Coat

Fur lined coat, beaver with sealskin collar worn by the donor's husband, the late Vaslav Nijinsky, star of the Imperial Russian Ballet, on his departure from Russia in 1911 and continually used until his death in London in 1950.

The lining is original; the woollen outer was remade in London by Davies and Sons in 1956. Madame Nijinsky's note says that Nijinksy wore it in England during all the winters he spent there: 'My husband loved the British public, which was always kind to him and we were grateful for the hospitality the British Nation gave us.' She also asserts that only two of Nijinksky's original costume were preserved, owing to the wars and Russian revolution. Either she had no knowledge of the surviving Ballets Russes costumes or chose to ignore them.

The accompanying note of certification from Mrs Nijinksy asserts that Nijinsky was a Russian dancer, 'Member of the Marinsky Theater [sic], St Petersburg, Soloist of His Majesty Nicolas II, Emperor of Russia, and star of the Imperial Ballet'. The highly significant omission is the Ballets Russes, where Nijinsky gained his worldwide, legendary reputation working as premier danceur and choreographer with his sometime lover Sergei Diaghilev. The dancer's controversial marriage to Romola de Pulszky ended both personal and professional relationships.

Nijinsky had a nervous breakdown in 1919, and his career effectively ended. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and taken to Switzerland by his wife, where he was treated unsuccessfully by psychiatrist Eugene Bleuler. He spent the rest of his life in and out of psychiatric hospitals and asylums. Nijinsky died in a London clinic on April 8, 1950 and was buried in London until 1953 when his body was moved to Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris, France