Orange, Green and Purple Headdresses, Xochitl, Emperor Tepancaltzin's Dancing Girls (set of five)
Costume
Identifier
C-132_1-5Date:
1921
Description:
A set of five Aztec style headdresses. Worn by five female Denishawn Dancers in the role of the Emperor Tepancaltzin's Dancing Girls (A total of six dancing girls performed in this role) in Xochitl.
Item Details:
Orange silk noil (raw silk) headband with an applied band of soft green silk noil. On this has been stitched purple wool thread in the shape of a triangle and hand-painted gold discs. From each side of the headband hangs down a disc of soft green silk noil. This has been decorated with purple stitching and gold hand-painting. The bottom edges were originally decorated with gold painted seed pods (many missing). They are fastened with a hook and bar at the back. These six headdresses appears to date from the premiere of the Xochitl in 1921. The names inside however, correspond to the 1922/23 tour. These headdresses would have been worn with skirts C-140_1-3, and cuffs C-136_1-6_a-d.
C-132_1 Inscribed with May (May Lynn - over an older unreadable label)
C-132_2 Inscribed with Lenore (Lenore Scheffer)
C-132_3 Inscribed with Pearl (Pearl Wheeler)
C-132_4 Inscribed with Julia (Julia Bennett)
C-132_5 Inscribed with Louise (Louise Brooks possibly - hard to read - over an older unreadable label)
Extent:
5
Medium:
Silk, Cotton, Metal, Wool, Wood