Dolores del Rio

Portrait of Madame du Barry by François-Hubert Drouais, 1770, Museo del Prado

WCW: Madame du Barry

Kendra August 19, 2020

Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (1743-93) gets a LOT of filmic love! This 18th-century...

1949 Little Women

How Contemporary Hairstyles Affect Historical Costume Movies: The 1940s, Part 2

Kendra November 8, 2019

There are lots of movies that aim for a historical aesthetic when it comes...

Orry-Kelly & Olivia de Havilland

Costume Designer Orry-Kelly: The Frock Flicks Guide

Trystan L. Bass April 12, 2018

Orry-Kelly (1897–1964) is one of the classics of old Hollywood — he designed gowns...

Madame du Barry (1934)

TBT: The Missing Madame Du Barry (1934)

Trystan L. Bass February 1, 2018

That’s not the name of the film — but Madame Du Barry from 1934...

1580s, African Slave Woman by Annibale Carracci; 17thc., Dom Miguel de Castro by Albert Eckhout; 1890s American photo

Race and Roles in Historical Costume Dramas

Trystan L. Bass April 6, 2017

In an interview with the Sunday Times, actress Thandie Newton commented on the limited roles...

Orphans of the Storm (1921)

How Contemporary Hairstyles Affect Historical Costume Movies: The 1920s

Kendra November 17, 2015

There are lots of movies that aim for a historical aesthetic when it comes...