Leona Lewis, ‘The Little Gem,’ New York, circa 1895

Leona Lewis (active 1884-1898), American soprano and vaudeville serio-comic singer, billed as ‘The Little Gem’
(photo: Schloss, New York, circa 1896; cigarette card issued with Ogden’s Guinea Gold cigarettes, England, circa 1900)

London Theatre, New York, week beginning Monday, 18 April 1892
‘Manager John A. Flynn contemplated the two packed houses on Monday, April 18, drawn by his attraction, the London Gaiety Girls, with an expansive smile. The company is composed of very good burlesque and variety talent, giving a performance well calculated to please all. The opening sketch ”The Artist and the Model,” introduced Lida Gardner, May Smilox, Louise Llewellyn, Jessie May, Billy Arnold, Dan McAvoy and John Thompson. Then followed this olio: Mabel Hart, serio comic; Griff Williams, in a banjo act; Joe La Flower, in a good pyramid act; Lida Gardner, character changes; La Salle and Vedder, agile skirt and Spanish dancers; Leona Lewis, the pleasing little soubrette, with songs; McAvoy and May, in a funny sketch; the Mendoza sisters, in their trapeze act, and Walter P. Keen (late of Marion and Keen) in character songs. The burlesque, ”The Stolen Princess,” by the entire company, with fine scenery and costumes, concluded the jollification. Mr. Flynn has three weeks booked ahead, and will undoubtedly quit a winner. Next week, the Rentz-Stanley Co.’
(New York Clipper, New York, Saturday, 23 April 1892, p. 102b)

‘MRS. GRIFF WILLIAMS (Leona Lewis) presented her husband with a girl baby Oct. 30 [1893]. Mr. Williams joined the Billy Plimmer show Nov. 6 for a two weeks’ engagement.’
(New York Clipper, New York, Saturday, 11 November 1893, p. 576d)

‘Variety and Minstrelsy …
‘LEONA LEWIS will shortly appear at both of Mr. proctor’s houses in her repertory of new songs… .’
‘GRIFF WILLIAMS informs us that he was granted a divorce from Leona Lewis on March 25 [1896], at Boston, Mass.’
(New York Clipper, New York, Saturday, 11 April 1896, p. 85e)

‘LEONA LEWIS
‘Was born in New York City in 1875, and began her stage career when nine years old, singing in German opera at the Oriental Theatre, this city. During the five following years she sang in a church choir, as leading soprano, and filled a number of engagements at concerts, singing operatic selections and high class sentimental ballads, her favorite songs at that time having been ”Farewell, Marguerite” and ”The Song that Reached My Heart.” Her first appearance upon the vaudeville stage occurred at the old National Theatre, about six years ago. She met with a very encouraging reception. She afterwards secured engagements whereby she appeared at the Windsor, the Union Square and the Fourteenth Street Theatres, in this city. At the age of sixteen she joined Flynn’s London Gaiety Girls, and played the principal soubrette roles with that organization for two years and a half. After that time she played dates for a while, one of her engagements, at the Lyceum Theatre, Boston, Mass., where she became a great favorite, continuing for eight weeks. In 1894 she joined ”The Colonel and I,” and remained with that company six months, playing the principal feminine roles. Following this engagement she was obliged to retired from the stage on account of illness, and did not sing for almost a year. With recovered health she began playing dates, and since that time she has filled highly successful engagements at Proctor’s houses, the Central Opera House, the various roof gardens, the London, Miner’s, and, in fact, many of the best vaudeville houses in and around this city. She is at present a member of the ”Zero” Co. She has had flattering offers to appear in farce comedy next season, but has decided to remain in the vaudeville field. Miss Lewis has been endowed by nature with an excellent voice and with other gifts that have been valuable aids to her success. She is petite and pretty, winsome in voice and manner, and, to crown all, is dainty and magnetic.’
(New York Clipper, New York, Saturday, 24 October 1896, p. 533e, with engraved portrait)

‘LEONA LEWIS has proved a valuable addition to Joe Oppenheimer’s forces in ”Zero.” Her speciality is favorably commented on, and she has had several good offers from well known managers for next season. Miss Lewis has written the music to her new song, ”The Dainty Little Maiden,” which she is singing.’
(New York Clipper, New York, Saturday, 28 November 1896, p. 616d)

‘Vaudeville and Minstrel.
‘LEONA LEWIS is advancing rapidly to the front in her singing specialty. She filled a successful return date at Hammerstein’s Olympia week of March 8 [1897]; is a feature at the Howard Athenæum, Boston, this week, and a ”head liner” at Gibbs’ Music Hall, Buffalo, this week. Her repertory of songs includes ”Little Willie Knows His Little Book,” ”Isn’t it Nice to be in Love,” ”Take Back Your Gold” and ”Mamie Reilly,” all of which she renders with admirable effect. A novel telegram sent by Manager Hill, of the Grand Opera House, Boston, to Monroe H. Rosenfeld, incidental to Miss Lewis’ engagement, reads as follows: ”She captured the ladies, also the men; a pronounced ‘hit’ was ‘The Little Gem.””
(New York Clipper, New York, Saturday, 27 March 1897, p. 55c)

‘KOSTER & BIAL’S [New York]. – The roof garden at this resort was crowded Aug. 22 [1898] … Leona Lewis, a magnetic little comedienne, made her appearance and found herself among hosts of friends. She met with her usual big success.’
(New York Clipper, New York, Saturday, 27 August 1898, p. 424c)

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Adelaide Early’s butterfly dance, New York, 1890s

Adelaide Early (active 1890s), American vaudeville dancer, whose costume in this photograph was clearly inspired by one of Loie Fuller‘s butterfly dances. (cabinet photo: Schloss, 467 and 470 Fifth Avenue, New York, 1890s)

Mignon Villars

Mignon Villars (fl. late 19th Century)
American showgirl/actress
(photo: Schloss, New York, late 1890s)

This real photograph cigarette card was issued in England about 1900 in one of Ogden’s Guinea Gold series.

Clara Lipman

Clara Lipman (1869-1952),
American actress and singer
(photo: Schloss, New York, mid 1890s)

Husband and wife, Louis Mann and Clara Lipman in The Laughing Girl, on a tour of the United States, December 1893
‘Miss Clara Lipman and Louis Mann in the Laughing Girl.
‘Miss Clara Lipman, who scored a decided hit in Incog, will assume the role of Gertrude in the Laughing Girl, which will be produced at the Barton [Fresno, California] Thursday evening, December 7th [1893], in conjunction with Louis Mann and a competent company.
‘San Francisco Post says: ”Miss Clara Lipman is a beautiful actress and what is more acts naturally and well. She won her way to the hearts of the audience at once. She is probably one of the best looking women on the stage.”’
(The Fresno Bee, Fresno, California, Sunday, 3 December 1893, p. 4c)

‘The Laughing Girl.
‘A Highly Amused Audience Laughed With Her.
‘A fair size audience was The Laughing Girl at the Barton last night. Considerable interest was attached to the production because of its author, Mrs. D.F. Verdenal, who is the mother of Mrs. Colonel Forsyth of this city.
‘Mrs. Verdenal proved her ability as a play writer some time ago and this, her latest play, is very creditable. It abounds in funny situations and has considerable witty dialogue. The audience was a very appreciative one and did not stint its applause. ‘Louis Mann was very amusing as Professor Hauseman, the bashful lover, and received the lion’s share of the applause. Miss Clara Lipman, as Gertrude Sanders, the laughing girl, made the best of her role. The support was fair.
‘The curtain raiser, The Day After the Wedding, was very much enjoyed.’
(The Fresno Morning Republican, Fresno, California, Friday, 8 December 1893, p. 3f)

Bertha Waltzinger (1870-1927), American actress and vocalist

Bertha Waltzinger (1870-1927), American actress and vocalist
(photo: J. Schloss, New York, 1894)

The Bertha Waltzinger Company at Foster’s Opera House, Des Moines, Iowa, May 1897
‘The Tar and the Tartar.
‘The Bertha Waltzinger company played at Foster’s opera house last night in The Tar and the Tartar [Adam Itzel, jr.’s comic opera, first produced in 1891 with Helen Bertram]. Miss Waltzinger has a pleasing voice and the high notes are easily reached and the key held without difficulty by her. Her voice grows greater in volume as it goes up the scale. George Boniface, Jr., as Muley Hussan, is a comedian who would do better on the vaudeville stage as he possesses talent in that direction which cannot be well developed in operatic roles. His voice last night was bad on account of a severe cold. He made a hit when he remarked as the big Arab chief came on in the last act: “Hully Gee, I guess he must be from Grinnell, too.”
‘The company includes Miss Bertha Waltzinger, a prima donna, of extensive reputation. George C. Boniface, is equally well known. Adel Estee is a clever soubrette. David Torrence is the popular baritone. Miss Blanche Chapman an artist long and favorably known as a creator of eccentric characters, and others of equal importance.
‘The chorus contains twenty-five voices and is quite an attractive feature of this company’s performance. The costumes were new and quite pleasing.’
(The Daily Iowa Capital, Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday, 29 May 1897, p.2e)

The Abbott Sisters (fl. late 19th Century), American duettists

Abbott Sisters (fl. late 19th Century), American duettists
(photo: J. Schloss, New York, 1894)

The Abbott Sisters with Albert Chevalier’s Company at the Columbia Theatre, Brooklyn, week beginning 2 November 1896
‘Chevalier will get his introduction to Brooklyn at the Columbia next week and will sing his best known coster songs. In his company are the Abbott sisters, the American singers who made a hit [at the Palace Theatre of Varieties, Cambridge Circus] in London last season.’
(The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Friday, 30 October 1896, p.7a)

‘Albert Chevalier, the London coster singer, will make his first appearance in Brooklyn this week at the Columbia theater. Chevalier is notable among music hall entertainers for the really artistic character of his impersonation. He has humor, of course, or he could never had succeeded on the stages on which he first made his fame. But his humor is restrained by a fine sense of art and his personations show an acting ability of a high order. Had he been an American he would, no doubt, have been a character comedian like [James A. ] Herne or [William H.] Thompson or Frank Mayo. But the London music halls offer a much wider scope than do our variety houses and furnish audiences which our variety theaters, outside of two or three in New York which have developed very recently, never see. In that city his coster sketches were as highly appreciated in a twenty minute turn as they would have been here in a three act play, and with them he made a success which is likely to keep him permanently on the music hall boards. He has been in American about a year now, during which time his vogue has been steadily growing and his songs have run all over the country. A Chevalier song, though, in the hands of another singer, is like inferior photographs of a pretty woman. No one knows the charm until he has seen the original. During his week at the Columbia Mr. Chevalier will sing the songs which are most widely known, “My Old Dutch,” “Tick Tock,” “The Future Mrs. ‘Awkins,” “The Coster’s Song,” “The Little Nipper,” and others. He will be supported by a company of English entertainers whom he brought to this country because they were drawingroom sings at home and were somewhat different in style from the variety stage performers with whom we are familiar. The only Americans in the party art the Abbott sisters, two girls whose home is in Brooklyn and who made a hit in London last summer with their songs to mandolin accompaniment. They were popular on this side before they went abroad but now that the novelty and freshness of their work have impressed London they will be better liked at home. It is always pleasant to have one’s judgment confirmed by people of wide experience. Other members of the Chevalier company are Mr. Charles Bertram, Mr. Harry Atkinson, Mr. Cyrus Dare, Mr. Harry Brett and Miss Nora Girton.’
(The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Sunday, 1 November 1896, p.24a/b)

Marie Halton

Marie Halton (b.1873), American actress and singer (photo: J. Schloss, New York, late 1890s)

This real photograph cigarette card of Marie Halton from one of the Ogden’s Guinea Gold Cigarettes series was published in England about 1900.

Marie Halton (b.1873), American actress and singer (photo: J. Schloss, New York, late 1890s)

This real photograph cigarette card of Marie Halton from one of the Ogden’s Guinea Gold Cigarettes series was published in England about 1900.