The inscription in the maker's label shows that this particular costume was worn by the baritone Kenneth Sandford (1924-2004) who played Pooh-Bah with the D'Oyly Carte from 1957 until 1982. Born Kenneth Parkin, Sandford trained at the Royal Academy of Music and played roles in several West End musicals before joining the D'Oyly Carte, including Carousel at Drury Lane (1950-1951), Paint Your Wagon at His Majesty's Theatre (1953-1954), and Kismet at the Stoll Theatre (1955-1956).

This costume was originally designed by Charles Ricketts (1866-1931) for The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's new production of The Mikado that opened at the Princes Theatre on Monday 20th September 1926. Speculation about the new costumes designed generated a lot of press interest; tickets for the first night sold out months in advance, and the production was broadcast by the BBC on the radio live from the theatre. Rupert D'Oyly Carte had wanted: 'an entirely new aspect' to his innovative production of the well-loved opera and Ricketts said of his designs: 'The new dresses I have chosen belong to a period - about 1720 - when national costume was especially beautiful'. The costumes initially received a mixture of praise and condemnation but were used by the company until its initial closure in 1982.