Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-06-10
SATIN AND GOLD WONDERS.
emma Abbott's 100000 Worth of Cos
TUNES Now to Be Sold.

TUNES Now to Be Sold.
New YORK, June 1.-TWO hundred
thousand dollars worth of the stage
wardrobe of Emma Abbott-what Is
left after many sales and gifts in Chica-
go-is to be offered for sale In this city
bv Mrs. Lizzie Abbott Clark, sister of
the late actress. Mrs. Clark came here
from Chicago few days ago, bringing
this collection OF rare and varied cos
tunes in eighteen immense trunks. She
has engaged a suite of rooms at the
Hoffman House, and will conduct the
sale at that place through personal in
vitations.
Last evening, Mrs. Clark, who is a
delightful little woman with a striking
resemblance to her famous sister, talked
very prettily about her sister and the
wardrobe.
"First, l would like to say" she be-
gan, "that the reported burning OF a
portion Of Emma's wardrobe after her
death last December by order Of the
health authorities is absolutely untrue,
and it's only foundation is the fact that
the clothes and linen of the sick room
were destroyed, as they should be in
cases Of pneumonia. The entire per-
sonal and stage wardrobe Of my sister
was beQueathed to me. What remains
of the stage costumes could not have
cost less than $1,000
"They are, Of course, only the latest
and finest, for Emma put to sleep
every year, as she used to say thousands
of dollars worth of clothes by giving
them away at the end Of the season.
Every season she mnde an outlay OF not
less than $50, 900 for new costumes.
Il have with me about one hundred
and fifty distinct costumes Each dress
has a particular name, and many have
incidents connected with them. There
is, for instance, the 'Chichasaw' dress,
named after Southern regiment at
Memphis during her season there, which
was worn with her famous Rising Sun
mantle. The entire weight of this cos
tune is $50 pounds.
Il don't mind showing you the man
tie, because intend to keep it as an
heirloom. Here it is"
The garment appeared indeed mar
vel. 1t is of dark blue velvet, solidly
and entirely embroidered with beads
and threads of gold and silver and other
metals, in such a way as to represent
one grand rising sun and eleven mlnla-
ture suns It's size is enormous, and ltS
weight is at least seventy-five pounds.
Every one of Emma's stage dresses
was made either by Worth or Felix,
continued Mrs. Clark. "There are the
costumes of nearly every piece my Sis
ter ever appeared in, including short as
well as train dresses. The latest set is
made up of costumes in Anne Boleyn.'
That one worn in the second act cost
"a, 900, and is an elaborate facsimile OF
the Queen Anne costume exhibited IN
the Louvre. 1t is pink satin, soldly
embroidered with jewels in front, the
train of moss-green brocaded plush, bor-
dered with pink applique.
There are the sapphire-blue velvet
hunting dress worn in the third act,
the ruby dress for the first act, and the
white chiffon, trimmed with guipure
lace. There are the Louis Blanc dresses,
the Ernani, the Carmen, Rose OF CASTLE,
and so on.
"There has been so much talk about
! Emma'S costume cremation IndG VIII
tell exactly what it was. 1t was the
s.. 900 lilac dress that she had worn IN
'Ernani' the last time she appeared on
the stage. 1t was made by Felix, and
was helliotrope velvet and the heaviest
white brocaded, satin, embroidered with
white and lavender placs and green
| foliage.
"The cremation of Emma's body was
kept secret on account of my mother. A
portion of the veil worn by my sister at
the funeral has been cut into small
pieces and distributed as souvenirs
among her friends. 1t was the gold
thread of this veil, the other part OF
which was over her face when placed in
the retort, that produced the globule OF
gold found in her ashes. The veil was
the one so often kissed in the balcony
scene in Romeo and Juliet.