The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-26
COSTUMES OLD IN SERVICE.
DRESSES THIT n PASSED LON
TO JIRIOUS m TIRES.

80 W Nv NoNt'P
The iusistcu"c with which n certain costume
r'apurag, IN ynriou metropolitan productions
Wa, referred rn in TIM Su& tn" other day. and
a theatrical manager gave some explanation "
10. tn particular garment happened TO be
made e r'l push trimmed with pale blue
r]u-rI'r~ 90 Ribbon, and is irriud seems 10 10
that u(thr ~rrowi Charles OF England. The per.
son familiar withthj> costume said that he had
arun il ;irst ururiy nGccado ago. when il figured
IN ul elaborate comic opera production that
failed. Then Il clothed one OF the principal ac-
tor. At ,'s Subsequent Appearances it played
q r,:r modest r.l'. and finally became merely
TIE gaIh uf "a sI~purHUucrary. To-day il serves
that modest lUIi u-r. The regularity with
which 1t hu- come into view attracted the at
t,nt.0g ~ un" observer. who grew curious
about Is l~uugr'i'y and The many uses to which
II had been Iu'.
Naturally "uQHgh. the costume is no longer
to- 10" found in ~" most ambitious productions
or .0 the boost theatres. 1t is likely TO figure
I'm hastily and iucNurHsiVcly prepared performs
| anrcs. II, striking color j. perhaps the fea-
iurr which has made II remembered when
olli"r' that haze done an equally long turn OF
suYv'r" az" uyrrlophcl. III tn" lapse Of time
some o.! it, freshness and sparkle have disap-
l"a.rl. II ,oua- well enough still in the num-
hrGs that usually display it. Some other inter-
"~tirG examples Of the same continued use Of
costumes which rcappcar at different times
were mcNtiuu"! by the observer, who was 40
imMt7-cd wth thu continued service OF the
r.l lir.h costume. The explanation OF a CO.'S
turlrrHldcl some further light to the subject.
"Nhcn a i.IjI!cr wants to make q produce
t.uu." h. said. and cannot or does not want to
sl,nL much money uu it. lie does not have cos
TUNE, made nor lo"s lie buy them ready. He
hires them from a co-tumcr lay the week. 1t
dcucuds on TIE r"Suurcns Of this costumer
a., l,4 30 80, .F l-,, b., ,,,a l, - Ilnl, g.. ~ n No,k
Of these have been used frequently before. and
may have been seen for some time before the
manager who owned them first sells them.
In other eases they may be sold either under
pressure from the Sheriff or at the managers
own volition shortly after they were made.
81 remember one instance Of this. A musi-
cal farce was produced here by a manager who
was entitled to the use Of the work only in
New York II made n great success. and natur-
ally the man who had the right to produce it in
the other cities Of the country believed that the
thing would be Just as popular there. so he
wa willing to give II the advantage OF a most
! spectacular PRODUCTION. He had to have moro
than 300 costumes. and they were copied after
Expensive models. very carefully made. and
were in every respect first class. Well. the
thing was Il failure from the first night
on the road. The public would not have
IT.. After about n month the company returned
~ Wv b+N 1 III t'iAtN NV wv iuii
other important matters on hand to worry over
one failure. aul he decided to get rid OF the
thing as soon as he could. He sold at auction
the costumes. which brought only a small part
Of Tn" sum he had paid for them. Some we're
bought by managers who wanted certain CO.'S
tunes. Il few were bought by actors and the
great majority Of them went 10 the costumers.
They were, of course. rented out for succeed
ing productions. The Broadway managers
,,,,.ar birnl tl,IN and prpbahly thnv Nyera soma
out Of the city.
Amateur organizations nearly always hire
their costumes. andmost of the heaper-p priced
opera companies own little or nothing OF what
the members wear. Sometimes entire outfits
are rented for n whole season and are carried
all over the country by the com Danies, to he re-
turned here at the close Of the season.
"N"w YorI; is not the only city in which
these costumes are provided. Boston. Phila-
dclphia and Chicago tit out companies with the
material they need for a tour through a terri
tory too far from New York for them to be able
to come hero for the supply. This phase OF tho
costunIer's business has grown much in i'm
p]ortauce since the stock companies became so
frequent and the romantic dramas recovered
popularity. II was, impossible. Of course, for
th"~r "ugIranicS to buy Whole sets Of costumes
for y series OF r~ortDrmancrs that might not last
longer han Il week. sothe rostumers business
decreased during tho temporary PROSPERITY OF
these stock companies, Now that their num-
Der hns begun 10 diminish that share OF the
business will naturally fall away.
1T Is" 10 be said that a manager could get
M an '.rncle Toms Cabin. production in the
tuners and aGramatic neent's 81 flce, Probably
that IS not SO trn" now as i Vas fifteen years
yctfe q or a IL" .Bogcar EStnden mf'N costume at very
short n.I'irH. It may take 2 little bit l3nger to
GT. I ( Y i1HY IKE 2e iI{y"',9,aSi of " aSstnmes' 81 but Stp they
c2n It. turned 2qt, at very short notice. while
i%luafurr could be, taken home. in q box II it
War,. mot fgr'Ip Elllk OF the GunpIips. All these
tuners Lars, G w2ni sSmc s @;'n" 1} s sTsaE by s! nS mesns p Rsd;
was given at a theatre here; In regard to the
iupr"v"mant was 70 be noticed. In the matter
rmot, riSdal kim1d 10 he rented. unless the cos
,umrr hanp"Us t" have bought in Mt auction
VA -a'i 'ou, on account o. is failure" ~
OK "'h"r lntrr"sting nm@se Of His work wa.
rr.tnmrr viii 'E,akc a r,odpction.'. as it Is
G@n,r itl' he t I",l, ~ o h." !, ,L1 +. he %o pn All, enough
costumes as r"pdi rs any that the manager
could hay" made m himself. hat they will not
tho ro-'um"r. who receives for them a much
I3rg rrr"i tn'n Ia. w"4,dit they "nm. put ofhi:
TrIG,.. , ,%, ,' any ihj4H + r '@,,!fI, a "IIH he Il IN" "nI e" way
uut-Id" OF IN" aI"tiou sales 10y which one OF
H." """,,lmg'S "Il,r.". las supply. This =
awN'u'uN ~s'.."'irS Sr"n.' 9 great deal ..
lI"E"N uu th"!rr NS'lln"S nHdth"n return them
g. tive "u,fumcT Hf'"r ru'y a lew weeks U.s.
MANY of th"," productions are quite MS exS
|lrr.il" A. they would lr il used on tho profes.
ainlal stage. and 'Gov are rarely ever required
hv amateurs irr more than n few perform
nu"'~ Nn.uralfF they lnv high for the priyi-
leg" %. 4 iju. what they want new, and the
ga. 'nlI"r usually durS his most profitable
hr-r"-- W''h such contracts aS these"
Ihn lr fr--i.uOI III" u',,tUluer explains most
%. IN" r"lll"aIaI"' ui sag" dresses. but there
"r'' orh'r. iu'Gcur"@ when sometimes bring
1h"rl forward. \"tIio stewart. an English
a''n'~s. cam" tu this country several seasons
Hsl "ith im ''aln:atolv produced musical IN rec
which f"i'"l - interest he American public.
IT. II She " IT" one moot superb gown. After
= tr,' u,,atht - tru,o. N" company returned
- England. But tn" costume remained. It
aTr.n""d n'tCrwag' ne the gown Of a
l"attmG ar'l,s S, in "A vaudeville farce,
nuI ~ that h.ed also the garment
descended :, y chorus girl in q sub
s"In"m' Tr"dr'tiDn. hs that succeeded.
i|I,, nr''S ','ri no mLn"t ,' reEmra"a as9ua
T. M th,a'"i"tl Ead,r Martinot wore in a
wears lu, Il Inu..fII WhIta satin waddinR