The National Trust has announced that a Victorian dress decorated with 1,000 real beetle wings is set to go back on display following 1,300 hours of painstaking conservation.

A stage costume worn by Ellen Terry, one of the most celebrated and glamorous actresses of the Victorian age, has returned to her home, Smallhythe Place in Kent, cared for by the National Trust.

The emerald and sea green gown, covered with the iridescent wings of the jewel beetle (which the beetles shed naturally) was worn by Ellen when she wowed audiences with her portrayal of Lady Macbeth at London’s Lyceum Theatre in 1888.

It was one of the most iconic and celebrated theatre costumes of the time, immortalised by the John Singer Sargent portrait now on display at the Tate Gallery.

Known as the Queen of the Theatre, Ellen was mobbed by fans wherever she went. She played opposite Sir Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre for over 20 years and was famed for her portrayal of Shakespearean heroines.

As one of the most important items in the National Trust’s collections, the Beetle Wing dress was on the priority list to be conserved.

At over 120 years old, the dress had seen many years of wear and tear and was subject to much alteration. It was structurally very weak and a shadow of its original self. Two years ago the intricate process of conserving it began. A successful fundraising campaign raised £50,000 for the work to be completed.

Paul Meredith, house manager at Smallhythe Place, said: “We had collected the beetle wings that had fallen off over the years so that the conservator was able to re-attach many of the originals, plus others that had been donated to us - 1,000 in total.

Via EPR Network
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