British Pathe

Chelsea, London.

L/S of a domestic interior decorated to represent a Victorian drawing room. A glamour girl reclines on the floor listening to a gramophone (would they have sprawled on the floor in Victorian days?!). A cat sits licking its paws beside her. The famous fashion artist Ruth Sheradski...

Chelsea, London.

L/S of a domestic interior decorated to represent a Victorian drawing room. A glamour girl reclines on the floor listening to a gramophone (would they have sprawled on the floor in Victorian days?!). A cat sits licking its paws beside her. The famous fashion artist Ruth Sheradski (sp?) enters the set and adjusts the model's nightie and the horn of the gramophone. M/S of the artist perched on a chair with palettes of paint beside her, she paints C/U of her looking towards the camera. C/U of her painting. High angle shot showing the artist and her work.

LS of the model striking another pose. She stands up and walks towards a sofa where another model sits. She takes off her dressing gown (narrator calls this a negligee) to reveal a night-dress underneath - both are trimmed with broderie anglaise. Narrator mentions the fact that these fashions are made from British Cotton. C/U of the other model who wears a night-dress with candy green stripes.

C/U of a hideous pair of feet - yeuch! Model has bright red toenails and narrator states that "Painting her toenails is something that Grandma would never dream of doing" but compares the night-dresses we see to the ones of Victorian times. C/U of blonde model posing in a green night attire with puffed sleeves. Camera tilts down - the cat is on her lap - to reveal laced edged calf length pantaloons (!). L/S of the model in green. L/S of model posing in a red night-dress trimmed with white lace. Ruth is sitting in front painting the scene. Ruth approaches the model and helps her to lift the skirt of the night-dress to show her matching bloomers. The model holds the night-dress up. Ruth sits down - her face suggests she approves of the new pose. C/U of her painting. C/U of the lace trimmed panties. C/U of face of model, camera tilts down to show the nightie.

High angle shot of model entering a bedroom - the furniture is Victorian and she wears a Victorian style night-gown with polka dots. She crouches down in front of a mirror. Low angle shot of her combing her hair then high angle shot to show her face reflected in a mirror as she primps and preens. Narrator ends by saying: "After this success perhaps men's nightwear fashions too might turn to old-fashioned styles". Funny end shot of a man dressed in long night-gown and white hat with a red pom-pom on the end. He has a big false beard - a Victorian gentleman presumably. He is sitting on the stairs with his head in his hands looking tired - presumably waiting for his wife to finish combing her hair!

Note: narrator states that this story is shot in the artist's studio - seems unlikely.

Models are listed in the paperwork as being: Ann Whitelaw, Alexia Stephens, Hilda Moray and Mary Mudford. There is also a magazine article in documentation file about these nighties.

See separate explanation record CP 001: 'International Pictorials'.