Percy Anderson (1851-1928).
Costume design for Chu Chin Chow, 1916.
Norman
Williams as Abdullah.
For each production, this index includes the name of the costume designer credited in the program, as well as the names of other artists whose signature or mark appears on renderings in this exhibition. Employees of Simmons often copied a set of designs for use in Simmons' studios, and much of the Simmons archive consists of what are referred to as costumier's copies. This practice allowed the designer of record to retain the originals. While some costumier's copies are obviously traced, most were freely drawn by what was clearly a talented staff. The best of these house artists could transfer the credited designer's ideas to paper with every detail in place, while at the same time adding notes about costume construction, even incorporating features of the actor's face for a realistic touch. It is unclear how quickly this process took place; probably the renderings took shape over a period of weeks leading up to dress rehearsals.
The encyclopedic knowledge of theater required for this type of work speaks volumes about the unique position that Simmons occupied in London theater. This knowledge was partly codified in the firm's voluminous costume design portfolios and in meticulously maintained scrapbooks which recorded much of their output, but much of this expertise vanished forever around 1920, the end of Simmons' peak period of quality and productivity. A remarkable body of work was created by the staff who worked at Simmons from 1890 to 1920, and by designers such as Percy Anderson and Attilio Comelli who were frequently associated with the firm during this period. Later employees were unable to match the stylishness and correctness of these artists, even with the assistance of the resources mentioned above, supplemented by a large in-house research library and a geographically arranged index to world fashion, not to mention a warehouse full of the actual costumes which were rented out to amateurs after their initial use on the professional stage. Probably, the death or retirement of key designers and/or staff in the 1920s sparked Simmons' slow decline. The firm closed in 1964, having operated for more than 100 years since opening as a family-run outfit in 1857.
Anderson, F. Richard (died 1935) -- see Comelli, Attilio
Monogram of
Percy Anderson,
1897.
Anderson, Percy (1851-1928)
Caesar and Cleopatra, Savoy Theatre, 1907
Chu Chin Chow, His Majesty's Theatre, 1916
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria, Savoy Theatre, 1889
A Midsummer Night's Dream, His Majesty's Theatre, 1911
Richard II, His Majesty's Theatre, 1902
Trelawny of the "Wells," Court Theatre, 1898
Trial by Jury, Princes Theatre, 1920
Armstrong, John (1893-1973)
I, Claudius, motion picture, 1937
Armstrong, John (1893-1973), and Oliver Messel (1904-1978)
The Scarlet Pimpernel, motion picture, 1939
Bakst, Léon (1866-1924)
Hullo, Tango!, London Hippodrome, 1914
Beaton, Cecil (1904-1980)
Quadrille, Phoenix Theatre, 1952
Quadrille, Coronet Theatre, New York, 1954
Bianchini, Charles (1860-1905)
Joan of Arc, Théâtre du Chatelet, Paris, 1891
Calthrop, Dion Clayton (1878-1937)
The Critic; or, A Tragedy Rehearsed, His Majesty's Theatre, 1911
Comelli, Attilio (1858-1925)
Aladdin, Drury Lane, 1909
Cinderella, Drury Lane, 1895
Elektra, Covent Garden, 1910
Lucia di Lammermoor, Covent Garden, 1902
Rose Marie, Drury Lane, 1925
Tosca, Covent Garden, 1914
Comelli, Attilio (1858-1925), after F. Richard Anderson (died 1935)
Ben-Hur, Drury Lane, 1902
Comelli, Emilio (active 1890s-1920s)
Hamlet, Covent Garden, 1910
Conway, Gordon (1894-1956)
Aunt Sally, motion picture, 1933
The Constant Nymph, motion picture, 1933
The Sign of the Sevel Dials, Cambridge Theatre, 1931
Furse, Roger (1903-1972)
Henry IV, Part I, New Theatre, 1945
Henry V, motion picture, 1944
Haffenden, Elizabeth (1906-1976)
Beau Brummel, motion picture, 1954
Ben-Hur, motion picture, 1959
Man and Superman, New Theatre, 1951
Hammond, Aubrey (1893-1940)
The Circle of Chalk, New Theatre, 1929
Such Men Are Dangerous, Duke of York's Theatre, 1928
Harris, George W. (1878-1929)
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Drury Lane, 1924
Hurry, Leslie (1909-1978)
Venice Preserved; or, A Plot Discover'd, Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, 1953
Macquoid, Percy (1852-1925)
The Merchant of Venice, His Majesty's Theatre, 1908
Romeo and Juliet, New Theatre, 1911
Messel, Oliver (1904-1978) -- see Armstrong, John
Milner, F. C. (active ca. 1906-ca. 1935)
The Devil's Disciple, Savoy Theatre, 1930
Moiseiwitsch, Tanya (1914-2003)
The Critic; or, A Tragedy Rehearsed, New Theatre, 1945
Partridge, Bernard (1861-1945)
The Admirable Crichton, Duke of York's Theatre, 1902
Rice, Peter (born 1928)
The Doctor's Dilemma, Saville Theatre, 1956
Ricketts, Charles (1866-1931)
Attila, His Majesty's Theatre, 1907
The Dark Lady of the Sonnets, Haymarket Theatre, 1910
Rumbold, Hugo (died 1932)
The Critic; or, An Opera Rehearsed, Shaftesbury Theatre, 1916
Signature of
Sers, 1899.
