{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O47818"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O47818/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BW2651/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BW2651/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BW2651","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O47818","accessionNumber":"S.276-1999","objectType":"Costume design","titles":[{"title":"Maria Bjornson design","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Born of Norwegian and Romanian parents in Paris, Maria Bjornson (1949-2002) came to England as a child and trained in London at the Byam Shaw School of Art and then at the Central School of Art And Design.  She began her career designing sets and costumes for productions at Glasgow's Citizens Theatre and subsequently worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but her preference for large, romantic sets and elaborate costumes led her to opera and she designed productions for all the major British opera companies and for opera houses around the world. She won many awards for her work, including the silver medal at the 1983 Prague Biennale for her designs for the cycle of Janacek operas jointly presented by Welsh National Opera and Scottish Opera.\r\n\r\nBjornson designed both sets and costumes for Andrew Lloyd Webber's highly successful musical <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> which opened at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1986. Working with a budget of £900,000 she created some spectacular effects, including the fall of a huge chandelier, a boat ride across an underground lake and a sumptuously dressed masked ball. Her design for Michael Crawford as the Phantom  shows the costume and samples of the fabrics to be used, and also indicates how and when the character will make his appearance in the 'graveyard in Perros'. The note that the skull stick is to be recharged every night shows that the sinister unnatural  light from the glowing skull is to be achieved with batteries.","physicalDescription":"Design for The Phantom in the Mausoleum scene of  <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>, showing a full-length male figure in evening dress with an ankle length, wide collared black cloak fastened diagonally across the chest and a black plumed hat, the wide brim curving upwards to the front. He wears a white diagonal half mask covering the right hand side of his face. In his left hand is a black staff, the top in the form of a skull from which shine rays of white light. He stands on ground overgrown with ivy and behind him, to left, is a stone cross also overgrown with ivy, in front of which, and apparently emerging from it, is a second Phantom figure, dressed identically but shown all in white. Black fabric swatches attached by metal pins to the right hand edge. Annotated in pencil and signed.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Bjornson, Maria","id":"A1959"},"association":{"text":"costume designer","id":"AAT163428"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Pencil","id":"x30347"},{"text":"Ink","id":"AAT15012"},{"text":"Gouache","id":"AAT70114"},{"text":"Paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"Cloth","id":"AAT162391"}],"techniques":[{"text":"drawing (image-making)","id":"AAT54196"},{"text":"painting (image-making)","id":"AAT54216"},{"text":"photocopying","id":"AAT53264"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Pencil, pen and ink, gouache and photocopy on paper, with attached fabric swatches","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Designs","id":"THES48968"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2008BW2651"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"005","id":"THES356720"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"costume design","id":"AAT163423"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x30545"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1986","earliest":"1986-01-01","latest":"1986-12-31"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x30545"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"51","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"poster","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"31.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"poster","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'The Phantom Mausoleum scene Act II sc / Michael Crawford.'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"Pencil","method":"Handwriting","position":"Upper right hand corner","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"Textual information","note":"Upper right hand corner; handwritten; pencil"},{"content":"'The Phantom / 'appears' out / of the cross / after Kristin has / sung 'Wishing You / Were Here Again' / Skull stick / to be recharged / every night.'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"Pencil","method":"Handwriting","position":"Left hand side of figure","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"Textual information","note":"Left hand side of figure; handwriting; pencil"},{"content":"'last appearance / Masquerade / New Hat / New Cloak.'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"Pencil","method":"Handwriting","position":"Right hand side of figure","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"Textual information","note":"Right hand side of figure; handwriting; pencil"},{"content":"' 'Phantom of the Opera' Her Majesties Theatre'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"Pencil","method":"Handwriting","position":"Lower left hand corner","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"Textual information","note":"Lower left hand corner; handwriting; pencil"},{"content":"'Maria Bjornson'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"Pencil","method":"Handwriting","position":"Lower right hand corner","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"Signature","note":"Signature; lower right hand corner; handwriting; pencil"}],"objectHistory":"This design was made for the first production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>, Her Majesty's Theatre, 9 October 1986. The Phantom was played by Michael Crawford.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Design by Maria Bjornson for The Phantom in the Mausoleum scene in Act II of <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>, Her Majesty's Theatre, 1986","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"<i>Maria Björnson.</i> London: 1997","id":"AUTH357892"},"details":"no.89","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>"],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"15\r\nCostume design for the Phantom in <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>\r\n1986\n\r\nMaria Bjornson’s costume design for Michael Crawford\r\nas the Phantom shows the moment when he emerges\r\nfrom a cross-shaped gravestone and his staff shoots\r\nfire across the stage. The design brilliantly captures the\r\nmood and atmosphere required for the scene. Cloth\r\nswatches state what kind of material should be used\r\nto make the cloak.\n\r\nMusical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber,\r\nlyrics by Charles Hart,\r\nadditional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, 1986\r\nHer Majesty’s Theatre, London\n\r\nPencil, pen and ink, gouache and photocopy\r\nDesigned by Maria Bjornson (1949–2002)\r\nMuseum no. S.276-1999\n","date":{"text":"March 2009-September 2013","earliest":"2009-03-01","latest":"2013-09-30"}}],"partNumbers":["S.276-1999"],"accessionNumberNum":"276","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1999,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LN8856","2019LP0579","2019LU7521","2019LU4176"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-21","recordCreationDate":"2000-09-04","availableToBook":true}}