Description (Physical description)
Catalogue card for 1944.22[.1-8]: 'Native-made copy of the gala dress worn by Manipuri (Meithei) unmarried girls (Laihabi) in the dance which celebrates Krishna' s love-affairs with the milkmaids (Gopis). This dress was made for the donor (Mrs J. H. Hutton) by a native tailor and is a close copy of the actual Manipuri dresses. The dress consists of the following parts and adjuncts: (1) a silk skirt, heavily embroidered with beads, bits of mirror, etc. (2) a short, transparent muslin overskirt, with a heavy edging of metal, etc. embroidery. This stands out over the silk skirt. (3) A calico cummerbund. (4) A short-sleeved, velvet jacket. (5) A velvet cap with muslin veil. (6) Brass armlets, necklets, etc. The original dress included a jewelled 'sabre-tache', which is not included in the copy.'
Event Date 1944
Author: ashleigh griffin

Description (Physical description)
Red velvet hat with metal decorations on the top and at the bottom edge and a long muslin veil attached.
Event Date 2/8/2005
Author: ashleigh griffin

Context (Analysis)
Comments by Debanjali Biswas : 'Red velvet cap with conical point and metal appliqué. Veil made of white light cotton thread made on hand or loin loom, reinforced with rice starch. The veil is always white with the associated colour connotations of purity and chastity. Short veil with sequinned band covers the face, the tassels sits on the left side of the dancer's face. The velvet chin strap which is tied over the hat and under the chin is separate. The veil is the last item to be added when dressing and then the dancer becomes a devotee.'

Event Date 17/10/2023
Author: rachel hand

Context (Amendments / updates)
The collector was previously noted as Professor J. H. Hutton. There is no evidence that he was involved in the collection, and indeed the catalogue card notes that the costume was made for Mrs Stella Hutton. Her husband's name has been removed from the source field.
Event Date 2/12/2023
Author: Mark Elliott

Context (Found together / assemblage)
The catalogue card for costume 1944.22 lists six individual elements on the reverse of the card. These are represented by suffixes 1-6 (skirt, overskirt, cummerbund, jacket, cap with veil, and several pieces of jewellery). Two additional unlabelled objects, a crown and a belt, were found stored with the costume in 2005. They are made from similar materials and were assumed to be part of the same costume, subsequently being assigned suffixes 7 and 8. Since the catalogue does itemise the elements of the costume but does not mention these it is unclear whether they belong to the costume or not. Without further evidence or documentation, and since they visually complement the other parts of the costume, the decision has been made to keep them associated with the root idno 1944.22.
Event Date 18/1/2024
Author: ashleigh griffin

Description (Physical description)
Red velvet cap [.1] with embellishments and veil, and a velvet strap for attachment [.2]. Domed cap of dark red velvet lined with red cotton and with a stuffed conical form on top; top is decorated with white cotton diamonds, black velvet, gold trim, silver glass beads, and silver sequins and spiralled wire; bottom of cap has a silver metallic trim with silver glass beads; at the crown is a tassel of crimped metal wire and a veil of netted and starched cotton with a rectangular border of gold trim, sequins and glass beads supported on a strip of canvas.
Event Date 19/1/2024
Author: Katrina Dring