The sun., 1895-05-05
THE SKIRTI.ESS WOMAN.
EMhSCIPATTON or HER IEGS ~
THEdTRE AND STREET.
Sensation Caused ~ the First Appearance
on the American Stage or Women In
T,ehts-Tho Pebble Treated 20 Feninine
C,rves on the stage and Highways
Te-d,y Impossible = Decade Age.

C,rves on the stage and Highways
To-day Impossible . Decade Age.
Apou, thirty years ago Messrs. Jarrett 8
Palmer brought TO this country at large ex-
p,nse corps OF French and italian ballet girls
and some gorgeous costumes with the intention
~ furpishing the ballet for the Italian opera
.cason But before they could exhibit their i'm
n ltations 10 the New York public the Academy
,,t Music was burned TO the ground and the the
atricaI speculators found themselves with their
ballet girls and gorgeous costumes on their
hands. and no prospect Of doing anything
with them that winter except pay sal
aries Now II happened that there WAS
in New York at that moment an actor
named Charles Barras who had been haunt
ing stage doors and managerial oflices for some
time with manuscript of q melodrama called
sThe Black Crook" and some one suggested to
Jarrett d Palmer the ndvisability Of securing
this play and converting II into gorgeous spec
taclc with the aid OF their costumes and ballot
girls. The author OF tho melodrama had SO little
faith In the ultimate success of the enterprise
that he clamorcd for 4 lump sum down instead
of the royalty arrangement customary between
dramatsts and managers while Messrs. Jarrett
& Palmer were dubious of profits that they
refused to do anything better than the usual
pightly royalty.
II was under these conditions that Tho
Black Crook" was produced at Niblo's Garden.
and the occasion was a notable one, for then. for
the FIRST time on the American stage, women ap-
peared in public In silk ughts and without
skirts. The sensation produced by this entirely
unprecedented display Of the feminine form
seems strange to us OF q later generation. who
have been accustomed to Amazonan marches,
skirt dancers, living pictures, and all the other
devices for the exhibition OF legs. Clergymen
denounced tho play from the pulpit, and respec-
table family newspapers, IN more than one in
stance, preached against it editorially and
refused its advertisemsnt. For months tho
after night with audiences which consisted
largely OF men. all anxious to SEQ the splendid
IF n'1 70 f ps ns
or % two variety theatre 90 re- managers Of the lower
pieces that Denman Thompson made his
, ara In MSw and 20
som found i,seit iS under the ban q ths police.
House IN Greenwich street the Parisian verie-
principal attraction was display of legs. for
@ s and ~ f"Sa of
day. Ata critical moment In the performance
sh. wom.n fssa their skirts well We Ina ABOVE S sheir @
knees and and performed clumsy eancan which
the real Parsan article To Be- seem noW and
then sn, at ths h French a. and Arion M balls. 6alls. CT, -.
.uSRo tns Il. so1 Ia the
from the thraldom Of skirts has been going on,
sut T. was not until about year ago that old.
and ON the % the
sSrvsa Which Would have seen %pos.ise IN oenns
decade ago. The, stage and the bicycle are
70
in Central Park with their lower limbs encased
some Of the philosophers OF tho town are begin.
ming to onder how much further the custom
II should Se remembered that the period be-
tween tho old-time cancan displays and the
Lotta who for some % unaccountabis IN reason. son. hsa al
20 won the conndcnce and fancy Of the public
s5ss in such way as to % display sSous % Hn inch nc
and half Of tho white ruf1es which are at
lights the public have BEEN uSSdS accustomed to- but but
any ,S other , astross M had ID attempted to show
81 the sas eeea
sr.S Ssr own Z, aa sHt Los would have
.ssssd II .ss;A @ @S.,ss SsR or = ss1 III
skirt and ssrpentins dances and the living pic
lures had paved the way.
entertainer in the vsudavilie thestres o' for a
great many years, spoke unreseryedly concern
2a e. ts% asy' ssG Miss
af,I rfarHsr and can tell you that the customs
csrned are very difsrent from what they we're we're
when first went into the business. Then Il
ons , sEsiy EFsty and thing for woman to come out In
eoss.. sT Ts i dent ding
M have been doing this winter. / wear red dress.
VIII, %itn tA 2. least half dozen skirts ranging in
very faint pink outside. have red silk Encker-
Sockers to match; and they are made SO full and
aydsd sFiT. ws You'd shnf It a'%Ss would hbs bs
enough SsG u lifted my Skirts up 70 show all that
4 fss %ors 5;nas ,s s ss ss
oe ia9fsd 9i "a upon as back number.
hss ana ss' 'nS u1
1Hmss.nnE ns sn1 that will exotic the public The peo
70 xSss asea as q Ss Sss
src ,na xs5y t and p.IShy dSzsn
ag for 'aRe good sps DEAL si0s sf
on. tn| }sded popular taste. When a man can 60
%. SuI ~ .bs Central S PARK and see dozen pairs Of
nor nn,s nothing he won't pay to 40 to the theatre
9!tss Hs 70, hs 1an fhl. sec .s great deal p mose
RuSiic opinion, and public opinion regarding
times since Adam and Eve E dseevsrsd that sy theyy
ato nsa no slothes on. They made a great howl
Tn sst ssnsns sns hoY .sor
tsrIsssnn and about the women i9 pink tghts and
oroed.backed horses at the circus: and although
Year e peom1y %n1iy had these living pictures about
yniy sy Oa cont think anything OF them at all. and
New Yn Yn,,s see some Of the finest women in
v,ysr iork at the theatres In which they arc
lad hn a,,.d And yet can tel! you that II inanager
tights shd ,,,, SIX years ago 70 show women IN
bron,ah naked skin covered with a coating Of
serious trouble" 80 '
tb..,..inow haas. now there are In New York q number OF
display oI ~ wl Which tbs principal attraction is the
Chtis;,,ntt VI lhe undraped female form. Little
ishes espher" .pn at Pamsr's Theatre is an estab-
fns i,a. success. and has a large number OF very
slIk ,igk; 70 stand on, notably the pair in blue
form.gg ugns Es belonging to q tall and exqusitely
an sri.if'.u if'ouhg woman who Is said to have been
which as model; II was THE Gaiety Girl"
sap,irh p, hrs' revealed TO the New York public tho
whose Sssotrsm sestrsmties OF Miss Cissy Fitzgerald,
formenhce uahce Is now ths chief feature of the per-
SSaarsn Snes rG Gt Tho FoundinE" at the Madison
"Hladdin hseatre; At the broadway Theatre
IT'S eSHmii,r" ,r" Is notable chiefly on account of
III. lsu'te lssVs ballet in the second act and OF
women IN ,beIonging to the two principal
IN the CaRt, Those nj Mias nna Royd