Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-25
C0sTUMER TO CIRCUS
FOR 35 YEARS MRS WHITE HAS
DRESSED WOMAN AND BEAST.
Makes Satin Gowns for Roman Prin-
cesses and Fits Covers to
Elephants.

From the New York Sun
The costume for the big circus in Madi-
son Square Garden are all made by Mrs.
White, a little woman who wears plain
henrietta cloth gown, whose gray hair is
parted demurely, who has a low-toned voice
and soft brown eyes, and who looks not I'M
like New England spinster of the old
school going to take care of a Sunday
school class. She has been with the circus
thirty-fve years. All through the winter
In the workrooms in 34th street Mrs. White
with staff of about twenty-five young
women, is busy making preparations for
the opening of the circus in the spring
Frequently she goes to Bridgeport to try
on the clothes of those participants In cir
Gus revels that are prevented by various
reasons from coming to her.
Some of these clients are the elephants
camels, horses, for which she designs and
builds gorgeous trappngs. One or two fit
tings are usually necessary. She does not
turn out an elephants cover until it has
been tried on at least twice.
Mixes With the Animals.
"Of course l go right in with the ami
mails" she says In matter of course way
How else could l fit them? 1 have never
had a moments fear. l fit the elephants
covers by means Of a stepladder, as well as
those of the camels and dromedaries. A
step or two up does for the horses 1t IS
mistake to suppose that the materials for
circus trappings are cheap and f1imsy. Abb
sOlutely no expense Is spared. 1t is no UNI
usual thing for me TO spend as much as Sl5
or $50 yard for velvets or sattns. me
trimmings are the most expensive in the
market including bulliOns at s. a yard.
Nothing that is delicate either in design
or coloring will do for us. We must have
the most pronounced co.ors, the richest Ell
fects for we have always to consider dis
lance as we'll as the fact that what might
look well at night would not do for the
street parades which We have outside New
York.
.'That orange colored satin gown Is for
one of the women who ride in the chariot
race, and it is finished very carefully, for
IT will be worn all through the season in
the professions. Sometimes when gown
is worn only at night. while we get the best
material we are not so very particular
about the finishing, Innings, &c
Sensational French Women.
Mrs. White broke off her talk to point
out Mile de Tiers the French woman who
loops the loop in an automobile.
IN all my experience with the circus"
she went on, II find that 1t Is always the
foreigner who takes those frightful risks.
You will never find an American woman
doing it
Mrs White has the adherence that you
will find in all circus performers of the old
school for the newer methods
II don't know why people should want to
do those things" she said. ''Of course
they get big sums OF money. but. gracious!
what Is that when you are facing death
every day? And you can't even have a
good time while you are taking the money
in, for you have to be so careful and in
such good training that you are not even
allowed to eat like other people. My belief
Is that French woman has got to create
a sensation; that is as necessary to her as
the air she breathes.'
She returned to the question Of her spe-
cial work.
"You notice an elephants cover" she
said. Some of them contain fifty yards,
for many of the elephants are Is feet tall.
Often l have spent SO a yard for stuff to
make the covers, while the bullion trim
ming Is worth SO a yard, and hundreds of
yards are used One of the elephant covers
we made this year was simply covered
with jewels. 1t took four women four
weeks to make 1t, and the entire cost was
over thousand dollars
Il have often spent $4,000 for the years
supply of ma terialS, and this amount does
not include the cost of making nor the ex-
pense of renovatng. The cost of cleaning
alone this winter was $1.2O
Costumes of Equestriennes.
otcdSIoIdly, Wiel 1T Is SO Speclfed IN
the contract, the lady riders furnish their
own costumes, and there are a number of
costumes in the show this season that
cost three or four hundred dollars
THE life of circus costume is about
year. After a season on the road YOU
can imagine that the best materials lose
When you consider the fact that an ele-
plants cover has to be put on twice day
and taken off twice, that each time it may
be thrown anywhere that is most con-
venient, 1t is no surprise that at the end of
the tour 1t is no longer fit for the next
year S wear.
what becomes of the debris?' There
were almost tears in Mrs. Whites voice
as she explained that IN Bridgeport there
Is storage warehouse of great size where
all the costumes used in all the time she
has been with the circus stored in pack
Ing boxes, doing nobody any good. Why
the amount of money that is spent in cam
phor and moth balls alone would run a
smaller circus. she explained.
Why are they not auctioned off, was
asked.
That l don't know. 1t is an idea of the
owners that they want everything saved
just as 1t is that they will have nothing
used that does not look absolutely fresh"
Mrs White spoke of P. T. Barnum In
terms of great admiration.
He took such an interest in the smallest
Details she said, but. Of course, in his
time the costumes were very different We
had no Durbar. and the lady riders and
many of the other performers wore the
short tarletan skirts like the opera dancers
1t took hundreds of yards of tarletan for
those skirts, and according to my way OF
thinking there never have been such pretty
toilets They were airy and so dainty, but
they cost a great amount, for they were
easily soled easily torn and difficult to
make, although they looked so simple"
Mrs. Whites duties do not end with the
winter sewing and the supervision of the
wardrobe room at Madison Square Garden
She goes with the circus on its tour and
every rent is mended under her supervision
Let the elephant, in fit of playfulness
put his tusk through corner Of his 81 600
coat. and 1t is repaired deftly and smilingly
for, as Mrs. White remarks, you can't ex-
pect an elephant to display as much pride
In taking care of his clothes q man or
a woman would"
A Missed Fortune.
From London Truth