#c215 $1,200
Ivory wool jacket from the estate of Lulu Glaser, c.1900
Here is a stunning piece of theatrical and fashion history from 100 years ago! The jacket, fashioned from ivory wool, has a pretty pale blue collar and cuffs and sleeve tabs outlined with multiple rows of top stitching. The carrick-style sleeve capes, jaunty brass buttons, and braided trim suggest military influence. I love the wide back pleat.
In a review in The New York Clipper on 9/29/1894, the actress Lulu Glaser, then appearing in The Lion Tamer, was described as "pretty, graceful and full of vivacity without being in the least hoydenish. She sings acceptably and contributes zest to every scene in which she participates."
The popular American actress was at the peak of fame when the pictures below were taken. The picture on the left shows Glaser as Rita in The Chieftain in 1894. The picture on the right was taken around 1900 for the Guinea Gold Cigarette card series. Glaser made her last stage appearance in 1917, retiring to seclusion on her Connecticut estate.
After her retirement, most of the clothing from her fabulous wardrobe was packed away for decades in trunks. The actress favored special creations from Stern Brothers as well as French imports. This beautifully detailed military-style jacket from her personal wardrobe has the flair and dash you would expect from a famous theatrical beauty.
The condition is almost excellent. It has just faint soiling along the fold of the collar.
It measures: 40" circumference, 24" sleeve length, and 29" from the shoulder to the front hem.
