Iconic Designs

Alexandre Benois (1870-1960). Petrouchka, Scene design, 1957. Watercolor, ink, and pencil. f MS Thr 368. Gift of Frederick R. Koch, 1983.

• Complete Image

Scene design by Alexandre Benois for the ballet Petrouchka

In many cases, the original designers of scenes and cos­tumes were again commissioned to recreate their designs for later productions. In this case, Alexandre Benois re-drew his original scenes and costumes for Petrouchka for a production at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, in 1957. The Harvard Theatre Collection holds the entire series of 57 designs for this restaging, com­prising both the scene and costume designs, which to­gether constitute the most complete account of visual source material for Petrouchka.