Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-21
Outfits for Kings.
The Trade i'm Old Wardrobes, fer I'll
Professional and Amateur Stage.


| From the New York sun.l
In its outward aspect the shop was pic
ture of pathetic dilapidation. The purple
cotton velvet frock of former Romeo hung
limp upon T-shapcd stand beside the door
and waved its srmless sleeves in the dust-laden
wind of the street. just above it there de-
pended from an awning hook tawdry dress,
with an adjustable train, sadly bedraggled,
but still recognizable as the conventional
robe of the Queen in Hamlet" The dust
stained windows revealed warlike wooden
weapons, backed by other worn out garments
of the stage. all slashed with wounds which
daggers never made.
As reporter entered, the proprietor was
sitting over heap of buskins. He was tax
ing them up separately, testing their sound
ness by various bends and jerks and weigh
ing up their condition He tied together a
pair of ancient dancing clogs with bit of
string. chaIked an unknown hieroglyphic up
on the sole of one of them, and slupg the
pair into heap of similar wrecks in leather
in far of corner.
''Oh, yes," he said. s'I manage to get rid
of them all sooner or later. Sometimes a
man will come in and sweep out big pile of
stock for a country company. People will
buy ANYTHING In this line as long as IL will
Z
show CATERS, like these for instance will cost,
made to order. from $15 to $18. These
measure twelve inches from sole to top, have
white kid heels and pink satesn uppers extra
heavy brass syelets, and red morocco bind
inRs. The cut is the latest; heel one and
half inches high and it shaves down to the
middle of the sole. A second walking-blonde
in provincial business will do well to secure
these for 81 so. Those round ragged-lookinR
holes on the sides are easily plugged.
Sometimes a smart girl will get shoe
like that and sew on brilliant red rosette,
which will cover the bad places"
sDo they use cavalry boots on the stage9"
asked the reporter.
''These are bandit boots" said the man.
''and regret to say that theirElong legs are
made of baby carriage leather. The stage
props of the Tobber bands getting to be
drug In the market More than one of them
that's busted at the eastward have come into
New York for refreshments. sold me their
wsrdrobes in lump, and departed for other
climes- Those wooden cheeseknives, with
black paper scabbards, ornamented with vel
low paint, belong to an arsenal bought out
last week. can sell those swords for dol
lar dozen. A good secondhand wooden
rifisis worth seventy. five cents, and quarter
extra If it's q snapper-that is to say If it
will smash cap"
ssYou would be surprised to know what a
lot of these things can sell for a small sum.
sold the wardrobes and props for the nine
principal characters, including three women,
for tragedy the other day for $S8 so. This
included robes, side arms, hats or helmets,
breeches, tights, shoes, stockings, head
dresses three wigs, two full suits Of armor,
women's overdresses, extra lace, extra bullion,
and iewslry. I seldom sell set without hav-
ing to provide a lot of new bullion, lace, 60
can sell you pound out Of that heap of
ornaments for 81, and you can take your
nI1f. Rko i0
long, but everything has got to be in heaps.
"This pile has about fifty womens dresses
silk, satin, and velvet; you can take your
pick for $3; other lots we get 81 and $S for
This black velvet Hamlet suit is $6, or with
the cloak $3.50. It's lined and has q fur COL
lar. can get up pretty decent king for
about $12, including wig, crown, sceptre, and
all the extras. Queens are worth about So
more.
Amateurs are good buyers of my goods.
sold a dozen red flannel berettas this morn
ing to q Brooklyn club. Yesterday they
bought eleven silk and velvet dresses, male
and female. The amateurs don't generally
use my goods in the condition they buy them
in. They cut, alter, patch up. and rstrim
them. I've bought the same goods back from
amateur companies at the end of the season,
and found them nicely fixed up
zone reason why amateurs like to buy of
me instead of getting their things made up
There's style to 'em, no matter how shabby
they may look, that tailor can't 6 ct by cut
ting from an antique costume book. Then
for some things no tailor has the material
Do you think you could get Don Cas sar from
tailor? Where's his buokram3 How will
he tone his eolors and get the look of age?
Well, I can get out Don Caesar good enough
for any amateur outside of the gold mine
and railroad line complete for nine fifty.
''Pricesi You'll fnd me hard to beat.
That velvet Romeo at the door you can have
for 81. My genuine slashed velvet doublets
of comparatively fresh appearance are worth
only $5. Roman soldiers bring but $1.75 in
my shop, and Julius Caesar himself can be
had complete for SO. Female goods at COR
responding rates. My wife got up a complete
Cleopatra for q tableaux party this winter for
$14. It was immense. got up the Antony
zler at $7.''
''Who are your best customers?''
SIeaying out the occasions when cheap
going travelling agent buys up az Wholesale
as it were, our best stand-bys are the fancy
dress ball people. That is generally the
wind up of theatrical wardrobes. We used to
let out our costumes for balls, but have given
that up altogether. We can sell a suit SO
low that it doesn't pay to do q hiring out
business unless you deal only with fresh
goods, made up for the purpose, and have
high-toRed run of trade. There is an ener-
nous NUMBER OF r6ncy-dresS DaitS nOWaOay6
among people in very medium circumstances.
That Vanderbilt ball gave my business a large
move In the right direction. T didn't get
Newark for a customer until after that ball.
But last winter, and especially this winter,
the Newark ladies and gentlemen called in
frequently and took home good-sized bundles.
I've had Jersey City and Paterson for years.
also Yonkers, East New York, and Brooklyn
Business has been very fair this season,
and the historical tableau rage, which set in
ON account of the various centennial celebra
tions, has helped u.s. The eolored people are
taking considerable hand in private theatri-
Gals lately, and that has added to business.
have sold many Napoleons. George WaGh-
ingtons, and other characters in history to-
colored men this season"