Kimono worn in The Mikado
Theatre Costume
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The maker's label sewn into the costume shows that this costume was made by L&H Nathan while they were located at 12, Panton Street, near London's Haymarket.
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 on the radio by the BBC, live from the theatre. Rupert D'Oyly Carte had wanted: 'an entirely new aspect' for 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 first closure in 1982.
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 on the radio by the BBC, live from the theatre. Rupert D'Oyly Carte had wanted: 'an entirely new aspect' for 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 first closure in 1982.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Kimono worn in The Mikado (generic title) |
| Brief description | Kimono worn by a chorus lady in D'Oyly Carte Company productions of The Mikado by Gilbert & Sullivan. Designed by Charles Ricketts (1866-1931) and made by L&H Nathan |
| Physical description | Floor-length kimono in pistachio green cotton slub or linen mix with wide sleeves and padded pink edging around the neck, front opening and hem. Decorated with appliqué gold satin stars couched with black piping and blue geometric shapes. Lined in coral cotton with gold cord tassel sleeve decoration and sewn with the maker's label for L&H Nathan, 12 Panton Street, Haymarket |
| Credit line | Given by The D'Oyly Carte Company |
| Object history | This costume was made for the D'Oyly Carte Company and remained with them until its donation to the museum in 2020 |
| Association | |
| Summary | The maker's label sewn into the costume shows that this costume was made by L&H Nathan while they were located at 12, Panton Street, near London's Haymarket. 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 on the radio by the BBC, live from the theatre. Rupert D'Oyly Carte had wanted: 'an entirely new aspect' for 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 first closure in 1982. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1102-2021 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | September 9, 2021 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
