Hi Karen,
You're in luck! 1898 is a relatively easy silhouette to accomplish. For the women, a long, solid-colored full skirt and a long-sleeved, white cotton blouse with a high neck will do. Have the girls put their hair up if they can and put some sort of small hat, fascinator, or ornament in their hair. Help sell their characters by choosing colors (depending on what you have) that will support them. Don't put either of them in red or fuchsia. Pick a pastel for the sweet young thing and a neutral for the suffragette.
For the men, don't worry too much about the nuances of difference in men's suits between 1898 and today. If you can get your male characters in waistcoats, jackets, and dark pants, that will work just fine. Historically, the men wouldn't be without their jackets in the company of women, but I have ignored this etiquette in the past whenever I'm trying to convey something about a character (or didn't have a jacket that fit.) Have your upper class men in grey or black. The Bulter should wear a black suit if you can swing it.
For the Egyptian servant, nurse, and gypsy thief, I'd do a quick google image search since photography existed in 1898, and nothing beats a primary source. Pick a detail or two from headwear (hats sell looks!) and take note of the general silhouette. Use colors that help sell the psychology of the character (bright/dramatic/dull/fading into the background/etc.) Don't stress too much!
I'm attaching a link to a show I did that was set in 1904--The men's suits are modern suits pulled from stock except for two that I built: the sailor and the plaid Norfolk suit. I'm including this so you can see that modern pieces can blend pretty seamlessly in with costume pieces if you keep a close eye on the details.
Some photos of a show set in 1904mixing custom builds & Goodwill finds:
https://www.oconnormainstage.com/helpless-doorknobHere's a site that sells clothing, but I use it as a reference too because it has great information and images to help understand what people wore:
Victorian OutfitsBest of luck!
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Meg O'Connor
oconnormainstage.com
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-11-2018 18:47
From: Karen Fairbank
Subject: Who Walks in the Dark
1898 in <g class="gr_ gr_130 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="130" data-gr-id="130">Upperclass</g> household in England with a maid, nurse, Egyptian servant, gypsy thief, two 20 something daughters, one of whom is a suffragette and the other a sweet young thing, their father, a doctor and a lover for the young <g class="gr_ gr_138 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation multiReplace" id="138" data-gr-id="138">daughter..</g>Yes, goodwill and our stock.
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Karen Fairbank
Director, eighth grade play
Thomas Jefferson School
St. Louis MO
Original Message:
Sent: 12-11-2018 17:18
From: Meg O'Connor
Subject: Who Walks in the Dark
I'm sorry don't know this play, but I do a lot of costuming and might be able to give some help if I knew a few things:
Is it set in Victorian times? Edwardian? Modern? Or is it more abstracted?
Are these characters upper/middle/lower class? A mix?
Do you have any stock to pull from? Is this a "goodwill and actor closets" kind of deal?
Does your school library have Shirley Dearing's "Elegantly Frugal Costumes"? It's a great quick-and-dirty guide to costuming, approximating historical silhouettes, and adding a few crucial details, but does not require advanced technical skills.
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Meg O'Connor
oconnormainstage.com
Original Message:
Sent: 12-11-2018 15:58
From: Karen Fairbank
Subject: Who Walks in the Dark
I'm looking for costuming ideas for this play by Tim Kelly of the Bram <g class="gr_ gr_67 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Style multiReplace" id="67" data-gr-id="67">Stoker novel</g>. Especially the women. Has anyone produced this play?
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Karen Fairbank
Director, eighth grade play
Thomas Jefferson School
St. Louis MO
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