Not currently on display at the V&A

Costume Design

1945 (Painted, drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Costume design for Alec Clunes as Hamlet. The design depicts a full length male figure wearing a "medieval" style costume. The costume consists of a black tunic, belted at the waist and worn over a white shirt and black tights. The figure also wears black pointed shoes, and a gold chain around his neck. Brown tape is attached to the reverse of the design, and the remains of a paper mount with an inscription by the artist is attached to the front lower edge.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil, gouache, and black & white paint on paper.
Brief description
Costume design by Maise Meiklejohn for Alec Clunes as Hamlet in "Hamlet", Arts Theatre, October 10th 1945.
Physical description
Costume design for Alec Clunes as Hamlet. The design depicts a full length male figure wearing a "medieval" style costume. The costume consists of a black tunic, belted at the waist and worn over a white shirt and black tights. The figure also wears black pointed shoes, and a gold chain around his neck. Brown tape is attached to the reverse of the design, and the remains of a paper mount with an inscription by the artist is attached to the front lower edge.
Dimensions
  • Height: 338mm
  • Width: 217mm
Brown tape has been attached to the reverse edges of the design. The remains of an old paper mount with an inscription is also attached to the lower edge of the design.
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • ' Hamlet - suggestion ' (Textual information; Lower left hand side of the paper mount.; handwriting; pencil; Meiklejohn)
  • ' £40 ' (Textual information; On reverse lower right hand corner.; handwriting; pencil; Meiklejohn)
Object history
This costume design by Maise Meiklejohn is part of an extensive collection of designs by the artist purchased by the Theatre Museum in 1990. The design was executed for a production of William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" performed at the Arts Theatre, October 10th 1945. The production was directed by Judith Furse, and the scenery was designed by Michael Warre. The cast included Alec Clunes as Hamlet, Dorothy Primrose as Ophelia, Olga Lindo as Gertrude, and Mark Dignam as Claudius. The production was included in the Arts Theatre Continental tour during the winter of 1946-7

Historical significance: This design was executed for a production by the actor/producer Alec Clunes, whose greatest achievement was his direction of eight seasons of plays at the Arts Theatre during a period when money and actors were scarce and scenery hard to get. He introduced an ambitious and intellectually demanding repertory of unearthed English classics and promoted the staging of foreign plays, as an alternative to the usual West End fare of "leg shows" and average drawing room pieces, which earned him the status, according to one critic of "pocket national theatre".
Leela Meinertas, 1990.
Production
Reason For Production: Commission
Subjects depicted
Associations
Literary referenceHamlet
Collection
Accession number
S.173-2002

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Record createdAugust 16, 2002
Record URL
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