Carnival Queen costume

This carnival queen dress was won by a Miss Muriel Danckwardt who was crowned 'Miss Plymouth' in 1933. From the black and white portrait we have of her we know that she would have worn a matching headpiece. The dress, which is in a remarkable condition, was also accompanied by a long emerald green velvet cloak.

The dress is a waterfall of silky fabric and is most likely made of rayon. In the early 1900s, designers were experimenting with a number of newly available synthetic fabrics. Rayon was one of the first of these to be developed - as early as the 1850s - to imitate silk.

The design of the dress takes its cue from the medieval era with large, puffed sleeves that taper to a delicate point on the hand. The collar would have been a standout feature and is strengthened with an inner card that was curved at the points. Two shields of Plymouth are stitched on either side.

In addition, not one, not two, but three large hand-painted coats of arms decorate the front of the gown. You may recognise them with a lion on each side and Plymouth’s motto, ‘Turris Fortissima est Nomen Jehova’, underneath.

We know from a newspaper clipping that Miss Plymouth wore the dress that year to other cities where carnival royalty took part in ceremonial processions. With so many crests, there would have been no doubt in anyone’s minds about the pride of Plymouth!

Local firms were invited to submit designs for the dress. Sadly, there are no labels or marks on the inside so we don’t know who made it. Perhaps it was Dingles where we know she worked?

A year after she was crowned Miss Plymouth Muriel went on to become Miss Devon. She gifted this dress, along with photographs of her, to the city’s permanent collections in 1989.

Take a look at Carnivalesque in the Far South West in the Active Archives gallery - on display until 23 March 2025.

Thanks to Terah Walkup, art curator