Harlequinade - Harlequinade Costume

Harlequinade Costume

The costumes consisted of the following:

• Originally, a black mask, which allowed the actor to lift it and reveal himself sometimes. Other times it is lowered to keep the actor from the audience's view. It has tiny eyeholes and quizzically arched eyebrows. Later, some characters wore whiteface, and the British pantomime characters originally wore masks that they then removed for the transformation to the harlequinade.
• Traditional diamond chequered trousers (usually alternating blue, green, and red diamonds)
• Peasant's shirt
• Batte, or slapstick (carried by Harlequin)