The Cleopatra Costume on Stage and in Film2

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The Cleopatra Costume on Stage and in Film by C. David Claudon, copyright 1999		Strong & Oman (1971) shows a gown based on Marcus Gheeraerts' ca. 1592 portrait of Queen Elizabeth visiting Ditchley. (National Portrait Gallery). (p. 45) Drawn by David Claudon.

The Cleopatra Costume in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries		The Cleopatras which appeared during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were contemporary figures. There was no real concern with historical accuracy--and only occasionally was there concern for appropriateness. Says Griffith (1961) in his introduction to Dryden's *All for Love*, "audiences expected Cleopatra in the Dryden play to be attired in the magnificent high fashion of the day." (p. 37) The same would have held true for Shakespeare's audiences. Consequently, the study of Cleopatra's costumes during this period is the study of the seventeenth and eighteenth century noblity clothing, not Cleopatra's.
1606...The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra		It is assumed that Shakespeare's tragedy was first presented in the summer of 1606. T.W. Baldwin conjectures that the boy-actor Edmans originated the role of the Egyptian queen. Although there are no pictures of the Stuart production, it is logical to assume that Cleopatra wore the court dress of the late Elizabethan era. Edmands, therefore, probably wore a richly ornamented gown, perhaps similar to the one shown in the Ditchley portrait of Queen Elizabeth. Over the drum farthingale of the 1590's is a richly ornamented white satin (?) skirt and dark red brocade overskirt seen only at the back. The V-shaped bodice has the long stomacher. The leg-o-mutton sleeves are highly stuffed and have wrist-cuffs and long oversleeves hang to the floor. The square-necked bodice is surrounded by a standing ruff and a second wired ruff (according to one source attached to a sheer cloak, not seen in the picture) gives the completed "Fairie Queen" effect. Countless pearls and jewels, a crown, gloves, a fan, and a rose pinned to the ruff accessorize the outfit. As the play calls for a cloak and crown, these might be similar to what is seen.
1677...All for Love		When Dryden's tragedy first appeared following the Resoration, Mrs. Boutell originated the role of Cleopatra. According to Griffith, for the Drury Lane production: Mrs. Boutell, as Cleopatra, donned the silken petticoats of the same fashion that the Duchess of Cleveland or the Duchess of Portsmouth were at the moment displaying in the royal box. The glittering, bejeweled dresses seem to have appealed not merely to the ladies, but to the entire audience, and the costumes were made a part of the advertisements of the play. (p. 37) The idea of costumes selling the play finds mention later, when the play was revived in 1718 again at Drury Lane. It was announced earlier that the tragedy had "not [been] acted in twelve years, [and that] all the Habits [were] entirely new." (p. 37).
1747...All for Love		Nagler (1959) reprints George Ann Bellamy's story of how her rival stole the costume which she was to wear as Cleopatra: The manager . . . had purchased a superb suit of clothes that had belonged to the Princess of Wales, and had been only worn by her on the birth-day. This was made into a dress for me to play the Character of Cleopatra; and as the ground of it was silver tissue, my mother thought that by turning the body of it in, it would be a no unbecoming addition to my waist, which was remarkably small. My maid-servant was sent to the theatre to assist . . . in sewing on a number of diamonds, my patroness not only having furnished me with her own, but borrowed several others. . . . Mrs. Furnival (who owed me a grudge . . .[)] carried off the Queen of Egypt's paraphernalia, to adorn herself in the character of Octavia, the Roman matron, which she was to perform. By remarking from time to time my dress, which was very different from the generality of heroines, Mrs. Furnival had just acquired taste enough to despise the black velvet in which those ladies were usually habited. And without considering the impropriety of enrobing a Roman matron in the habiliments of the Egyptian Queen; or perhaps not knowing that there was any impropriety in it, she determined for once in her lifetime, to be as fine as myself . . . . [After a lengthy row with Bellamy's maid and Mrs. Bellamy, Furnival agreed to give the costume back, after the play. Mrs. Bellamy substituted another.] In this situation I had no other resource than to reverse the dresses, and appear as plain in the character of the luxurious Queen of Egypt, as Antony's good wife, although the sister of Caesar, ought to have been. In the room of precioius stones, with which my head should have been decorated, I substituted pearls; and all of my finery I retained only diadem, that indispensable mark of royalty. . . . I appeared in white sattin . . . . [Mrs. Furnival, after having been discovered by the audience and properly "hooted,"] very prudently called fits to her aid, which incapacitated her from appearing again. (pp383-386) And so, it appears that Cleopatra was repaid for the insult of appearing only as a "Roman matron" with perals as her only jewels.
1759...Antony and Cleopatra		David Garrick produced Shakespeare's play for the first time since the Restoration. Anna Yates, as Cleopatra, undoubtedly wore the "Tragic Queen's costume" of the eighteenth century: heavily embroidered and embossed velvet hooped skirt, with a draped over-skirt and train; high plumes and a crown; and a wig. This was to be the Cleopatra costume for the rest of the period.
1773...All for Love		Mrs. Hartley, as the Egyptian queen, appeared in the Tragic Queen's costume. Griffith (1961) says: Mrs. Hartley, who played Cleopatra at Covent Garden in 1773, is in a huge hooped petticoat, her hair powdered, dressed high, woven with pearls and topped off with a diadem adorned with waving ostrich feathers. In an illustration from the period, she can also be seen to wear the draped overskirt and train; garland of three-dimensional flowers; and lace at the neck and elbow. Another picture of the same costume, although labelled 1776, shows Mrs. Hartley wearing what appears to be satin rather than velvet. The other picture shows the tiered sleeves and pearls intertwined in the hair.
1776...Antony and Cleopatra(?) Miss Elizabeth Younge appears in Antony & Cleopatra. Drawn by David Claudon, from Laver (1964). (p. 89)		Miss Elizabeth Younge appeared as Cleopatra in a production which Laver says is labelled Antony and Cleopatra, although he assumes it meant All for Love. Interesting addtions have been made to Miss Younge's Tragic Queen Costume--the most interesting of these being the short-sleeved cloak and the enormous veil. It is assumed the artist took liberties with their lengths. The mantle has what appears to be gold trim along the edges. The sleeves of the cloak are scallopped and longer in the back than the front. There are a few bows also on this garment. The rest of the costume worn by Miss Younge consists of an elaborately decorated hooped skirt with an overskirt trimmed with tassels. The sleeves are still tiered. Around her neck, she wears a simple necklace, and in her hair she wears the crown and plumes with pearls. The bodice of the dress looks as if it were trimmed with more pearls.
1776...All for Love		Mrs. Anna Yates returns, only this time in Dryden's play. Says Griffith (1961): An engraving of Anna Maria Yates as Cleopatra in the Drury Lane production of 1776 shows her in a royal mantle edged with ermine, her hair mounted over a cushion and entwined with jewels. (p. 37) An attempt was made, it appears to go back to the Elizabethan costume, for Mrs. Yates has a bodice of jewelled material with Elizabethan puff sleeves which reach the elbow. The upper sleeves are slashed and material shows through. An under-sleeve (part of the hooped dress?) covers the forearm. An over-skirt with train is draped across the front of the brocade under-skirt. At the waist, she wears a scarf-type girdle. The most interesting feature of the costume, however, is the fact that she wears no plumes with her crown.
1786...Antony and Cleopatra Mrs. Pope as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. From Laver (1964), drawn by David Claudon.		Miss Younge, now Mrs. Pope, appears in an engraving, exhibiting the epitome of exaggerated headdress. Over her long hair, she wears a turban-like hat with a crown on top of it. With the crown are strings of pearls, plumes, and feathers. Pearls are also used to suggest a crown motif on the side of the turban. Unfortunately, the attempt at suggesting an Oriental motif is forgotten in the remaining garments. She wears, for example, the ermine-edged royal mantle (which now has three-quarter sleeves) and the gown with an over-skirt. At the square neckline can be seen lace. In spite of the amount of material obviously used to make the costume, it retains a feeling of being light-weight. All in all, as has been mentioned before, the costumes of the seventeenth and eighteenth actually reflect the period and became a traditional form.

The Cleopatra Costume in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

The Cleopatras which appeared during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were contemporary figures. There was no real concern with historical accuracy--and only occasionally was there concern for appropriateness. Says Griffith (1961) in his introduction to Dryden's All for Love, "audiences expected Cleopatra in the Dryden play to be attired in the magnificent high fashion of the day." (p. 37) The same would have held true for Shakespeare's audiences. Consequently, the study of Cleopatra's costumes during this period is the study of the seventeenth and eighteenth century noblity clothing, not Cleopatra's.

1606...The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra

It is assumed that Shakespeare's tragedy was first presented in the summer of 1606. T.W. Baldwin conjectures that the boy-actor Edmans originated the role of the Egyptian queen. Although there are no pictures of the Stuart production, it is logical to assume that Cleopatra wore the court dress of the late Elizabethan era. Edmands, therefore, probably wore a richly ornamented gown, perhaps similar to the one shown in the Ditchley portrait of Queen Elizabeth. Over the drum farthingale of the 1590's is a richly ornamented white satin (?) skirt and dark red brocade overskirt seen only at the back. The V-shaped bodice has the long stomacher. The leg-o-mutton sleeves are highly stuffed and have wrist-cuffs and long oversleeves hang to the floor. The square-necked bodice is surrounded by a standing ruff and a second wired ruff (according to one source attached to a sheer cloak, not seen in the picture) gives the completed "Fairie Queen" effect. Countless pearls and jewels, a crown, gloves, a fan, and a rose pinned to the ruff accessorize the outfit. As the play calls for a cloak and crown, these might be similar to what is seen.

1677...All for Love

When Dryden's tragedy first appeared following the Resoration, Mrs. Boutell originated the role of Cleopatra. According to Griffith, for the Drury Lane production:

Mrs. Boutell, as Cleopatra, donned the silken petticoats of the same fashion that the Duchess of Cleveland or the Duchess of Portsmouth were at the moment displaying in the royal box. The glittering, bejeweled dresses seem to have appealed not merely to the ladies, but to the entire audience, and the costumes were made a part of the advertisements of the play. (p. 37)

The idea of costumes selling the play finds mention later, when the play was revived in 1718 again at Drury Lane. It was announced earlier that the tragedy had "not [been] acted in twelve years, [and that] all the Habits [were] entirely new." (p. 37).

1747...All for Love

Nagler (1959) reprints George Ann Bellamy's story of how her rival stole the costume which she was to wear as Cleopatra:

The manager . . . had purchased a superb suit of clothes that had belonged to the Princess of Wales, and had been only worn by her on the birth-day. This was made into a dress for me to play the Character of Cleopatra; and as the ground of it was silver tissue, my mother thought that by turning the body of it in, it would be a no unbecoming addition to my waist, which was remarkably small. My maid-servant was sent to the theatre to assist . . . in sewing on a number of diamonds, my patroness not only having furnished me with her own, but borrowed several others. . . .
Mrs. Furnival (who owed me a grudge . . .[)] carried off the Queen of Egypt's paraphernalia, to adorn herself in the character of Octavia, the Roman matron, which she was to perform. By remarking from time to time my dress, which was very different from the generality of heroines, Mrs. Furnival had just acquired taste enough to despise the black velvet in which those ladies were usually habited. And without considering the impropriety of enrobing a Roman matron in the habiliments of the Egyptian Queen; or perhaps not knowing that there was any impropriety in it, she determined for once in her lifetime, to be as fine as myself . . . .
[After a lengthy row with Bellamy's maid and Mrs. Bellamy, Furnival agreed to give the costume back, after the play. Mrs. Bellamy substituted another.] In this situation I had no other resource than to reverse the dresses, and appear as plain in the character of the luxurious Queen of Egypt, as Antony's good wife, although the sister of Caesar, ought to have been. In the room of precioius stones, with which my head should have been decorated, I substituted pearls; and all of my finery I retained only diadem, that indispensable mark of royalty. . . . I appeared in white sattin . . . . [Mrs. Furnival, after having been discovered by the audience and properly "hooted,"] very prudently called fits to her aid, which incapacitated her from appearing again. (pp383-386)

And so, it appears that Cleopatra was repaid for the insult of appearing only as a "Roman matron" with perals as her only jewels.

1759...Antony and Cleopatra

David Garrick produced Shakespeare's play for the first time since the Restoration. Anna Yates, as Cleopatra, undoubtedly wore the "Tragic Queen's costume" of the eighteenth century: heavily embroidered and embossed velvet hooped skirt, with a draped over-skirt and train; high plumes and a crown; and a wig. This was to be the Cleopatra costume for the rest of the period.

1773...All for Love

Mrs. Hartley, as the Egyptian queen, appeared in the Tragic Queen's costume. Griffith (1961) says:

Mrs. Hartley, who played Cleopatra at Covent Garden in 1773, is in a huge hooped petticoat, her hair powdered, dressed high, woven with pearls and topped off with a diadem adorned with waving ostrich feathers.

In an illustration from the period, she can also be seen to wear the draped overskirt and train; garland of three-dimensional flowers; and lace at the neck and elbow. Another picture of the same costume, although labelled 1776, shows Mrs. Hartley wearing what appears to be satin rather than velvet. The other picture shows the tiered sleeves and pearls intertwined in the hair.

1776...Antony and Cleopatra(?)

Miss Elizabeth Younge appears in Antony & Cleopatra. Drawn by David Claudon, from Laver (1964). (p. 89)

Miss Elizabeth Younge appeared as Cleopatra in a production which Laver says is labelled Antony and Cleopatra, although he assumes it meant All for Love. Interesting addtions have been made to Miss Younge's Tragic Queen Costume--the most interesting of these being the short-sleeved cloak and the enormous veil. It is assumed the artist took liberties with their lengths. The mantle has what appears to be gold trim along the edges. The sleeves of the cloak are scallopped and longer in the back than the front. There are a few bows also on this garment.

The rest of the costume worn by Miss Younge consists of an elaborately decorated hooped skirt with an overskirt trimmed with tassels. The sleeves are still tiered. Around her neck, she wears a simple necklace, and in her hair she wears the crown and plumes with pearls. The bodice of the dress looks as if it were trimmed with more pearls.

1776...All for Love

Mrs. Anna Yates returns, only this time in Dryden's play. Says Griffith (1961):

An engraving of Anna Maria Yates as Cleopatra in the Drury Lane production of 1776 shows her in a royal mantle edged with ermine, her hair mounted over a cushion and entwined with jewels. (p. 37)

An attempt was made, it appears to go back to the Elizabethan costume, for Mrs. Yates has a bodice of jewelled material with Elizabethan puff sleeves which reach the elbow. The upper sleeves are slashed and material shows through. An under-sleeve (part of the hooped dress?) covers the forearm. An over-skirt with train is draped across the front of the brocade under-skirt. At the waist, she wears a scarf-type girdle. The most interesting feature of the costume, however, is the fact that she wears no plumes with her crown.

1786...Antony and Cleopatra

Mrs. Pope as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. From Laver (1964), drawn by David Claudon.

Miss Younge, now Mrs. Pope, appears in an engraving, exhibiting the epitome of exaggerated headdress. Over her long hair, she wears a turban-like hat with a crown on top of it. With the crown are strings of pearls, plumes, and feathers. Pearls are also used to suggest a crown motif on the side of the turban. Unfortunately, the attempt at suggesting an Oriental motif is forgotten in the remaining garments. She wears, for example, the ermine-edged royal mantle (which now has three-quarter sleeves) and the gown with an over-skirt. At the square neckline can be seen lace. In spite of the amount of material obviously used to make the costume, it retains a feeling of being light-weight.

All in all, as has been mentioned before, the costumes of the seventeenth and eighteenth actually reflect the period and became a traditional form.

The Cleopatra Costume on Stage and in Film by C. David Claudon, copyright 1999

The Cleopatra Costume on Stage and in Film

by C. David Claudon, copyright 1999

The Cleopatra Costume on Stage and in Film

by C. David Claudon, copyright 1999