Item HT 32678 Costume - Duncan Carlton, `The Mystery of A Hansom Cab', Burberry Entertainment, 2012

Summary

Image courtesy of Burberry Entertainment / ABC / Film Victoria

Custom made late 19th Century style men's costume used in the production of `The Mystery of a Hansom Cab' telemovie, filmed in Melbourne in 2012 by local production company Burberry Entertainment.

It was worn by Australian actor Marco Chiappi, who played the role of Duncan Carlton, and designed by costume designer Wendy Cork, with costume supervisor Christiana Plitzco. The clothing was tailor made in Melbourne and the head wear was made in Sydney.

The film is based on the book of the same name, self published in 1886 by its author Fergus Hume. It was produced by Margot McDonald and directed by Shawn Seet, with executive producer Ewan Burnett.

Televised on the ABC in October 2012.

Physical Description

The costume set consists of fifteen pieces. Various combinations were worn to create several costumes. The costume includes: a black woolen overcoat; two patterned waistcoats - one in stripped grey velvet and one in navy blue and maroon; two pairs of grey wool trousers, one pair have brown stripes; white cotton dress shirt with removable collar and collar studs; pair of gold cuff links; two cravats - one crimson and one maroon; two hats - a dark grey felt bowler and a black wool felt top hat; and a pair of men's black leather lace-up boots.

Significance

`The Mystery of a Hansom Cab' collection, of which this object is a part, is an important addition to the current collection, as it succinctly documents one local television production, through artefacts and documentation. It represents the thousands of hours of television that have been filmed in Melbourne since its introduction in 1956. It is also a great representation of how the city's history has been portrayed on screen.

It represents literary Melbourne, as a screen adaptation of one of our most iconic and successful 19th Century books; a book which uses the city, its streets and its buildings as one of its characters.

The handmade costumes, the majority of which were made in Melbourne, represent the output of the city's bespoke tailors and clothing manufacturers, a small number which still exist today.