The Cleopatra Costume on Stage and in Film

Isabella Glyn as a Victorian Cleopatra from an 1847 engraving suggests more Mary Todd Lincoln than a Siren of the Nile. From Laver (1964), redrawn by David Claudon

According to Winter (1916), in October 1849, Samuel Phelps produced Shakespeare's play at Sadler's Well Theatre, "giving scrupulous attention to scenery and costume." (p. 449) Notes Furness (1907), Isabella Glyn, playing Cleopatra for the first time, exhibited "a figure of voluptous majesty, a mingling of dazzling beauty and intellectual command." (p. 584)

The two engravings of the production suggest more of Mary Todd Lincoln dressed for a costume party than of the Siren of the Nile. Some attempt, however, was made to produce "historical accuracy." As seen above, Miss Glyn appears to be wearing a full blouse and two-tiered skirt (which probably gets its fullness from numerous petticoats rather than hoops). Both are dark in color but of different colors. The blouse is unique in that the sleeves appear to be cut differently, one into a puffed short-sleeve and the other in an inverted v-shape. Pearls sewn on velvet trim the neckline and velvet strips with circles edge the two parts to the skirt. Around her waist, she wears a wide girdle which is highly decorated. The resulting gown is obviously not historically accurate, but the accessories give it an Egyptian feeling: an embossed cloth collar; an arm bracelet; long, dangling pearl earrings; and, over her Victorian hairdo, a combination cap-veil of strung pearls.

The second engraving shows a costume very similar to the one above. Taken from the Illustrated London News, the picture was probably drawn by an artist who was remembering what he saw. It is very flattering to the rather plain featured actress. Says Odell (1966):

The background, faintly sketched, is unquestionably Egyptian in mass and outline; even the mural figure is decked out with Egyptian headdress. But what of Miss Glyn's Cleopatra? Is it not dressed for a party in the West End of London rather than for a happening in the palace of the Ptolemys? To me it indubitably is, and distressingly so. Miss Glyn garbed thus, with how large a grain of salt am I compelled to take contemporaries' eulogies of the archaelogical correctness of the entire production? Alas! (p. 322)

While the engraving above might ease Odell's mind somewhat, it is still much too locked in the early Victorian fashion.

I will pause hardly longer than necessary to exhibit a picture from the useful Illustrated London Times of May 25th, which shows the great advance in varisemblance of Egyptian effect over the production of Phelps, in 1849 . . . . At least, this advance is incontrovertible in the matter of costume. The [newspaper] assures us that "come capital scenery, by Mr. T. Grieve, has been transferred from the Manchester Theatre; and the costumes employed are brilliant and beautiful."

The picture Odell refers to shows Miss Glyn in a costume similar to that of her earlier costume. Over this is draped, however, a long cloak and the skirt has an obvious train. Said T.H. Lacy (Odell, 1966) of the costumes: "The Egyptian dresses were utterly beneath contempt." (p. 363)

. . . I have little hesitation in clothing Kleopatra and her court in the habit, or some slight modifification of the habit, prevalent among the Greeks--more or less adopted also by the Roman aristocracy. . . . (The Queen, according to the Text, which follows history in this particular, appeared often "in the habiliments of the goddess, Isis,"--the goddess off the Moon; in other words, in a long, transparent, fine tunic, and a pallium fastened by a knot in front, a crown of lotus flowers on her heard, and sistrum in her hand.) The Ionic chiton, the chlamys, the peplos, the transparent fine linen vest, chemise, or under tunic were dresses which obtained throughout the shores of the Mediterranean with but little variation beyond that resulting from increase or decrese in length or breadth of material. (pp. 595-596)

From his discussion, therefore, Godwin stresses the "accurate" costume of the queen. Unfortunately, few productions appear to have used his suggestions.

Shakespeare's play was first presented in America in 1846 and revived at least once each decade. In 1888, Kyrle Bellew's production opened at the Palmer's Theatre in New York. Says Winter (1916):

The dresses, although composite, miscellaneous, and not distinctly characteristic of any historic time or period, were richly pictorial. . . . The great play was shown, however, not with all its parts judiciously cast and adequately impersonated, but as spectacle,--the two leading parts being undertaken by experimental triflers,--and chiefly for the purpose of exploiting the beauty of the pretty woman, who possessed social prominence. Thus Antony appeared in the person of an effeminate stripling and Cleopatra in that of a belle of the modern ballroom. (p. 461)

Cora Urguhart Potter, who played Cleopatra, obviously did not create a good impression. Her costumes, however, do suggest a Siren of the Nile.

In another picture from the same production, Mrs. Potter wears a pleated, white skirt of fine material with a Princess-line bodice and two tasseled ends of the waist belt hanging down. A fuller transparent cloak is also worn. Along with the skull-cap headdress, she also wears long triangular earrings. The total effect is quite pleasing and is closer to Egyptian dress than the costumes previously examined.

1890...Cleopatra

Fanny Davenport in Sardou's Cleopatra, shown in Odell (1945). Said the New York Herald of the Garden Theatre production, ". . . an honest effort, utterly lacking in inspiration and marred by the too magestic proportions of the actress." (p. 534) The costume she wore, however, showed inspiration.

In 1890, Fanny Davenport appeared in the starring role of Victorien Sardou's version of the Egyptian Queen. Wearing a pleated skirt which has small beads sewn on it, Miss Davenport attempts to suggest the nude upper torso with a body stocking and breast ornament. Over the skirt is worn a silk over-skirt held up by a cloth girdle. Attached to the girdle is the sacred Egyptian scarab beatle which probably was fastened to the skirt. Over the body stocking is a peculiarly cut blouse with short sleeves. Among the accessories which she wears are a pearl collar, bracelets, and a combination pearl-metal headdress based on the crown of Isis. Instead of the royal uraeus, the crown has the head of the vulture goddess Nekhbet.

Sarah Bernhardt in Sardou's Cleopatra, shown in Odell (1945). (p. 534) Although she studied costumes and historical accuracy, the costume Miss Bernhardt wears reflects more of the late Victorian period than the Roman.

1898...Antony and Cleopatra

Constance Collier in Frank Benson's production of Shakespeare's play, shown in Hughes-Hallett (1990, Fig. 49) "looking like a Dionysiac priestess in her mantle of tiger and leopard skins."

Constance Collier, in 1898, wears a costume which might have been inspired by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema's 1883 painting "Antony and Cleopatra" which shows Cleopatra arriving to meet Antony wearing a pale blue gauze gown with tiger and leopard skin cape. Collier's costume includes a similar mantle with a lion head (similar to one found in Tutankamun's tomb forty years later), a dress of scales, and a headdress which includes the vulture cap, but surmounted with a gold(?) falcon--which Hughes-Hallett mistakes for an ibis-- the bird found in the hieroglyphics of Cleopatra's name.

Thus it can be seen that while a few designers of the nineteenth century attempted the antiquarian approach to Cleopatra's costume, most actresses wore attire that reflected Victorian standards. Only accessories seemed to attempt historical accuracy.

What the Real Cleopatra Wore

Home

• Furness, H.H., ed. (1907). "The tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra," The variorum Shakespeare. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company.
• Hughes-Hallett, L. (1990). Cleopatra: histories, dreams and distortions. New York: Harper and Row.
• Laver, J. (1964). Costume in the theatre. New York: Hill and Wang.
• Odell, G.C.D. (1945). Annals of the New York Stage, XIV. New York: Columbia University Press.
• Odell, G.C.D. (1966). Shakespeare--from Betterton to Irving, vol. II. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
• Winter, W. (1916). Shakespeare on the stage. New York: Moffat, Yard & Company.

This page was created by C. David Claudon. Last update October 15, 2003 .