Captain Hector Barbossa, is first seen by the audience as captain of the pirate ship The Black Pearl. It is only as the story of the first movie unfolds that we find out he is actually the first mate of the ship and he betrayed the original captain, one Jack Sparrow, in order to take command. Captain Barbossa is also Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea territory. Superbly played by Geoffrey Rush, Barbossa was a formidable opponent for Johnny Depp’s character in the first film and a splendid partner in third movie.

The costume in the Prop Store collection is from the first movie and was originally purchased from Disney directly. All the components are marked for Rush and are either labelled “hero” or “#1”. The pistol is a film used stunt rubber gun and the distinctive necklace is also a film worn piece. The only replicas here are the striking yellow sash, the belt and the sword these have been added purely to complete the presentation.

The hat, complete with colourful feathers is labelled Geoffrey Rush and has a sewn in blue bandana. It is made from suede and dyed black. The red, green and gold waistcoat is elaborately finished and covers a plain white cotton shirt. The most conspicuous element of the costume is the long frock coat which is finished in a green silver colour with countless black dots embroidered throughout. The sleeves end in large convoluted cuffs and elegant brass buttons.

The ensemble was designed by academy award winner Penny Rose and is in remarkable condition. It is displayed on a custom mannequin in a “captain like” pose and wooden deck effect base. He stands here at the Prop Store offices alongside Captain Jack Sparrow and they argue constantly!