A Latticework Gown

This drawing by Caroline Siedle is for a costume from an unknown production. The dress features ribbon latticework, a decorative element that is seen in various other Siedle designs; bodice, skirt and sleeves are all created using this technique, resulting in a net of ribbon over the entire figure. At first glance this appears to be a modest gown, but on closer inspection one realizes this isn’t the case; this lovely design might fool the unsuspecting viewer.

Siedle was no stranger to the idea of costumes that revealed the figure, and was well familiar with the need to provide more visual thrills to the tired businessmen in the audience. In this case, the skirt is slit on both sides from hem to waist, giving ample opportunity to view the wearer's legs as she moved about the stage. On the back of the board, Siedle instructs that the gown is to have no petticoat, instead there should be flesh colored tights and lavender stockings. The neckline of the gown is cut quite low underneath the mesh of ribbon, creating an overall sense of a game of peekaboo. 

The drawing is done in tones of lavender and white, with silver gilt highlights on the intersections of the latticework. It appears that Siedle originally considered including a low hanging heart necklace/pendant as part of the ensemble, as it can be seen sketched in pencil below the waist, but she apparently decided against the idea.

Unfortunately this drawing has been trimmed into an oval shape. While this hasn’t damaged the lovely image, it does remove any possible notes written in the corners, which might have helped identify the intended character or performer. Of course it is possible there were no useful notes, as frequently happens on Siedle designs. The drawing does have a long description on the back concerning construction details of the dress, written in Siedle's characteristically difficult to read handwriting - several words are either illegible or missing:

Satin dress cut extremely fashionably. 

The white satin ribbon forms lattice & is fastened where crossed with ornament & ends in points all over skirt & from the point is a full accordion pleated deep flounce. 

The skirt is cut up on either side of front & is fastened at top with three of the buttons & cord which runs all down the sides. 

Skirt is lined in white satin - Ruffle of transparent goods at bottom edge.

Lavender satin ribbons, no petticoat but flesh color at top of tights to waist & lavender stockings and shoes.

Underwaist of lavender is cut low - the sleeves have no lining if can be made without. 

Toque tam’o shanter of white satin with gathered satin ribbon in rings shaded violet - good white feather.

Shoulders bare - White net short drawers & also at sides - garters of white satin. 

Chorus Ladies - Lambs

Themed choruses were certainly popular in Caroline Siedle’s day. Chorus girls dressed as flowers, fruit, insects, animals, abstract concepts, anything and everything were all to be found on the New York stages.

In this case, we have lambs. The lamb’s head bonnets make this clear, along with the fleecy collars and trim on the skirt and long gloves, not to mention the tails hanging off the muff. This design has the simple notation of “Lambs - Chorus Ladies” and nothing else to identify where it was used. I’m tempted again to place it in a Weber & Fields show, or perhaps from the Casino Theatre, as the revue-style productions they produced could easily lend themselves to these fanciful kinds of design.

Another fun possibility, though with nothing to back it up, is Babes in Toyland. In the first act the Piper children sing to Bo-Peep to console her about her lost sheep, and the song includes a chorus with bleating sheep. It’s amusing to think that there may have been chorus ladies in these costumes portraying the sheep! Admittedly, it’s not a very likely theory.

 An interesting point on costume manufacturing at this time was the tendency to have costumes made in Europe. They were cheaper to manufacture, and with the quantity of dresses and other garments needed for a large cast, the savings could add up. However, there was a 60% tariff on clothing imported into the USA, so the enterprising theater managers would have the costumes cut and loosely basted together, not finished. That way they could be imported as fabric rather than garments and finished here, saving a good deal of money!

Babes in Toyland - 1903 Grumio

A final Caroline Siedle piece from Babes in Toyland is this costume design for Grumio, an assistant to the Master Toymaker. This is an elegant outfit, most likely from the third act of the production.

With striped coat, floral waistcoat and lace, ribbons and bows in tones of light blue and turquoise, you'd never guess this was a lowly assistant. Siedle has given him all the trappings of a dandy, a contrast to the outfit he wears in the Toymaker’s shop. In the third act he’s supposed to be disguised as a valet, which could account for his finery; valets like to be well dressed! This pairs well with Jill’s green dress, as the two characters are fleeing Toyland together.

Grumio was played by Charles Guyer, the husband of Nellie Daly, who played Jill. The pair created a hit in the show with their “knockabout dance” in which they destroy much of the Toymaker’s workroom. The color advertisement shown gives a sense of the action; we see Grumio wearing his workshop costume spinning Jill, wearing her Act 1 dress. But in the later publicity photo shown below, Grumio (Walter Schrode) is still dressed for the workroom, while Jill (Maud Campbell) is in her fancy outfit. Identifying what costume was used where can be very confusing!

Babes in Toyland - 1903 Jill

One of the comical characters in Babes in Toyland was Jill, from the nursery rhyme Jack & Jill. She and her brother Jack were both members of the Piper family, along with Red Riding Hood, Bo-Peep, Tommy Tucker, etc., but Jill played a larger part in the plot of the show than most of her siblings. 

This is her first act costume, presenting her as a tomboyish character. Caroline Siedle makes use of bold stripes again, in the flaring skirt of brown and white. The golden tan apron and yellow bows on the braids tie in to the same warm color scheme as Jane, Alan and Floretta. A costume sketch in the collection of the New York Public Library shows a first act design for Contrary Mary, wearing what I think of as her running away dress. It shows a sage green and yellow striped skirt with a green overdress and red cape, with accents in gold & red. These costumes would all work together and compliment each other very nicely, particularly in a warm autumnal setting.

It’s interesting to note that the gold accents in Jill’s design have a very noticeable blue undertone; it almost looks as though Siedle may have originally intended them to be blue, and then changed to gold as the color concept came together. There are a number of indications of changes made when this sketch was drawn, like the profile of the skirt and positioning of the arms.

Notes on the back say "Miss Daly" and "Sketch No. 24". Jill was played by Nellie Daly, who was an acrobatic dancer and performed in vaudeville together with her husband, Charles Guyer. He portrayed her love interest, Grumio, in the show. 

 

There's a rather indecipherable note saying "with(?) trimmed velvet ribbon treated(?) after with patina(?) & tears", and a sketch of a bonnet with "full ruffle edge with white lace" and "blue lace white lace". At the bottom is a note "brown russet shoe", which refers to Jill’s shoes for this costume. It's hard to say who the bonnet was for; it certainly doesn’t seem to be intended for this outfit!

Later in the show, Jill has a different outfit consisting of a large green dress and fancy bonnet. This is a sharp contrast to her previous costume, with a tightly cinched waist and full ruffled skirt; I’m not entirely sure if it was used in Act 2, or 3, or possibly both. The third act seems to have been predominantly green and blue tones; Jill is trying to escape Toyland disguised as a lady’s maid, so it seems as though this dress may be a fit for that scenario.

The back of this board also has a sketch for a bonnet, but it’s easily identified as the bonnet worn with this dress. This time there are no notes, other than “Miss Daly”and “Sketch no 44”.

The rather poor newspaper photo on the right shows another actress, Maud Campbell, playing the role at a later date and wearing this costume.