Gabrielle Ray – Betty – London Evening Standard – Saturday 30th October 1915
MISS GABRIELLE RAY.
REAPPEARANCE IN “BETTY” AT
DALY’S THEATRE.
That very charming musical comedy “Betty,” at Daly’s Theatre, was farther enlivened and brightened last night by the presence of Miss Gabrielle Ray, this being her return to the stage after an absence of several years. How much musical comedy has lost in that interval was shown by the reception given to her, and by her bright and happy work in the part of Estelle.
Another notable newcomer to the cast is Mr. Lauri de Frece, who takes up Mr. Berry’s mantel in the part of Jotte, maker of modes. Mr. de Frece’s methods are quite different, but he is none the lees an excellent comedian, and a decided success. Both the newcomers bring some very good songs with them, and Miss Winifred Barnes is also provided with a new number, “Goodbye.” With all the new things put into it “Betty” seems likely to continue its success indefinitely.
The London Evening Standard – Saturday 30th October 1915
Jupe Culotte – The Illustrated London News – Saturday 4th March 1911
INELEGANCE: THE JUPE – COLOTTE OUT OF FAVOUR
AN UNREHEARSED EVENT: “LES COURSES D’AUTEUIL.”
The jupe – culotte does not invariably meet with favour, and, moreover, the curiosity of the crowd is apt to take active form. Hence, certain of its wearers have not found it conducive to mental comfort, however satisfactory they may find the freedom it gives to the limbs. In Madrid the skirt has proved so unpopular that, at the request of Senor Canalejas, the Governor has detailed fifty policemen to protect ladies wearing it in the streets. Our drawing is reproduced by courtesy of “L’Illustration,” of Paris, which publishes it under the title “Les Courses d’Auteuil.”
The Illustrated London News – Saturday 4th March 1911
Jupe-culotte – The Illustrated London News – Saturday 25th February 1911
THE MOST DISCUSSED DRESS IN THE WORLD: THE JUPE – CULOTTE, FAMILIARLY KNOWN AS THE HAREM – SKIRT OR THE TROUSER – SKIRT
None will deny that the jupe-culotte, as the harem-skirt is called officially, is the most discussed dress in the world. It has made its appearance in, at all events, one theatre in Paris, and on Auteuil racecourse, also in Madrid, and for a brief moment or two last week in London, where it was worn in Regent Street. Amongst the famous French dressmakers who were asked for their opinion by the “Gaulois,” which is quoted by the “Telegraph,” M. Poiret alone champions the new skirt to any extent. He believes that it will remain “the appanage of the really chic woman who has pretty ankles, and who can afford to have her shoes made by high-class bootmakers, and to wear ankle-bangles incrusted with precious stones.” Doucet’s decide that it is impossible for town wear, but, nevertheless, makes divided skirts. Doeuillet’s make it, but prefer the Greek robe with a pure aesthetic outline. Mme. Paquin cays it is not a fashion, but a fad. Laferrieres’ do not care for it; Martial and Armand describe it a fancy dress, possibly suitable for “le footing,” or “le skating,” and “le sport” in general. Mr. Redfern, agreeing that anything is permissible to women, nevertheless would have the harem-skirt worn indoors only. Worth’s consider it the logical outcome of the hobble skirt, “as if one had slit up skirt because it prevented one from walking upstairs”: otherwise they dub it folly. Moreover, they argue; “it will soon spread to Montmartre, and then it will be done for1”
The Illustrated London News – Saturday 25th February 1911
Gabrielle Ray – The Dollar Princess – The Nottingham Guardian – Monday 26th September 1910
“DOLLAR PRINCESS” ANNIVERSARY
There was a rush for seats at Daly’s Theatre on Saturday night for the first anniversary for the “Dollar Princess” After her success with the “Merry Widow” it seemed difficult for Miss Lily Elsie to score another triumph, but she has done so, and the celebration was marked by a souvenir of signed portraits of all the chief artists presented to everyone in the house. Miss Gabrielle Ray, Miss Elizabeth Firth, Mr Joseph Coyne, Mr. Michelis, and Mr. Berry, all had an enthusiastic welcome. There were some fresh topical numbers for Mr. Berry, including a hit at Mr. Lloyd-George, and the dances and songs are now recognised favourites, but have kept their freshness all the same. Not the least reason for this is the brilliant way in which this musical is produced.
The Nottingham Guardian – Monday 26th September 1910
Peggy – The Sketch – Wednesday 15th March 1911
“WOMANLY” HAREM SKIRTS AT THE GAIETY: THE JUPE-CULOTTE IN “PEGGY.”
The particular form of jupe-culotte worn in the new Gaiety play is described as “womanly.” and has met with considerable appreciation. The photograph shows (from left to right) Miss Billy Eade, Miss May Kennedy, and Miss Marie Deane. – [Photograph by Central News.]
The Sketch – Wednesday 15th March 1911
Gabrielle Ray – Peggy – The Tatler – Wednesday 15th March 1911
The Highway of Fashiom: By Marjorie Hamilton.
The Jupe Culotte.
WERE further testimony required that feminine caprice loves novelty it would be found in the welcome that has been accorded to the jupe culotte or pasha trousers. It must, however, be recollected that although all the world is talking about them few women have had the temerity to wear them in the public thoroughfares. Personally 1 do not believe that they will be popular albeit the majority of the modistes are showing them; as a matter of fact it is really to satisfy the curiosity of their clients as everyone is desirous of obtaining a view of them. Madame Paquin has set her face against them from the outset, contending that they are far from graceful. Naturally the divided skirt of the sportswoman is quite a different affair. Further more, as the back view is far from becoming, in the modified forms a floating panel or very broad ribbon sash is introduced which springs from above the waist-line where evening and reception dresses are concerned.
Across the Footlights.
Many, however, will contend that the foregoing remarks are rank heresy should they have seen the idealised jupes culottes worn by the chorus in Peggy the new play at the Gaiety, in which the culottes are of satin and the over dresses of embroidered silk voile. The colour schemes are quite beyond description; there are to be found the whole gamut of purple, rose, khaki, green, and blue shades, but then it must not be forgotten that these lovely affairs are seen amidst appropriate surroundings. In striking contrast to these extreme creations is the simplicity of the dresses worn by the principals. Miss Gabrielle Ray as Polly Polino is seen in an extremely simple high- waisted shell-pink charmeuse dress, while Miss Enid Leslie as Diamond, the barmaid, wears a pale blue satin dress and a little lace apron finished with a broad sash at the back. Her cap of lace and ribbon is the newest phase of the Quaker bonnet, and should be noted by matinee devotees as they could wear one of a similar character without fear of obstructing the view of those behind them.
The New Colour.
There is a wonderful charm about the new colour, chaloupe red; its elusive shades are seen to the greatest advantage in the dress worn by Miss Phyllis Dare, which is decorated with a double row of buttons from just above the bust-line to the hem of the skirt; at the base of the column of the throat a lace turn-over collar edged with embroidered ninon is introduced, below which is a draped delft-blue bow. The cynosure of all eyes is Miss Olive May’s (Doris Bartle) it will be recalled that she is the daughter of the American multi millionaire hat of white tagal straw built on the lines of a modern fireman’s helmet embellished with two ostrich couteau plumes, one white and the other black, while her dress is of white silk with a pretty draped corsage.
Fascinating Bathing Dresses.
In the second act Miss Phyllis Dare, Miss Gabrielle Rae, and Miss Olive May assume fascinating bathing dresses of pink and white silk well-nigh concealed by bathing wraps; it is indeed a pretty sight to see them reclining in their chaises longues. A few words must be said en passant regarding a lovely gown worn by Miss Phyllis Dare; the fourreau is of the palest blue silk veiled with shell-pink chiffon, the hem bordered with diminutive roses, which is just discernible beneath the rather flat pannier drapery of silver and white striped gauze. Over her shoulders is arranged an attractive white chiffon wraplet edged with a handsome fringe; the last but certainly not the least attractive detail of this toilette is the quaint little head dress of lace and silk reminiscent of the revolutionary bonnet.
Fashionable Millinery.
In spite of the many excursions into the realm of novelty which have recently been essayed by the advanced milliners, it must be confessed that the large hat still pursues the even tenor of its way; naturally it has rivals, but they cannot be regarded as very formidable. Pictured on this page is a quartet of fascinating head-gear epitomising La Mode’s latest commands. As will be observed, the pretty little motor bonnet is reminiscent of those worn during the Revolution, while the modified Napoleon is worn at quite a different angle than was formerly deemed correct. A very pretty model which recently made its debut was built on the lines of a modern fireman’s helmet, the crown encircled with a wreath of tiny ribbon flowers.
The Spell of the Magyar Broken.
At last the spell of the Magyar sleeve is broken, and in the new models the sleeves are put in separately from the corsage, but little fulness is permissible over the shoulders, and there are signs on the horizon that ere many weeks are over the bell sleeve will lead the van. Quite a novel idea is the insertion of a panel beneath the arms of the same material as the trimming of the dress. For instance, a dress of blue serge with a half- tunic of striped blue-and- white foulard with revers of the same on the corsage would have a vandyked panel beneath the arms of foulard, the stripes arranged vertically, the reverse of the tunic. The half- tunic is quite a novel idea and very effective; it springs from the folded sash in front and terminates some 6 in. above the hem, and need not be of a transparent material. It commences about 4 in. from the right hip, is brought over the left hip, and finally loses itself at the back beneath the left fold of the box pleat.
Consistency in the Choice of Jewellery.
There are many women to whom the appropriate comes naturally, and they would never dream of wearing jewellery which would strike a discordant note in the toilette. For instance, they would not don heavy ornaments with the present “blown-together” dresses, but would select designs in which delicate traceries with small drops predominate; they know that it would be false art to do otherwise. With the jewellery in the salons of the Parisian Diamond Company, 143, Regent Street, W., the ideal has been achieved, and the modern vraie elegante will find a veritable embarras de choix in chef d’oeuvres of the jeweller’s art which will directly appeal to her susceptibilities.
The Tatler – Wednesday 15th March 1911
The Pyjama Drama – The Sketch – Wednesday 16th January 1907
THE PYJAMA DRAMA.
THE forthcoming transference of “Toddles” to the Playhouse may revive the remarks that have been made in connection with the now-famous suit of pyjamas worn by Mr. Maude in the piece. It was, no doubt, the fact that pyjamas are usually worn in the seclusion of one’s own room which furnished the occasion for the comments, for there is certainly no more indelicacy in them than there is in a flannel outfit for cricket or tennis.
No one would ever dream of accusing Mr. Barrie of writing a line or introducing a suggestion which could possibly bring the blush of shame to the cheek of innocence, or offend the ear or eye of even the most susceptible; yet, on the stage of the Duke of York’s Theatre; for three Christmastides in succession he has presented the spectacle of the Pyjama Drama, for who can forget the little Darlings in their nighties and their pyjamas all comfortably tucked up in their beds before the advent of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell brought them up all wide awake to have such a delightful time?
Who, too, can possibly forget beautiful Miss Pauline Chase, now promoted to be Peter, in the pyjamas of her Pillow-case Dance, and all the other benightgowned children in the second act of the play? It was, by the way, a pair of pyjamas which first brought Miss Chase into prominence. It was in America, in a musical comedy called “The Liberty Belle,” that she appeared as the Pink Pyjama Girl, among a bevy of pretty girls all wearing fluffy white nighties, and they were the sensation of the play, and practically made its reputation, so that it was acted to crowded houses for a long time. The Pink Pyjama Girl even inspired a song sung in that costume by Miss Gabrielle Ray at the Gaiety.
At the Apollo Theatre one of the most applauded numbers in “The Dairymaids” was a song to some little girls in their nightgowns just before they toddled off to bed. Children, however, can do many things and can appear in costumes which fail to draw the least remonstrance from the most strait-laced, furnishing another proof of the famous proverb, that “to the pure all things are pure,” for no one could by any possibility make any suggestion of impropriety in the case of a blue-eyed, golden-haired little mortal in a dainty befrilled and beribboned garment, reaching from her throat to her toes or to a dark-haired, dark-eyed child.
The Pyjama Drama is, however, only a “modern instance” in a subject which goes far back in the history of the British theatre, in just the same way as our coat and trousers have developed from the satin coat and breeches of the Powder period, or from the trunks and tunics of the great Elizabethan age. Who first introduced pyjamas or their equivalent nobody could probably say. Certainly, Thomas Heywood, whose “Woman Killed with Kindness,” one of the first domestic dramas of the stage, as we understand the term, did so. The admirers of Shakspere are constantly declaring that he is the most modern of all dramatists. He was certainly one of the writers of the Pyjama Drama, and bolder than any modern playwright, Bernard Shaw not excepted; he did not introduce the garment of the bedroom into his comedies, but “went the limit” and actually put it into the tragedies. When, after the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth heard the knocking at the gate which proclaimed the arrival of Macduff, did she not bid her husband to “get on his nightgown”? And perhaps when one of the many proposed Macbeths produces the play this season he may bring on the Thane of Cawdor in that garment worn under a dressing-gown. Lady Macbeth herself certainly wore her nightgown when in her sleep-walking scene she “gave herself away” so terribly to the Doctor and the Gentlewoman. If exception is taken to the fact that in both cases a dressing-gown is worn, no such plea can be urged in the case of “Romeo and Juliet,” “ Cymbeline,” or in the last act of “Othello,” when Desdemona, like Imogen, is discovered in bed.
The realistic actress always wears a regulation nightdress with angel-sleeves to make it look old-fashioned, even though she does not, as one famous Desdemona did, go to bed in high-heeled white satin shoes.
One of the great test-parts of the French drama which has always exercised considerable fascination for our own actresses is the name-part in “Camille,” the last act of which discovers the heroine in bed. An American actress by no means unknown in London created a great effect when she played the part by wearing an ordinary nightdress and going regularly to bed before the curtain rose, so that when she got out of bed it was seen that she had no stockings on, and she realised the opening lines of Sir John Suckling’s “Ballad upon a Wedding,” changing, of course, the familiar petticoat of the text, beneath which her feet, “like little mice, stole in and out,” to suit the exigencies of the occasion. When Mrs. Patrick Campbell produced “Beyond Human Power,” it will be remembered that she had to play practically the whole of one act in bed in a nightdress.
Again, in “Mrs. Ponderbury’s Past,” produced a few years ago at the Avenue, did not Miss Lottie Venue wear a robe de nuit, as did many of the actresses in “A Night Out,” at the Vaudeville?
The extraordinary value which may lurk within a fold of bed-clothes was, perhaps, never more vividly demonstrated than in the case of “The Worst Woman in London,” when it was produced at the Adelphi. In that play the appearance of a gentleman in a long white garment reaching down to his toes evoked laughter loud and long, to be repeated at frequent intervals as he moved about the bedroom, which the scene represented, until he finally got into bed. Even the fact that in going to bed he was going to be murdered could not restrain the feelings of the audience, and that scene ‘alone probably did not a little to secure the run of the play for many weeks, and to prove that there is money in the Pyjama Drama.
The Sketch – Wednesday 16th January 1907
Pauline Chase – The Bystander – 1906
About
One of my main interests is a love of old pictures and postcards that give us a brief glimpse into a past and often forgotten age.
Collecting old postcard and pictures enables the viewer to glimpse a brief moment from that individual’s life; often far removed from their own either by the passage of time or social class. Social History, often described as “history from below” shows everyday people, their social structure and the interaction of different groups; like the wealthy and politicians these people helped shape and maintain society and so shape history.
Examining the images one can’t help but wonder how the individuals lived, were their lives hard compared with today and were they happy. Often the images come with little or no information that can answer these questions, one can only imagine.
With each image saved and seen by others, so that moment, that person is kept alive, our understanding is increased and so our lives are enriched.
A picture is often more descriptive than words can ever be, but how true is this, if a picture enables us to gain entry to another time, another world, will, like the view from a different window, even in the same house provide a different image?
These images allow a glimpse into another time, another era; but what preceded or followed this image? As the individuals were positioned and posed like an artist’s model is what we see truly reflective or like the slightly softened image of an aging beauty a less that truthful representation?
I am reminded of a documentary I watched several years ago regarding the returning troops from the front during the First World War. The camera images show a broken, demoralised sea of humanity, young men who having seen images that most of us hope never to witness had lost that sparkle; that zest which only youth has. But bring on the news camera and that battered returning group came to life, the smiles returned and even though muddied and bloodied their heads and bodies became erect, their arms swung in time and they demonstrated a swagger that spoke of courage, defiance and determination; an image that gave hope to the viewer.
It seems to me that even in the early days of photography all was not what it appeared and now in the advancing digital age a picture may paint a thousand words but will it be factual or fiction?
My interests And collections vary from Maids, Nuns, religious dress and the more risqué images of the French Maid. Often when searching for a particular subject the boundaries cross and as well as true Maids we find Edwardian actresses dressed as Nuns or Maids. During one of my searches I came across Gabrielle Ray dressed as a Maid, “Susan” in Lady Madcap and was instantly captivated by her.
Collecting the individual cards isn’t enough; I like to know more about the individual, which is easier when that person is an actress, although often the information is scarce
Searching for information about Miss Ray I discovered that she was one of the most photographed women of the Edwardian era and described in “Temps” as the most beautiful woman in the United Kingdom; but sadly her success, if measured by being visibly working or in the public eye was short-lived. She struggled with depression and alcohol abuse, and her health declined. In 1936, she suffered a complete mental breakdown and was institutionalized for nearly forty years; dying in 1973 at Holloway Sanatorium at the age of 90.
There are several other sites and blogs dedicated to the memory of Miss Ray and my intention is to share my small but growing collection of pictures and postcards with anyone who shares my interest. Reading about Miss Ray I was saddened that this lady, like many others before and since, after a brief moment in the sun they are soon forgotten. Hopefully as people view and enjoy this blog her memory will remain alive for a little longer.
I have started to write a short Biography about Miss Ray which I will try to update as frequently as possible. The Index page will show any updates under the Biography catagory.
I have also tried to link the various postcards and pictures to the plays in which Miss Ray appeared, however I realise, after several errors that this isn’t an easy task as many are decorative studio poses rather than production images. The individual Rotary, Philco and other publishers numbers are included with any description which should make searching for a particular card or ones from the same set easier. If I have made any glaring errors please feel free to let me know.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy my collection as much as I do.
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