{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1296166"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1296166/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HD6644/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014HD6644/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2014HD6644","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1296166","accessionNumber":"S.1500-2014","objectType":"Costume design","titles":[{"title":"The Dance of Death","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Costume design by Motley for Laurence Olivier as Edgar in Strindberg's play <i>The Dance of Death</i>, National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, 1967.\n\nThe design team Motley - sisters Margaret (1904-2000) and Sophia Harris (1900-1966) and their friend Elizabeth Montgomery (1902-1993) - had their first success in 1932 when they created the sets and costumes for <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, directed by John Gielgud for the Oxford University Dramatic Society. They went on to design over 300 stage productions in Britain and America, working with all the the major theatre, opera and ballet companies of the 20th century. The name Motley was always used by the Harris sisters and Montgomery and no one took credit for the individual designs. In 1940 Elizabeth Montgomery and Margaret Harris went to work in New York, where Montgomery stayed and married, becoming a Broadway costume designer under the Motley name. Harris returned to Britain, and continued to design as Motley, sometimes in partnership with her sister and sometimes working alone. Much of the later work of Motley is by Margaret Harris.\r\n\r\nStrindberg’s <i>The Dance of Death</i> was staged by the National Theatre Company at its London home, the Old Vic, in 1967, directed by Glen Byam Shaw who had worked with Motley (Margaret Harris) at Stratford in the 1950s. The production is remembered for the towering performance by Laurence Olivier as the embittered captain, Edgar, hailed by Irving Wardle in <i>The Times</i>  (22 February  1967) as ‘a masterpiece’. ‘Not a trace seemed to be left in this flaccid middle-aged warrior, now beginning to run to seed, of Sir Laurence himself. The  actor had vanished into the part’, wrote W.A. Darlington in the<i> Daily Telegraph</i> (22 February 1967).\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\n\n","physicalDescription":"Costume design for Laurence Olivier as Edgar. Full length male figure wearing a dark blue uniform and black boots. Annotated by the artist, signed and dated.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Motley","id":"A7449"},"association":{"text":"costume designers","id":"AAT163428"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"watercolour","id":"x33202"},{"text":"pencil","id":"x30347"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"drawing (image-making)","id":"AAT54196"},{"text":"painting (image-making)","id":"AAT54216"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Watercolour and pencil on paper","categories":[{"text":"Designs","id":"THES48968"},{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2014HD6644"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES356706"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"costume design","id":"AAT163423"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1967","earliest":"1967-01-01","latest":"1967-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by Mrs Pamela Tovey","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"30.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"design","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"38.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"design","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"50","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"37.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount","note":"maximum width"}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'THE DANCE OF DEATH / THE CAPTAIN / LAURENCE OLIVIER / UNDRESS UNIFORM / ACT I SC1.2 and 4 / very dark blue cloth.'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Pencil annotation, upper right hand corner"},{"content":"'MOTLEY 67'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Artist's signature in pencil, lower left hand corner"}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Costume design by Motley for Laurence Olivier as Edgar in Strindberg's play <i>The Dance of Death</i>, National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, 1967","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["The Dance of Death"],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.1500-2014"],"accessionNumberNum":"1500","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2014,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2014-07-04","availableToBook":true}}