{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O109591"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O109591/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HA3556/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HA3556/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2014HA3556","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3645","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3646","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3647","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3648","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3649","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3650","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3651","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3652","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3653","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3654","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3655","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3656","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3657","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3658","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3659","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3660","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3600","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3591","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3592","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3593","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3594","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3595","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3596","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3597","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3598","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3609","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3610","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3611","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3612","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3613","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3550","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3551","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3552","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3554","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014HA3555","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O109591/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O109591","accessionNumber":"S.308&A-1985","objectType":"Theatre costume","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Designer Sophie Fedorovitch was a mistress of understatement.  Her costumes contained sufficient information to indicate character, period and style without being either over-detailed or indefinite.  Thus, this costume for a poor flower seller in 1890s Paris from Frederick Ashton's ballet <i>Nocturne</i>, contains enough hints of period in the sleeves and swathed hips to satisfy the audience while not getting in the way of the dancer.  The grey velvet too is subtly chosen to suggest hardwearing poverty, but at the same time it has a chic that suggests a balleticised destitution, in keeping with Ashton's nostalgic, romantic view of the subject.\n  \r\nFonteyn's interpretation, however, conveyed all the sadness and confusion of the poor girl in love with a rich man.  She danced the role for ten years until the ballet passed out of the repertory.  The costume was later sold at an auction in aid of the Royal Academy of Dancing and was bought by ballet historian and Science Museum curator, G B L Wilson.  In 1970 Wilson lent the costume back to Fonteyn to wear when she danced a solo from <i>Nocturne</i> in the Gala marking Ashton's retirement as Director of The Royal Ballet.  Suffice it to say that, after more than twenty years, the costume needed no alteration.","physicalDescription":"","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Fedorovitch, Sophie","id":"A4752"},"association":{"text":"costume designers","id":"AAT163428"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Dance","id":"THES252984"},{"text":"Costumes","id":"THES269529"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2014HA3556","2014HA3645","2014HA3646","2014HA3647","2014HA3648","2014HA3649","2014HA3650","2014HA3651","2014HA3652","2014HA3653","2014HA3654","2014HA3655","2014HA3656","2014HA3657","2014HA3658","2014HA3659","2014HA3660","2014HA3600","2014HA3591","2014HA3592","2014HA3593","2014HA3594","2014HA3595","2014HA3596","2014HA3597","2014HA3598","2014HA3609","2014HA3610","2014HA3611","2014HA3612","2014HA3613","2014HA3550","2014HA3551","2014HA3552","2014HA3554","2014HA3555"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366672"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES366672"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Theatre costume","id":""}],[{"text":"dresses","id":"AAT46159"}],[{"text":"Theatre costume","id":""}],[{"text":"underskirt","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1944","earliest":"1944-01-01","latest":"1944-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by the Theatre Museum Association in memory of G.B.L. Wilson","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Weight","value":"2.3","unit":"kg","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Total weight of both parts","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Costume for a Flower Girl (originally A Poor Girl) worn by Margot Fonteyn in Frederick Ashton's ballet 'Nocturne', Vic-Wells (now Royal) Ballet, Sadler's Wells Theatre, 1936.  The music was Frederick Delius's Paris suite and the scenery & costumes were designed by Sophie Fedorovitch.  \r\nSome years after the ballet passed out of the repertory, the costume was sold at an auction in aid of the Royal Academy of Dancing (of which Fonteyn was then President). It was bought by G. B. L. Wilson, ballet historian and Curator at the Science Museum, who became head of the British Theatre Museum Association (BTMA). The BTMA's collection was one of the founding collections of the V&amp;A's Theatre Museum, passing to the V&amp;A in 1974. In 1975 the Theatre Museum Association was formed to support the work of the Theatre Museum. Wilson bequeathed this costume to the Theatre Museum Association, who subsequently gave it to the Theatre Museum.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Costume for a Flower Girl worn by Margot Fonteyn in 'Nocturne', Vic-Wells (now Royal) Ballet, 1944","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"Reason For Production: Commission","productionType":{"text":"Unique","id":"THES48864"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Ashton, Frederick William Mallandaine (Sir)","id":"N1312"},{"text":"Fonteyn, Margot","id":"N1045"},{"text":"Fedorovitch, Sophie","id":"N1297"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["Nocturne"],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.308-1985","S.308A-1985"],"accessionNumberNum":"308","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1985,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Dress","Underskirt"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-06","recordCreationDate":"2005-02-24","availableToBook":true}}