Costume for Sir Olivier McText [a]; Descriptive Sheet of Accessories [b] 1889

Curator: This is Charles Bianchini's "Costume for Sir Olivier McText" from 1889, currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bianchini used colored pencil, watercolor, and perhaps even printmaking techniques to depict the attire and accessories of the fictional character. Editor: My first thought is that the portrait feels both whimsical and steeped in the performative aspect of identity. There is a tension between its function as design and artwork. Curator: The accessories, carefully notated at the bottom, tell us this wasn’t just an exercise in aesthetics. Costume design, especially for the stage, required careful labor. Look closely at how the materials--velvet, possibly wool--and cut would serve the actor and the narrative. Editor: Absolutely, and Bianchini, positioning this character, raises interesting questions about visibility and power structures within 19th century theater. The use of very delicate colours enhances the theatricality but it also reveals societal implications. Curator: Indeed. Theatre provided a space to explore identity, particularly gender. Considering this character in performance allows to destabilize and to explore boundaries of masculinity and class that the costuming seems to reinforce. Editor: There's a captivating simplicity to it, in a way. Bianchini doesn’t overwhelm us with detail; instead, he gives us the essential elements, inviting us to imagine the weight and feel of that velvet cloak, the movement of the fabric as the actor takes the stage. The material itself seems like a critical messenger here. Curator: Precisely, considering both what is depicted and how it is rendered, is what gives this piece such compelling presence, despite its origins as preparatory work. I am really drawn to that the accessories in grayscale at the bottom. Editor: Thinking about the layers, not only within the representation itself but around its initial function and our current interpretations, highlights just how complex seemingly simple costume design like this could be. It also demonstrates how different a work can be through distinct curatorial practices.