The costumes for Paoletta were designed by Australian-born Will R. Barnes (ca. 1864-1939), who immigrated to the United States around the turn of the 20th century and set up shop in New York City. Barnes, a landscape artist, designed costumes for other stage works, notably Tapu, a Maori opera by Alfred Hill, produced in Wellington, New Zealand in 1903; and the 1911 musical The Wizard of Oz (Boston). The costumes for Paoletta were lavish and show Barnes true love for watercolor landscapes as can be seen in the backdrops for the costume drawings. In the collection, there are a total of 124 costume drawings. Below is a selection of the costumes for the lead roles as well as a sampling of the more striking costume designs for other roles.

 

[envira-gallery slug=”costumes”]