Early pantomime
Pantomime developed from a type of travelling street theatre called Commedia dell'arte which came from Italy in the 16th century. Commedia is a very physical type of theatr…
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Victorian Pantomime
History of pantomime in 19th-century London from its origins in Harlequinades to the familiar and popular pantomime style that developed in the Victorian period.
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The origin of popular pantomime stories
The origins and development of well-known pantomime stories including Cinderella, Babes in the Wood, Jack and the Beanstalk and others.
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Principal boys, dames and animal impersonators in pantomime
The development of the tradition in pantomime of women dressing up as men and men dressing as women and animal characters and costumes.
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Dan Leno
Dan Leno, the late-19th-century Music Hall star, was famous for playing pantomime dames.
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Widow Twankey costume by John Vicars for 'Aladdin', 1980
Pantomime gives the costume designer plenty of opportunity to devise absurd outfits for the comic characters. No pantomime is complete without the larger-than-life Dame, tr…
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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