Fashion — C. 1925-1929
Dress, ballet dress (ensemble)
The tutu consists of a cream silk bodice decorated with a green glass gem in the centre and a cotton net skirt strewn with sequins. The plate of the tutu is decorated with goose feather 'wings'. The costume was worn with a diamanté headdress of diamantes and green glass gems trimmed with white feathers (see 31.81/1b).
This costume was worn by Pavlova in her most famous role Le Cygne or The Swan. First performed in 1907 The Swan was ‘a landmark in ballet history’, although there is some speculation that it may have been choreographed earlier. The innovation lay in the way Pavlova and her choreographer, Mikhail Fokine, created a mood of deep emotion within the piece. The solo was choreographed to Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. The Swan would go onto to become Pavlova’s signature solo and remained in her repertoire until her death.
Due to the popularity of the solo it is difficult to date this costume as Pavlova had serval versions made. This costume most likely dates from the late 1920s. The Legion of Honor in San Francisco also holds one of Pavlova’s Swan costumes which is very similar to the one in our collection but with a blue stone in the bodice centre and in the headdress (Joseph Rous Paget-Fredericks Dance Collection BANC PIC 1964.020:004--OBJ).
- Category:
- Fashion
- Object ID:
- 31.81/1a
- Object name:
- dress, ballet dress (ensemble)
- Object type:
- dress, ballet dress (ensemble)
- Artist/Maker:
- Manya, Madame
- Related people:
- Pavlova, Anna Pavlovna
- Related events:
- —
- Related places:
- —
- Production date:
- c. 1925-1929
- Material:
- silk, cotton, goose feathers, gelatine sequins, elastic, paste gem, metal, wood
- Measurements/duration:
- 420 mm (H) x 980 mm (W) x 900 mm (D)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Credit:
- —
- Copyright holder:
- digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.