Trilbyana or Trilby-Mania was the fashion for things based on the story Trilby by George du Maurier. [1] This was especially popular during the 1890s. [2] The works included burlesques, cartoons, movies, parodies, plays, sketches and tableaux. [3]
Written in 1894 by George du Maurier, the novel Trilby is about the life of fictional artist's model Trilby O'Ferrall. The story details her life, appearance, interactions with others, her singing voice, and how she gains the love of three artists in Paris. The story gained immense popularity in the United States at the turn of the 20th century.
New technologies in printing and distribution led to widespread reading across the United States in the 19th century. Illustrated books were extremely popular forms of entertainment.” [4]
Du Maurier’s novel sold astonishingly well. [5] Harpers Weekly serialized the story and it ran for eight months before being published as novel in September of 1894. The novels popularity led to a “Trilby Boom,” in America. [4] The novel sold over one hundred thousand copies with in the first few months of publishing. [4]
Harper's Weekly purchased the full rights to the book, allowing them to pay royalties to the author and receive a larger profit. In 1895 a second edition of the novel was published, one with large reproductions of paper sketches created by du Maurier. The images were so popular an exhibition was held to display them. According to Joseph Benson Gilder's Trilbyana the drawings were originally purchased to recreated for the book then placed on exhibition. [6] Benson Gilder noted in his review of the fad includes a short interview regarding the value of the drawings in the novel. The drawings were valued at about $50 apiece. The total set of drawings was $6,000. [6]
The popularity of the pictures and the story resulted in many companies reproducing of the images to create new projects, causing Harpers Weekly to fight many cases about copyright infringement. [4]
One of the most popular uses of Trilby was in theater. Many different playhouses and troupes put on plays about Trilby, including reproductions of the novel and satire.
In 1895 the Garden Theater in New York held a showing of Mr. Paul M. Potter's dramatized version of Trilby. The show was so popular people were turned away from the full playhouse. [6]
Actress Miss Dorothea Baird was skyrocketed to fame because of her role as Trilby. She was celebrated mainly for her feet. In 1895 an American newspaper published an article about the "exact size of the foot of Miss Dorothy Baird…. A perfect Trilby foot." [7] An outline of Baird's foot was included; the caption extolled the greatness of her feet. [4] The play ran for many years with Baird as the lead.
Parodies were created by popular American artists. John Sloan's (1871–1951) performance in the parody Twilbe with artist Frank Walter Taylor (1874–1921) depicts both men dressed as women while posing for the camera. This burlesque parody echoed Trilby's affinity for cross-dressing in the novel. [8] G. W. Dillingham a publishing house released, Drilby Re-versed, written by Leopold Jordan, an illustrated parody of du Maurier's original story. A skit titled Billtry by Mary Kyle Dallas was published and sold as well. [9]
Trilby was an extremely popular novel that integrated itself into popular culture of the United States; being expressed in toys, foods, and many other items aside from theater.
Trilby was introduced into aspects of daily life as well as entertainment. Trilby parties were held in private estates, one party detailed by Jenkins was an all-male party that consisted of sad songs and readings about history and hypnotism respectively. [4] There were ice cream bars shaped like feet and even a Trilby sausage. [4] " [10] There were even shoe stores in Southern Virginia selling Trilby branded shoe polish. [11] Other products include fashionable clothing similar to what Trilby wore, jewelry, hearth brushes, dolls and other toys. Harper & Bros. produced many toys and costumes that attributed to the popularization of Trilby. [4]
A 1915 article, The Day of Trilybisms, reflects on the Trilbyana product production. [12] The other products that were developed with during the phase including cufflinks, gumdrops, chocolate, ice-cream sundaes with nuts, scarf pins, and pins of golden feet. [12]
The integration of Trilby into daily life led to many men and women changing their lifestyles and style of dress to match the story. This caused many discussions about the morals of the main characters and social propriety. Gilder Benson's reflection on the novel includes a small conversation between two women regarding the morals of Trilby. [6]
The two young women in the conversation are far removed from the popular playhouses in New York, as they live in Indiana, but have read the novel. Though they acknowledge the negative opinions about the story they find no fault in it.
Trilby also practices cross dressing throughout the novel. When she is first introduced to the story, she is wearing a men’s military coat over a dress. Trilby’s cross-dressing allowed her to be regarded as an icon of popular culture. This popularity of Trilby's style of dress led young women to also wear military coats over dresses to events. [4]
The story of Trilby also ignited a wide range of interest in artists models across the United States. Many articles about models were titled using terms like "real life Trilby." Many models were unhappy with the attention. An 1895 Wichita Daily Eagle article proved that many professional models were unhappy with the limelight caused by Trilby and began to withdraw from the profession or decline certain poses. One model Miss Arabella Gold left the profession altogether due to this fad. [13]
Religious figures also spoke against Trilby and Trilbyana. Rev. H. M. Sanders denounced popular culture stating plays had become immoral and an inappropriate form of entertainment. [14] The article also notes that the theatrical production was also held in at least one church, another form of improper conduct according to the Rev, H. M. Sanders. [14]
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather George du Maurier was a writer and cartoonist.
George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in Punch and a Gothic novel Trilby, featuring the character Svengali. His son was the actor Sir Gerald du Maurier. The writers Angela du Maurier and Daphne du Maurier and the artist Jeanne du Maurier were all granddaughters of George. He was also father of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and grandfather of the five boys who inspired J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan.
Trilby is a sensation novel by George du Maurier and one of the most popular novels of its time. Published serially in Harper's New Monthly Magazine from January to August 1894, it was published in book form on 8 September 1894 and sold 200,000 copies in the United States alone. Trilby is set in the 1850s in an idyllic bohemian Paris. Though Trilby features the stories of two English artists and a Scottish artist, one of the most memorable characters is Svengali, a rogue, masterful musician and hypnotist.
A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain and was frequently seen at the horse races.
Svengali is a character in the novel Trilby which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a Jewish man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer.
Rebecca is a 1938 Gothic novel by the English author Daphne du Maurier. It depicts an unnamed young woman who impetuously marries a wealthy widower, before discovering that both he and his household are haunted by the memory of his late first wife, the title character.
Author, Author is a novel by David Lodge, written in 2004. The book is based on the life of the author Henry James. It was released at about the same time as The Master by Colm Tóibín and other books about James, and Lodge wrote The Year of Henry James: The Story of a Novel about this. Lodge populates his novel with several of the most famous figures of English literature from the time of the book's setting in the late nineteenth century.
Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier was an English actor and manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. In 1903, he married the actress Muriel Beaumont, with whom he had three daughters: writers Angela du Maurier (1904–2002) and Dame Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), and painter Jeanne du Maurier (1911–1997). His popularity was due to his subtle and naturalistic acting: a "delicately realistic style of acting that sought to suggest rather than to state the deeper emotions". His Times obituary said of his career: "His parentage assured him of engagements in the best of company to begin with; but it was his own talent that took advantage of them."
The word grisette has referred to a French working-class woman from the late 17th century and remained in common use through the Belle Époque era, albeit with some modifications to its meaning. It derives from gris and refers to the cheap grey fabric of the dresses these women originally wore. The 1694 edition of the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française described a grisette as simply "a woman of lowly condition". By the 1835 edition of the dictionary, her status had risen somewhat. She was described as:
...a young working woman who is coquettish and flirtatious.
Svengali is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Archie Mayo. The film stars John Barrymore and Marian Marsh. It is based on the 1894 George du Maurier novel Trilby and was among the many film adaptations of the book. The film was shot from January 12 to February 21, 1931. On its release in the United States, Svengali received some positive reviews but did not perform well at the box office.
Peter Ibbetson is a 1935 American black-and-white drama/fantasy film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Gary Cooper and Ann Harding. The film is loosely based on the 1891 novel of the same name by George du Maurier. A tale of a love that transcends all obstacles, it relates the story of two youngsters who are separated in childhood and then drawn together by destiny years later. Even though they are separated in real life because Peter is unjustly convicted of murder, they discover they can dream themselves into each other's consciousness while asleep. In this way, they live out their lives together. The transitions between reality and fantasy are captured by the cinematography of Charles Lang, as discussed in the documentary Visions of Light (1992).
Muriel Beaumont, Lady du Maurier was an English stage actress from 1898 until retiring in 1910. She was the wife of the actor and manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and mother of the writers Angela du Maurier and Daphne du Maurier and artist Jeanne du Maurier.
Elmer Chickering (1857–1915) was a photographer specializing in portraits in Boston, Massachusetts, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He kept a studio on West Street, and photographed politicians, actors, athletes and other public figures such as Kyrle Bellew, John Philip Sousa, Sarah Winnemucca, Edmund Breese, and the Boston Americans.
Svengali is a 1954 British drama film directed and written by Noel Langley and starring Hildegard Knef, Donald Wolfit and Terence Morgan. It was based on the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier. Svengali hypnotises an artist's model into becoming a great opera singer, but she struggles to escape from his powers. It was distributed in the United States by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Svengali is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Gennaro Righelli and starring Paul Wegener, Anita Dorris and André Mattoni. It was produced and written by Max Glass, an adaptation of the 1894 George du Maurier novel Trilby. This is one of the adaptations of the novel that shifts the focus of the story more to Svengali, since at this time anti-Semitism was on the rise in Germany, and Svengali was portrayed as an evil Jew in the film.
Joseph Farren Soutar, was an English actor and singer who became known for his performances in Edwardian Musical Comedies in the West End and on Broadway. Later he acted in some serious plays. His mother was Nellie Farren, the famous principal boy in Victorian burlesque.
Trilby is a stage play by Paul M. Potter based on the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier. In the play, a young Irish woman, Trilby O'Ferrall, falls under the control of Svengali, who uses hypnosis to make her abandon her fiancé and become a singer.
Trilby is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Wilton Lackaye, Clara Kimball Young, and Paul McAllister. It is an adaptation of the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier. The film's sets were designed by art director Ben Carré.
"Ben Bolt" is a sentimental ballad with lyrics derived from a poem by Thomas Dunn English. It enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the English-speaking world during the nineteenth century.
Trilby; or, The Fairy of Argyll is an 1822 literary fairy tale novella by French author Charles Nodier (1780–1844). In it, a Scottish household spirit falls in love with the married woman of the house, who at first has him banished, then misses him, and eventually returns his love, both of them dying at the end. It was a popular work of the Romantic movement, published in multiple editions and translations. It also gave birth to adaptations as multiple ballets, including La Sylphide, and Trilby, and the opera The Mountain Sylph, some of which only retained the basic idea of love between a fairy and a Scottish peasant, but otherwise greatly diverged from the original plot.