Title: Plays, "Burlesque of The Merry Widow and the Devil".
Date: 1909
Description: A scene from Weber's Burlesque of the Henry W. Savage production of Lehar's "The Merry Widow" and a production of "The Devil," presented at Webers Theatre in 1909.
Repository: Museum of the City of New York
Everything about this photograph intrigues me - the burlesque costumes, the elaborate set, the poses. The actual photographer is unknown (although their name may be written in the lower left hand corner...it is hard to make out), as well as the artist who has put their hand to the photo. According to the Internet Broadway Database, this production ran for only a week and a half at Webers Theatre from 1/18/1909 - 1/30/1909. The four women are smiling and are clearly being posed for the photo, perhaps as part of a promotional piece. Two of the women are looking towards the camera, while the other two are posing in another direction. Was this intentional, or was something also being done over there (for example, a sketch)?
Actually we do know that the photographer was the photography studio known as the Byron Company, founded in 1892. Joseph Byron, the founder of the company, was likely the photographer here but as the picture is signed Byron Company, we don't need to inquire further. The Byrons were a major commercial studio and photographed city life in New York for most of the early 20th century, including extensive documentation of the theatre. According to Wikipedia the firm is still in business, and still in the family.
ReplyDeleteWhat else can you tell about the scene other than the poses?
Well, my first comment disappeared, so here we go again. My eyes don't know where to rest in this photograph. Clearly it is a photograph of the dancers, and they are lined up NEARLY parallel to the bottom of the photo although not quite. This pulls my attention slightly to the right, but then the wonderful artistic detail of the backdrop command my eye. The dancers' costumes are nearly identical but not quite, with each one having the sleeves arranged differently, and each hat is at a slightly different angle. The pose and frame act together to draw my attention to the right, as two of the dancers do appear to be looking that way. I really want to know more about this room. This photo tantalizes the way burlesque dancers do; it leaves me wanting more.
ReplyDeleteI also think this photo constantly tricks your eye and mind. The viewer thinks the dancers are dressed alike, thinks they are lined up parallel to the frame, thinks they are looking the same direction... this photo tests the flash judgments the viewer makes and offers rewards for a second, third, fourth look.
ReplyDelete