And One More…

Last week I featured two 1903 Oz costume designs that I found in a group of drawings by designer Caroline Siedle. They were clearly identifiable as pieces from that show, but there was another drawing that caused me to ponder possibilities. It’s unfortunate that Siedle’s costume designs do not tend to be clearly marked in terms of what show or character they were intended. Often it’s left to recognition of a costume, or a few small clues written on the drawing to help figure things out. I believe designs for specific shows were originally kept together in folders, but everything has been dispersed over the past century, requiring some detective work for identification. 

This particular piece has suffered some damage over the years, not an uncommon occurrence; these were working drawings that passed through a number of hands while a show was being created.

The design caught my eye primarily because of the character’s hairstyle. At first glance it appears to be a hearty peasant woman, but there was something very reminiscent of a couple designs I have from Babes in Toyland, the show that followed the Wizard of Oz at the Majestic Theater in 1903. Specifically, it seemed very much like the hair of the lead character Alan.

Thinking about it, I began to wonder if this might be a design for Alan in Act 1. At the start of Babes in Toyland, Alan and his sister Jane are sent off on a sea voyage by their wicked uncle Barnaby, who has arranged for the ship to sink. They survive, and return home disguised as gypsies. Could this be Alan when he is disguised as Floretta the Gypsy?

 I’ve not been able to find any photos of that character, but some details made it seem possible - the tattered white blouse/shirt that could be the remains of Alan’s sailor outfit from the start of the show (the photo at right is from the NYPL Digital Gallery); also the general autumnal color scheme of warm red and green with touches of yellow fit in with other Act 1 designs. Another point was the word Chip written on the drawing; in later tours of the show, Alan was played by an actor named Sam Chip, known as Little Chip. Could this be another lost Toyland design?

So far this was all supposition with no backing. But the other designs I have from that show all have the original actors name written in the upper left hand corner on the reverse of the drawings. If this one were to be labeled with the name William Norris, I would be confident that I’d found the design for Floretta.

Once the drawing arrived and I could examine the back, my guess was proven - in the upper left corner “Mr. William Norris” was written, together with “Act 1”. So, now we know what Floretta’s costume looked like in Babes in Toyland!