45-Girl

Will R. Barnes prints bring the costume designs of early Broadway into your home: tango girls, gingham girls, court ladies, Babylonian soldiers, polo players and chorus lines in bold colour and pattern. Barnes was an Australian-born costume designer who dressed musical comedies, operettas and revues on the New York stage from 1898 to 1924. Our collection of fine art prints includes hundreds of his watercolour designs.

About Will R. Barnes

Will R. Barnes was born in Australia, around 1864 by one account, and moved to the United States in the late 1890s, setting up shop in New York City. He began by designing costumes for Joe Weber and Lew Fields's Music Hall shows and went on to dress many Broadway productions between 1898 and 1924.

His work ranged across musical comedies, operettas, revues, vaudeville and burlesque. His best-known production was Victor Herbert's operetta Naughty Marietta, and he later worked on the great spectacles of the New York Hippodrome until its final show in 1922. He also designed for the 1911 musical The Wizard of Oz in Boston and for the opera Paoletta at the 1910 Cincinnati Industrial Exposition.

Barnes kept links with the other side of the world too: in 1903 he designed costumes for Tapu, a Maori opera by Alfred Hill produced in Wellington, New Zealand. He was also known as a landscape painter in watercolour. He died in 1939. Large collections of his designs are held by the National Library of Australia and the New York Public Library.

Style and Subjects

Barnes drew his costume designs in watercolour, usually one standing figure per sheet, posed to show the whole outfit. The designs use striking contrasts and bold pattern, with bright colours, stripes, checks and trimmings chosen to read clearly from the back of a large theatre.

Many sheets carry working notes: the act, the scene or number, and the role, such as "Tango Girl; Act II" or "Golden Rod girls", which gives them the charm of real backstage documents.

Famous Works

• Naughty Marietta. Victor Herbert's operetta, his best-known production.
• Paoletta (1910), University of Cincinnati Libraries. 124 costume drawings for an opera at the Cincinnati Industrial Exposition.
• Tango Girl; Act II, 12. A chorus dancer from the tango craze of the 1910s.
• Conductorette, 4 (1912–1924). A playful uniformed chorus girl.
• The Hours – 6 a.m.. One of a set of designs personifying the hours of the day.
• 'Golden Rod' girls, 197. A flower-themed chorus costume.
• Woman's costume (1914). One of his many fashionable stage gowns.

Decorating with Barnes Prints

Barnes's costume designs are perfect for a dressing room, walk-in closet, bedroom or powder room. Hang a row of chorus girls or court ladies in slim gilt or black frames for a glamorous backstage feel.

His bold, patterned figures also brighten a home theatre, music room or hallway, and look great grouped by show or theme.

FAQ

Who was Will R. Barnes?

Will R. Barnes (died 1939) was an Australian-born costume designer who worked in New York, designing costumes for many Broadway productions between 1898 and 1924.

What shows did he design?

Musical comedies, operettas, revues, vaudeville and burlesque, including Victor Herbert's Naughty Marietta, Hippodrome spectacles, the 1911 Wizard of Oz in Boston and the opera Paoletta.

Where are his original designs?

The National Library of Australia and the New York Public Library hold large collections, and the University of Cincinnati has his 124 drawings for Paoletta.

Was he also a painter?

Yes. He was known for watercolour landscapes as well as his stage designs.

Related Artists

• Percy Anderson: English stage costume designer of the same era
• George Barbier: French designer of theatre costumes and fashion plates
• Léon Bakst: the most famous stage costume designer of the age