Theatre or Opera Costume Designs. by FRITZMANN, Hugo.

31 watercolour drawings over pencil sketches, each approximately 160 x 100 mm, 27 mounted on card, 4 not mounted, the 27 mounted cards all stamped with the Fritzmann’s name and address in blue and with a later red stamp, the loose cards simply stamped by Fritzmann, the mounted paintings (and two of the loose watercolours) all bear manuscript titles or character names, two of the loose pictures are entirely unmarked, light but uniform toning, preserved in a custom-made slipcase.

A fabulous set of what appear to be designs for opera productions, though they also have been produced for theatre. The set comprises 31 watercolours depicting characters in full costume, including soldiers, sailors, servants and elegant gentlemen as well as seven designs for female characters, notably Carmen and Mercedes, with some flamboyant and very elegant costumes. The later two names suggest a performance of Bizet’s Carmen, while other characters such as Rinaldo might be from Handel’s opera of the same name.