Train for a costume worn by the Mikado
Theatre Costume
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This train is part of the costume originally designed by Charles Ricketts (1866-1931) for the Mikado in 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 said he 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.
The train is very long and is made to be easily removed. It would probably only have been used for the first impressive appearance of the character in the opera.
The train is very long and is made to be easily removed. It would probably only have been used for the first impressive appearance of the character in the opera.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Train for a costume worn by the Mikado (generic title) |
| Brief description | Train for the theatre costume worn by the Mikado in D'Oyly Carte Company productions of The Mikado by Gilbert & Sullivan. Designed by Charles Ricketts 1926 |
| Physical description | Cream train with a shocking pink lining, decorated with three appliqué circular motifs of cream fabric embroidered with green and gold flowers encircled by green wreaths of leaves. Made to be attached to the costume designed by Charles Ricketts in 1926 and worn by the Mikado for his first entry in D'Oyly Carte Company productions of The Mikado |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by The D'Oyly Carte Company |
| Object history | This train was made for the D'Oyly Carte Company and remained with them until its donation to the museum in 2020 |
| Association | |
| Summary | This train is part of the costume originally designed by Charles Ricketts (1866-1931) for the Mikado in 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 said he 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. The train is very long and is made to be easily removed. It would probably only have been used for the first impressive appearance of the character in the opera. |
| Associated object | S.325-1985 (Ensemble) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1106-2021 |
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| Record created | September 9, 2021 |
| Record URL |
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