A showman's silk costume prepared for the 1896 Derby on Epsom Downs. a purple & scarlet jacket, scarlet breeches & cap, and a scarlet cape, the hemlin
£300 - £500
A showman's silk costume prepared for the 1896 Derby on Epsom Downs. a purple & scarlet jacket, scarlet breeches & cap, and a scarlet cape, the hemline with an embroidered band of racehorses & jockeys, the reverse with wirework, 'pearl'. 'jewel' & sequin decoration incorporating Prince of Wales Feathers and a pair of horse shoes above the inscription THE PRINCE'S DERBY, 1896 The Prince of Wales's (to be Edward VII) Persimmon won The Derby in 1896. The middle of Epsom Downs on Derby Day has for a long time been a colourful scene as immortalised by Frith in his painting Derby Day with gypsies, entertainers and vendors of goods and services. A contemporary accounts states he had a kindness for Gypsies; 'to the sound of tambourines the women swirled about in their colourful skirts performing for the King while his friends threw coins from the Grandstand'.