Jeannetta Cochrane

Jeannetta Cochrane was a student at the Polytechnic School of Art where she developed an interest in historic costume. Cochrane taught dress design at the Central School from 1914 and became Head of the School of Costume in 1930 where she worked until her sudden death in 1957. She was a pioneering teacher whose interest in historical fashion stemmed from a desire to see greater historical accuracy in theatrical costume design. In the 1920s she was responsible for the Craft Studio at Heals. She founded Sheridan House, a theatrical costume business, which she ran alongside her post at the Central School. As well as designing for many London theatre producions she also designed costumes for masques in Regents Park. Always keen to help students, she used her many contacts to help them find work in the theatre and it was her belief that students would benefit from working on actual productions that led to her proposing the building of a professionally equipped theatre with adjoining workshops, costume cutting rooms and design studios. A theatre named after her was opened in 1964 although sadly she did not live to see it.

Work by Cochrane was donated to the Museum Collection in 2002.