{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1798938"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1798938/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PG5057/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PG5057/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2025PG5057","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1798938","accessionNumber":"S.78-2025","objectType":"Costume","titles":[{"title":"North West Morris costume","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Costume worn by a member of Flowers of May North West Morris, made by Susan Bell, early 1980s.\r\n\r\nFlowers of May North West Morris was founded by Olive Cutting and Kate Rose as a result of a dance workshop at Sidmouth Folk Festival at 1976. The workshop, held by morris side, Poynton Jemmers, was aimed at women and taught dances in the North West morris tradition, which originated in industrial Lancashire and Cheshire in the 19th century. North West morris began as a processional dance, with two lines of dancers. It is a high-stepping style, often performed in clogs, with the dancers carrying short, decorated sticks or half-hoops covered in flowers.\n\nFlowers of May was one of the first women's morris sides. Inspired by the workshop, they began performing in May 1977, with dances taught to them by Poynton Jemmers. Olive Cutting was their foreman, a role that involves the teaching of dances and arranging practice sessions. Traditional English dances are often named after the places where they were created and Flowers of May's repertoire developed to include the dances called Alderley Edge, Ashton, Blennerhasset, Churchtown, Failsworth, Fleetwood, Lancaster, Marsden and Maudesley, Peover, Piper's Ash, and Runcorn. Susan Bell, who succeeded Cutting as foreman in around 1980, recalled that they 'developed a number of dances of our own in the style of North West dances'. One of these, Grand Junction, was taught to Danegeld, a mixed (men and women's) morris side, who still dance it. Flowers of May ceased performing in 2004.\n\nInitially, the Flowers of May dancers wore dresses of Laura Ashley fabric and black, low-heeled character shoes. The kit changed in about 1979. Olive Cutting designed new costumes, the decision on style and colour being taken by the whole side. Grey dresses were worn with white aprons and white tights, and the dancers had ribbons in their hair. The footwear changed, becoming black clogs which enhanced the percussive rhythm of the dances. The clogs had attached bell pads. The musicians who accompanied the dancers dressed in white shirts, black waistcoats and black breeches. In the early 1980s the kit altered slightly - the white tights were replaced by more flattering black ones, and black waistcoats and black hats, decorated with pink, white and green flowers, were added. The outfits were made by Susan Bell, who modified Cutting's original designs to accommodate the dancers' different physiques and included a maternity version that had hidden zips behind the pintucks on the bodice to allow the wearer to breastfeed. Bell herself is shown in one of the badges attached to the waistcoat of this costume.\r\n\r\nThis acquisition also includes a collecting 'pot' - actually a kettle hand-painted by Bell (S.79-2025) - and there is a small archive consisting of dance notation for 29 dances performed by Flowers of May and a pattern for the costume.\n","physicalDescription":"Costume worn by a member of Flowers of May North West Morris.\r\n\nCalf-length grey dress with long sleeves gathered at the cuffs and a wide frill at the hem. In performance the neck slit was fastened with a brooch. Worn with a black waistcoat and a white half apron, the waistcoat with multi-coloured trims at all edges and at the pocket openings, and puff painted with the Flowers of May logo, the apron, trimmed with lace at lower edge. Nine badges are pinned to the waistcoat fronts and there are multiple strings of beads, each of one colour - pink, white, black and different shades of green.\n\nIncluded with the costume are a pair of wooden sticks, a pair of white 'knotted slings' made of untwisted cotton rope, and two black and white patterned handkerchiefs, all used in dances.\n ","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Cutting, Olive","id":"AUTH413159"},"association":{"text":"designers","id":"AAT25190"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Bell, Susan","id":"AUTH408414"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"x40240"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"Dance","id":"THES252984"},{"text":"Folk art","id":"THES49003"},{"text":"Entertainment and leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Costumes","id":"THES269529"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2025PG5057"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"FLR","id":"THES402638"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"costume","id":"AAT178802"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"early 1980s","earliest":"1980-01-01","latest":"1985-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"S.79-2025","id":"O1798940"},"association":"Object"}],"creditLine":"Given by Chloe Elizabeth Middleton-Metcalfe","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Costume worn by a member of Flowers of May North West Morris, designed by Olive Cutting and made by Susan Bell, early 1980s ","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.78-2025"],"accessionNumberNum":"78","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2025,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-06-12","recordCreationDate":"2025-03-03","availableToBook":false}}