloured floral clocking, longer lengths on each inside leg than on the outsides

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Wig composed of black wool 'hair' sewn to a cream stretch jersey cap, slightly stained, attached at the brow line to a cream cotton headband. The wool creates a typical tripartite clown hairstyle, finished with a red bow and pompom of black wool fixed to a metal strip encased in red fabric attached to the back of the wig and finished with a red petersham bow at the nape of the neck

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Red leather slipper for right foot with white kid inserts at the toe vamp and lengths of white binding attached to act as cross-garters

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Red leather slipper for left foot with white kid inserts at the toe vamp and lengths of white binding attached to act as cross-garters

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Red leather slipper, originally one of a pair, the other slipper not in the gift so probably not having survived

Given by Jane Asher

We know from a photograph given with this costume that it was worn in 1885 by the seven-year old Honourable Edward Granville Eliot (1878-1950), probably at a Charity Bazaar at Humphrey's Hall in London's Knightsbridge. The photograph shows him sitting on, and with one leg in, a large papier mâché plum pudding, holding a sprig of holly and a sign inscribed: '"THE MYSTERIOUS TENT" NOW OPEN MR HARRY PAYNE "AT HOME"'. People would have paid to enter the 'Mysterious Tent' within which the would have seen Master Eliot perched on his giant paper pudding, dressed in this perfect replica of a costume worn by the great pantomime clown Harry Payne (1833-1895). Payne played Clown in Drury Lane Theatre pantomimes for twelve seasons, from Cinderella in 1883 until Robinson Crusoe in 1994-95. He died in September 1895.

This costume has no maker's label but was undoubtedly made by a professional theatre costumier, most probably the one who made costumes for Payne himself. Master Eliot's mother may have been involved in the organisation of the bazaar. She was Clare Phelips, married to the Hon. C.G.C Eliot. Edward went on to study History at Oxford but after graduating in 1900 spent some time trying to make his name as an actor and playwright. His musical play Hidenseek, or The Romance of a Ring that he wrote with Arthur Eliot opened at London's Globe Theatre in December 1901 but to largely negative reviews. He worked instead as a solicitor until the outbreak of the Fist World War, becoming an army officer in 1916. He was the maternal grandfather of the actress Jane Asher who presented the costume to the museum and who remembers him dying in her parents' flat in Great Portland Street, when she was four.

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