The Wizard of Oz - 1903

The Wizard of Oz, based on L. Frank Baum’s popular children’s book from 1900, premiered onstage in Chicago in the summer of 1902. The show was an instant success and consequently was brought to Broadway in January of 1903 for a hugely successful run. For more in-depth information on how the show was created and evolved, be sure to visit the Vintage Broadway blog by David Maxine.

W. W. Denslow, the illustrator of the original book, received credit for costume design; but according to Mark Evan Swartz, in Oz Before the Rainbow, the Chicago costumes were designed by Will R. Barnes. Since I first wrote this entry, I’ve learned more from David Maxine: 

“Denslow designed almost all of the main character costumes, and some of the eccentric chorus stuff, too, working directly with the costume shop in New York. Barnes did the bulk of the chorus costumes. The confusion arose due to Denslow’s name being inadvertently omitted from the earliest programs - later corrected after Denslow finally got to Chicago to see the show and spotted the omission.”

When the show moved to New York, the costumes received an overhaul. Caroline Siedle redesigned much of the chorus, as well as the female principals, while Denslow did additional work on the male principals. The program now read: 

"The Fancy Costumes designed by MRS. EDWARD SIEDLE, and the Character Costumes by W. W. Denslow (illustrator of the book)…” 

It was not uncommon for more than one designer to be involved in outfitting a production. The description of “fancy costumes” certainly accounted for a great number of costumes in the show; no designs by Mrs. Siedle have turned up for the costumes of the leading men, so it does seem likely that these were Denslow's work. The Shubert Archive houses a selection of drawings for the show by Siedle.

 

In the program, Caroline's husband Edward is listed for his work with the props (he was also responsible for the Cowardly Lion's head) along with Charles Joseph for poppy hats, Hepner & Co for wigs, Alston for shoes, etc. Credit is given to Mrs. E. Castel-Bert for costume construction; Castel-Bert was another studio, like Dazian, that did their own design work as well as building costumes for other productions. So in this case, credit was given to both the designer and the builder of the costumes.

This is the costume design that originally fueled my interest in Caroline Siedle. For unknown reasons, the bottom of this particular drawing has been trimmed by about 1.5", removing Siedle’s signature as well as any titling or notes. Perhaps it was damaged; as these are working drawings, it's not uncommon to find scars from the passage of time. Over her career, Siedle’s designs are consistently sized at 9” by 12”, drawn on thin illustration board of a grey/tan color.

 This costume was designed for the Cooks in Act 3, part of a chorus of Cooks, Waitresses and Laundresses. The color scheme of the third act was predominately shades of lavender, so clearly this outfit in lavender and white would fit in nicely. Siedle could be quite whimsical in her designs, with the hat full of spoons and forks and the kettle on the bodice. The graphic quality of the striped apron, collar and trim would be most eyecatching on stage. The shorts were originally sketched to reach to the knee, but were shortened in the finished drawing. 

On the back of the board is a list of eight chorus ladies who would play cooks, along with a list of measurements for each. As can be seen in this excerpt from a July, 1903 program, these same women were all still performing in the show at that date. Each cook was given a name, though the characters were never established enough to truly need names!

 

Among the actresses listed is Lola Gordon, who played Pungue de Sert. Here she is, wearing her Cook costume, along with a signed photo taken during her time in The Wizard of Oz. As can be seen, the final costume was quite faithful to the original drawing!