Costume design for Insects
Attilio Comelli
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
England
1907
Watercolour and pencil on card
Museum no. 2006AH6350

Attilio Comelli designed these insect costumes for girls to wear as part of the pantomime Babes in the Wood at Drury Lane, in the Christmas of 1907. There were twelve pairs of insects who featured in the forest scene. Other animals dancing in this pantomime in the forest scene included eight storks and twelve robins.

Drury Lane prided itself on producing the most visually impressive productions in the country as it had done since the days when Augustus Harris had been producer. At this date Arthur Collins was in charge at Drury Lane, and he was the co-author of this pantomime. As had become traditional in Babes in the Wood, the plot included the characters Robin Hood, Maid Marion, Little John and Will Scarlet. Not all the scenes were entirely relevant to the plot, however, such as the scene in 'Lollipop Land' played almost entirely be children, with scenery designed by the famous Bruce 'Sensation' Smith.