Motley, pseud.

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Motley is the corporate name of Sophia and Margaret Harris (sisters) and their friend Elizabeth Montgomery Wilmot, who designed sets and costumes from 1932 to 1976 for plays by Shakespeare and modern classics, opera, ballet, and motion pictures. Their designs were used in productions in the West End of London, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the English National Opera, and in the United States on Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

From the description of Motley records 1932-1976. (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign). WorldCat record id: 369463739

Motley is the corporate name of sisters Margaret Harris (1904-2000) and Sophie Harris (1900-1966), and Elizabeth Montgomery Wilmot (1902-1993), who designed sets and costumes for theatre, opera, ballet and motion pictures from 1932 to 1976 in England and the United States.

Their first designs, for London productions by John Gielgud and Michel Saint-Denis, were very successful, and in 1936 Saint-Denis founded The London Theatre Studio (1936-1939), a radical new theatre school which incorporated courses in theatre design taught by the Motleys. In 1940, Margaret Harris and Elizabeth Montgomery went to New York and remained there until the end of World War II, designing for numerous productions on Broadway. In 1946, Margaret Harris returned to London, while Elizabeth stayed, married the writer and journalist Patrick Wilmot (1904-1960), and continued to design for plays, musicals, operas, and ballets in New York until 1966.

From the description of Motley costume designs, 1936-1965. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 776603619

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Motley, pseud. Motley costume designs, 1936-1965. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Motley, pseud. Motley records 1932-1976. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Berlin, Irving, 1888-1989. person
associatedWith De Mille, Agnes. person
associatedWith Devine, Sophie, 1901- person
associatedWith Gielgud, John, 1904-2000. person
associatedWith Harris, Margaret, 1904- person
associatedWith Holbrook, Hal. person
associatedWith Leighton, Margaret, 1922-1976. person
associatedWith Loewe, Frederick, 1901-1988. person
associatedWith Montgomery, Elizabeth, 1902- person
associatedWith Motley Theatre and Costume Arts Collection (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) corporateBody
associatedWith Plowright, Joan. person
associatedWith Pockriss, Lee. person
associatedWith Rain, Douglas. person
associatedWith Redgrave, Lynn, 1943-2010. person
associatedWith Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. person
associatedWith Smith, Maggie, 1934- person
associatedWith Taylor, Elizabeth, 1932-2011 person
associatedWith Thorne, Angela, 1939- person
associatedWith University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rare Book & Manuscript Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Ustinov, Peter. person
associatedWith Walker, Zena, 1934-2003. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
United States
Great Britain
Subject
Costume design
Theaters
Occupation
Activity

Person

Active 1936

Active 1965

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