Volunteer collections manager Rachel Nichols showed the research team one of the Vivien Leigh dresses held in storage at Topsham Museum.
The dress is held within a large archive box wrapped in white tissue paper. Pulling the paper aside, the right red velvet of the skirt is revealed, as are the fine details on the bodice.
Correspondence between the Museum and Laurence Olivier's estate in the 1980s suggested that the dress was likely worn to the premiere of the film adaptation of Richard III in 1955.
Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh had both appeared in the play on stage as part of the Old Vic tour in 1948, but Vivien Leigh did not translate her performance as Lady Anne Neville to the screen when Laurence Olivier produced, directed and starred in this adaptation.
The dress is held within a large archive box wrapped in white tissue paper. Pulling the paper aside, the right red velvet of the skirt is revealed, as are the fine details on the bodice.
Correspondence between the Museum and Laurence Olivier's estate in the 1980s suggested that the dress was likely worn to the premiere of the film adaptation of Richard III in 1955.
Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh had both appeared in the play on stage as part of the Old Vic tour in 1948, but Vivien Leigh did not translate her performance as Lady Anne Neville to the screen when Laurence Olivier produced, directed and starred in this adaptation.
| Subject | Vivien Leigh |
|---|---|
| Source | Topsham Museum |
| Date | 2019-06-25 |
| Format | Photograph |
| Type | Research process |
| Coverage | 1950s-2010s |