Primitive Mysteries (1931): Martha Graham

Photograph of Martha Graham in Primitive Mysteries (1931).

"The costume Martha created for herself for Primitive Mysteries was a masterpiece of simplicity. I was alone with her in the studio when she made it. First she took one large section of heavy, stiff white organdy and cut it into two equal squares. I rather think she had been treasuring this organdy for quite some time. She placed a corner of one of the large squares between her breasts, and pinned it to her leotard. As it fell down in a diamond shape toward the floor, she made a decision about how long she wanted this dress to be. I placed a safety pin to mark the length, near her ankles. She unpinned the corner attached to her leotard, and placed that large square of white organdy on the floor. While I firmly held the point still, she carefully folded the organdy, first in half, then quarters, then eighths, thus pleating the fabric like a fan that when folded closed was four or five inches across. With a large pair of shears, she quite simply cut a curve across the lower corner where it had been marked for the length. We unfolded the organdy, and again pinned the top corner at a point between her breasts, anchoring the fabric to her brassiere. We did the same thing with the other square, this time pinning it to the back of her leotard. We put two large safety pins down the side seams to close the skirt around. Martha reached down to the floor and picked up the two curved triangular remnants that she had cut from the squares. She placed one triangle on her shoulder, and moved it around until she was able to create a sleeve and something covering her breast, then did the same on the other side. We pinned the pieces in place, and in almost no time at all, it was basted together. Her costume was complete and was never changed." – Dorothy Bird

Premiere of Primitive Mysteries: February 2, 1931 – The Craig Theatre, New York City
Choreography by Martha Graham
Costumes by Martha Graham
Music by Louis Horst

Photograph by Ed Moeller