Showtown purchases Sir Norman Wisdom’s ‘Gump’ suit.
Sir Norman Wisdom's suit which was part of the iconography of his 'Gump' persona in the 1950s to 1980s has been purchased by Showtown thanks to the kind support from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.
Sir Norman Wisdom was a significant figure in entertainment from the 1940s to the 1980s and he performed many times in Blackpool.
This particular suit was produced in June 1956 by W. Snape & Son, Wolverhampton and would have been used during his many performances from the 1950s through to the 1980s.
Caroline Hall, Curatorial and Collections manager at Showtown said:
“We are delighted to be able to add this significant costume to our collection, thanks to the generous support that we have received. Wisdom was a skilled performer incorporating physical humour, tumbling and mime and perfecting the foolish persona through physical comedy. His work has gone on to inform a number of other comics.
We feel that the suit will give us opportunities to help tell the story of entertainment in Blackpool and beyond”.