Caroline Siedle

Caroline Siedle was one of the first female designers to gain recognition for her work in the male dominated world of American stage production. She created costume designs for a surprising number of shows in her relatively short career, between the years 1893 and 1907; I’ve found references to at least 80 productions. At a time when it was common for productions to list the companies that built the costumes, rather than the actual designer, she was frequently credited for her work in articles, advertisements and programs. Her work epitomized the look of the stage at the turn of the 20th century, and set a high standard for other designers of the time. 

I was first introduced to the work of Caroline Siedle through another interest, The Wizard of Oz; I have been a collector of the Oz books and ephemera for quite a long time. Among her other accomplishments, Mrs. Siedle designed many costumes for the first Broadway stage production of The Wizard of Oz. 

Some years ago I read Mark Evan Swartz’s book Oz Before the Rainbow, to learn more about the 1903 Broadway version of the story.  I saw several examples of Siedle’s costume drawings for the first time and I was intrigued; when the opportunity arose to actually buy a costume design from that show, I was hooked. In the course of writing my Oz Enthusiast blog I’ve referenced Siedle a number of times, and I thought I'd start this new blog to feature the various Siedle designs I've collected.

Very little remains in terms of original artwork from theater productions of that time period. The elaborate color lithograph posters of the day can provide a good deal of visual information. Stage photos can be found, along with scripts and programs, but in terms of artwork actually used in the creation of a show, examples are few and far between. Consequently, costume designs are a valuable reference – particularly in terms of learning the color schemes envisioned for various scenes and productions. The use of unified color concepts in which costumes and settings worked together and supported each other was a Siedle specialty.

In her obituary, after her untimely death in 1907, the director Julian Mitchell stated he 

“…had long felt guilty whenever complimented upon a production because he knew how great was his debt to Mrs. Siedle. “Her death,” he said “is a calamity to stage people. For my own part, what would we have done without her…”

Portrait of Caroline Siedle used courtesy of the Siedle descendents.