Unknown

Here’s an intriguing design by Siedle that provides absolutely no information. Nothing is written at the bottom, or on the back of the board. So, guesses are all that can be made!

The costume appears to be lingerie or a very scant dress with rolled stockings, in white with blue-gray accents. The outfit includes what looks like a lace train and a short cape, and there is an oversize ribbon bow in the hair which attaches to the two staffs held by the character. Perhaps this is an avant-garde bride? Whether as a single, or in a group, this would catch the eye.

With nothing solid for basing an opinion, I’m guessing this may have been for another Weber & Fields show. They were famous for their “beauty choruses”, and this looks like it could easily fit right in. The Casino Theater was also known for its sparsely clad chorines, so it’s equally possible that it was intended for use there. Or for that matter, any of the various productions of the time period that delighted in presenting pulchritudinous femininity. 

One show from 1901, The Liberty Belles, was noted for opening with a scene in a girl’s dormitory showing women in various states of undress indulging in a pillow fight. However, this particular design really doesn’t match up to the clothing in this photo from the scene, from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York.

This drawing also provides an excellent example of the incongruous use of the Metropolitan Opera Company rubber stamp. I doubt that this costume was ever intended for that auspicious hall!

The Belle of Bohemia - 1900

The Belle of Bohemia was another show presented at the Casino Theatre, in 1900. Once again, Caroline Siedle designed the costumes. The story dealt with the mishaps of a pair of remarkably similar looking men, one a Coney Island photographer and the other a prosperous brewer, played by the brothers Sam and Dick Bernard.

I’ve been unable to definitely attribute these two drawings to this show, but I think it’s a strong possibility. The character name at the bottom of the board is Muggins, and there are a Signor and Mrs. Muggins in the list of characters from the production.

This first costume shows Muggins as a chimney sweep, dressed all in black with Caroline Siedle’s notation “Muggins as Chimney Sweep - Act 1”. The stubbly beard and reddened nose hints at a clownish character, but I’ve never read the script and have no idea how he might fit into the story! The rear of the board is blank, but Muggins was played by James Furey, who was also a stage manager at the Casino.

This second design is labeled “Muggins 2nd dress Act 1”, and shows the same character relaxing in a rather gaudy dressing gown and cap, smoking a cigar. The humorous contrast of the scruffy character and the florid gown works well as a visual joke.

A reviewer noted that the costumes for this production were “distinctly not up to the Casino average”. I think that’s the only negative criticism I’ve run across for Mme. Siedle’s work! Still, the show was a moderate success, and a production was presented in England the following year.

Broadway to Tokio - 1900

It's always a good feeling to find proof of a hunch when you’re trying to identify what production used a particular costume design. Fortunately this Caroline Siedle drawing provided a fair amount of information to work with, even though no specific show is indicated. The costume itself may not be one of her more exciting designs, but the strong polka dot pattern is lively, and it would be striking onstage; especially repeated seven times!

At the bottom is written "Wives of Mr Jay Mormon in Long Acre Square scene". There's also a notation of "seven" and "green", showing the quantity of costumes and color. On the back "Act 1 scene 2 Pullman car" is written, as well as a note for "Goodyear gloves 6 1/4". Goodyear gloves were an early brand of India rubber gloves, considered hygienic and sturdy.

So the search began, wading through newspaper reviews of shows known to be costumed by Siedle, looking for any connection to these details. And, the 1900 production Broadway to Tokio, at the New York Theatre, fit the bill! 

The show was billed as a "spectacular phantasy". The basic plot concerns the mummy of Cleopatra awakening in her sarcophagus in New York to discover her heart is missing, and traveling across the country and the sea to find it. 

 It was a loosely plotted entertainment that had frequent additions and special features added, and also boasted the most elaborate use of stage electricity to date. Fay Templeton starred as Cleopatra and the show was a hit. Reviews called out the various scenes, including settings in both a Pullman car and Long Acre Square, (better known today as Times Square). After closing in New York the show toured, and there was this note in the July 14th, 1900 Blackfoot News:

"Joe Ott gives an admirable bit of comedy work as Salter Lake, the seven-wived Mormon. His medley, made up of parts of tunes and songs that everybody knows, is a convulsing conceit."

Apparently the name of the character had changed from Jay Mormon, if that ever was the real name. Changes of this sort often happen in the preparation of a show, and much of Caroline Siedle’s job would take place in the early stages of pulling a production together, with alterations occurring later in the process.

So, everything was falling into place. Then the clincher came in a newspaper photo published in The World, January 24th 1900 - very badly reproduced -  showing the wives in this costume!  It's always gratifying to find actual photographic proof of a theory.

Chorus Gents - Waiter

Here’s a chorus gentlemen who may easily have been designed by Caroline Siedle for the same show as the last chorus gent I posted, the Saloon Keeper. At any rate both are wearing the same red-striped trousers! It's been suggested that this might have been drawn for The Monks of Malabar, a 1900 production which was set in India, but so far I've been unable to confirm that.

An inscription at the bottom of the board identifies this as "Waiter Act 2 Chorus Gent". On the back of the board is an obscure little note reading "No. 34 Niles" along with a slight partial sketch of something, perhaps the waistline of this or another piece.

Niles may possibly be the name of the chorus gent in question who was to play the waiter, but it's really not enough for identifying the use of this design. It's a striking costume, with the exaggerated pointed epaulets on the shoulders and the large buttons down the front of the jacket. The pointed cuffs of the sleeves and turned up toes of the slippers also lend an exotic tone to this gentleman, and the row of pearls lining the vest together with the crisp red & white color scheme give this waiter an elegant finish. It would have been a stylish cafe, or restaurant!

The poses and expressions chosen by Siedle for the characters in her designs often provide an extra spark of animation. This gives a sense of personality to the images, as opposed to a generic mannequin showing a costume. While the figures don’t necessarily resemble the actors portraying the roles, they do provide a lively sense of performance!

Chorus Gents - Saloon Keeper

Here's another design by Caroline Siedle for a gentleman of the chorus. Once again the show is unidentified, but it appears we find ourselves in another exotic locale, perhaps Egypt or maybe Morocco? 

The sketch is titled: "Saloon Keeper. Prisoner Act 1 Chorus gent". He looks like a prosperous saloon keeper, judging by the glittering rings on his fingers and pearls on his chest, wearing an elaborate costume in a color scheme of grey, red and white. But he is certainly bound and chained, wrists and ankles, in rather massive restraints!  

On the left, a blot of color obscures part of his foot lending a sense of working under pressure. Siedle would sometimes design well over 100 costumes for a show, and claimed she could design an entire production in 3 weeks time - although a month would be better!

The back of this drawing reveals a little more information. This was sketch no. 117 costume no. 40, for Mr. D. Walsh, with instructions for 1 dupe as per sketch & color. Unfortunately I’ve had no luck in tracing Mr. D. Walsh. Siedle often made notes stating that the finished costume was to match the colors of the design; an understandable request, since entire scenes were planned around specific color schemes.

Chorus Ladies - Chair Girls

Here’s a lovely design for the chorus, with the description “Chair girls - Chorus Ladies”. Caroline Siedle has chosen soft shades of lavender and pinky-purple, with multiple ruffled layers on the skirt, creating a frothy design that would move well for dancers. I haven’t found what specific show this was for, but on the reverse is the notation “Lew Fields Co.”. This helps narrow down the possibilities.

Lew Fields was part of the famous vaudeville duo Weber and Fields. Together with Joe Weber, the comedy double-act performed for years with their popular “Dutch act”, playing a pair of German immigrants.  

 

In 1896 the pair opened their own music hall, showcasing many of the leading talents of the day, and often featuring costumes by Caroline Siedle. In 1904 the pair separated and Weber took over the music hall on his own, teaming up with Florenz Ziegfeld. Fields joined Hamlin & Mitchell and Sam Shubert and went on to produce other musicals at his own theater, starting with It Happened in Nordland. 

Since this drawing only mentions Mr. Fields company, it seems likely that this piece dates sometime after 1904. Then again, perhaps Siedle worked more directly with Fields than Weber which would make this more difficult to date.

This photo, from the Museum of the City of New York, is from Whoop-Dee-Do, produced in 1903 by Weber & Fields and costumed by Siedle, and shows what I think might be a similar set of "chair girls". This doesn’t seem to be the production the drawing was intended for, as the dresses in this photo definitely do not appear to be based on this design. Perhaps there were additional girls in an alternate dress design? Or maybe this concept was used in more than one production? After all this time, it’s difficult to say!

Chorus Gents - Musician

Exoticism was popular on the stage at the turn of the 20th century, with many shows enjoying far flung settings - Asia, Egypt, South Pacific islands, Mexico, Spain, etc. Locales such as these gave Caroline Siedle a lot of play in her designing.

The costumes of the chorus were an important part of emphasizing the unusual locations. While Siedle's chorus girl designs are often quite elaborate, her work for the gentlemen of the chorus could be just as memorable.

For example, here we have a drawing labeled "Musician with tom tom. Chorus gent act 1". I do not know what show this was meant for, but on the back we find that this is “Sketch #37 for Act 1, 4 chorus gents musicians”. Also, “Nos. 27 Mr Herman 28 Mr Arling 2 dupes as per sketch and color”. This leads me to believe there were 4 musicians, but possibly only 2 of them were tom-tom players wearing this design, while the others had other instruments and perhaps different costumes. Of course this is just speculation on my part - I have no other information to work with, and I’ve had no luck tracing Mr. Herman or Mr. Arling. 

At any rate, Siedle has come up with a striking outfit and colorful hat for her tom-tom players! The polka dot pattern and striped accents on the tunic, along with the bold plaid of the hat, are very eye-catching. Her love of asymmetry can be seen in the unusual neckline, dropping down into a slit on the right to reveal a little more skin.