Suitcase
mid 20th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Natural Movement was established by Madge Atkinson (1885-1970), initially in Manchester in the early years of the 20th century. Madge was a barefoot dancer who drew inspiration from movement in nature (water, the breeze, etc) and from the natural movements of the human body. Along with her contemporaries Ruby Ginner and Margaret Morris, she pioneered modern dance in Britain.
The dancers of Natural Movement created their own costumes and, as Rachel Fensham has noted, Madge Atkinson 'was investigating how to conjure new perceptions of the body in motion through the effects caused by coloured dyes on silk fabric' (Dancing Naturally, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011). She described this suitcase and its contents: 'samples representative of colour's globalized industry at the time: Fairy dye from Glasgow; Drummer-boy dye... Brauns - Stoffarbe Veilchenblau; Aurira dye from Kendal; and the indispensible Dyeflit - The Magic Colour Remover; there is also a neat bundle of raffia for the tie-dye methods of resisting patterning...The 'natural' use of dyes also creates swirls of accent or contrast in silks and cottons that give the form of the simple costumes a softly tones animated effect.'
The dancers of Natural Movement made many of their own costumes and properties and these dyes were used in the making.
In the red cardboard box there is a range of Brauns' Citocol including:
1. Grey Tiefschwars
2. Red Bordeauxrol Rubinrol
4. Heliotrop Flieder
5. Red Mohnrot Erdbeenov
8. Green Reseda Nitgrun
14. Brown Modebraun
15. Orange Aprikosenfarve
16. Yellow agoldgelb
23. Green Hellfrun Seegrun
26. Blue Kornblumenblau
29. Brown Kupferrot Mahagoni
33. Bright green Gifigrun Apteigrun
Turquoise Pfauenblau
The white cardboard box contains mainly Deka dyes and two containers of Dylon. The Columbia records box contains boxes of Drummer Dye, Fairy Dye, gold powder and sachets of Dyeflit colour remover. The Morland sheepskin footwear box has sachets of Brauns' Stoffarben dyes. There are also dye charts for the Brauns' and Deka dyes.
The dancers of Natural Movement created their own costumes and, as Rachel Fensham has noted, Madge Atkinson 'was investigating how to conjure new perceptions of the body in motion through the effects caused by coloured dyes on silk fabric' (Dancing Naturally, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011). She described this suitcase and its contents: 'samples representative of colour's globalized industry at the time: Fairy dye from Glasgow; Drummer-boy dye... Brauns - Stoffarbe Veilchenblau; Aurira dye from Kendal; and the indispensible Dyeflit - The Magic Colour Remover; there is also a neat bundle of raffia for the tie-dye methods of resisting patterning...The 'natural' use of dyes also creates swirls of accent or contrast in silks and cottons that give the form of the simple costumes a softly tones animated effect.'
The dancers of Natural Movement made many of their own costumes and properties and these dyes were used in the making.
In the red cardboard box there is a range of Brauns' Citocol including:
1. Grey Tiefschwars
2. Red Bordeauxrol Rubinrol
4. Heliotrop Flieder
5. Red Mohnrot Erdbeenov
8. Green Reseda Nitgrun
14. Brown Modebraun
15. Orange Aprikosenfarve
16. Yellow agoldgelb
23. Green Hellfrun Seegrun
26. Blue Kornblumenblau
29. Brown Kupferrot Mahagoni
33. Bright green Gifigrun Apteigrun
Turquoise Pfauenblau
The white cardboard box contains mainly Deka dyes and two containers of Dylon. The Columbia records box contains boxes of Drummer Dye, Fairy Dye, gold powder and sachets of Dyeflit colour remover. The Morland sheepskin footwear box has sachets of Brauns' Stoffarben dyes. There are also dye charts for the Brauns' and Deka dyes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Leather and metal, with dyes and raffia |
| Brief description | Leather suitcase, containing dyes and raffia used by the Natural Movement Group for making costumes and properties |
| Physical description | Leather suitcase with handle, re-inforced corners and metal lock lined with pine-green fabric, filled with four boxes of assorted dyes, including dyes by Auroral, Braun, Deka, Drummer, Dylon and Fairy, with gold powder, Dyeflit colour remover, a bundle of raffia and dye charts (see photographs). |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Francine Watson Coleman on behalf of the Natural Movement organisation |
| Object history | Acquired as a part of the Natural Movement Collection. |
| Summary | Natural Movement was established by Madge Atkinson (1885-1970), initially in Manchester in the early years of the 20th century. Madge was a barefoot dancer who drew inspiration from movement in nature (water, the breeze, etc) and from the natural movements of the human body. Along with her contemporaries Ruby Ginner and Margaret Morris, she pioneered modern dance in Britain. The dancers of Natural Movement created their own costumes and, as Rachel Fensham has noted, Madge Atkinson 'was investigating how to conjure new perceptions of the body in motion through the effects caused by coloured dyes on silk fabric' (Dancing Naturally, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011). She described this suitcase and its contents: 'samples representative of colour's globalized industry at the time: Fairy dye from Glasgow; Drummer-boy dye... Brauns - Stoffarbe Veilchenblau; Aurira dye from Kendal; and the indispensible Dyeflit - The Magic Colour Remover; there is also a neat bundle of raffia for the tie-dye methods of resisting patterning...The 'natural' use of dyes also creates swirls of accent or contrast in silks and cottons that give the form of the simple costumes a softly tones animated effect.' The dancers of Natural Movement made many of their own costumes and properties and these dyes were used in the making. In the red cardboard box there is a range of Brauns' Citocol including: 1. Grey Tiefschwars 2. Red Bordeauxrol Rubinrol 4. Heliotrop Flieder 5. Red Mohnrot Erdbeenov 8. Green Reseda Nitgrun 14. Brown Modebraun 15. Orange Aprikosenfarve 16. Yellow agoldgelb 23. Green Hellfrun Seegrun 26. Blue Kornblumenblau 29. Brown Kupferrot Mahagoni 33. Bright green Gifigrun Apteigrun Turquoise Pfauenblau The white cardboard box contains mainly Deka dyes and two containers of Dylon. The Columbia records box contains boxes of Drummer Dye, Fairy Dye, gold powder and sachets of Dyeflit colour remover. The Morland sheepskin footwear box has sachets of Brauns' Stoffarben dyes. There are also dye charts for the Brauns' and Deka dyes. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.903-2019 |
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| Record created | December 19, 2019 |
| Record URL |
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