Gibson Tableaux - April 1899

“Christ Church Cathedral schoolhouse was crowded to the doors last evening, the entertainment entitled ‘An Evening With Gibson’ proving a strong attraction. The whole affair proved not only decidedly enjoyable, but it had the additional charm of novelty.”

Hamilton Times.   April 07, 1899.

 It was an entertainment that was a first in Hamilton. A series of nineteen tableaux were presented on April 7, 1899, all based on the drawings of Charles Dana Gibson, one of the most widely popular illustrators of the day.

The tableaux were representations of Gibson’s artistry by one of more persons, suitably costumed and posed, and placed in an appropriate setting. The artist was responsible for the ‘Gibson Girls’ phenomenon, in which the subjects of his drawings were young, fashionably dressed men and women. The women characters in particular represented ‘the New Woman,’ in a time when feminist issues were becoming more and more the topics of conversation.

The Times reporter who attended the entertainment filed the following description of the event:

“. About forty young people took part in the tableaux, all of which went off without a hitch. The stage settings were very elaborate, and in design, admirably carried out the artist’s ideas in the way of backgrounds. Golf, yachting and cycling costumes, as well as evening dress, were all represented in the tableaux. A special feature was the remarkable fidelity in attitude and even facial expression to that prescribed by the pictures.

“ ‘Their Presence of Mind,’ strikingly showed a bride and groom intently doing nothing, it might be said, on being suddenly surprised, a few minutes after their arrival at their room in the hotel, by the entrance of the porter. ‘When Doctors Disagree’ was then one which introduced Cupid, the handsome little son of Manager Stair, of the Grand Opera House. The little fellow was attired in fleshlings and a pair of gauzy wings, which made him look very much like the God of Love. ‘The Only Pebble on the Beach’ gave Mr. Patterson an excellent opportunity of showing how lucky a youth may seem who has the proud distinction of being the only man at a fashionable watering place. ‘The Old Tune’ has a touch of pathos about it which was admirably brought out in the tableau, which showed a girl playing a violin, evidently for her aged father, while the lovemaking of a sister and her sweetheart seemingly attracted all the old man’s attention.

“The Misses Turner, as Judge and Soldier, in the tableau, illustrating the danger of Cupid becoming overlooked in the successful conclusion of woman’s struggle for an equal position, in all walks of life, with man, made a hit. In another, it was not difficult to discover a negative answer to the query re the everlasting necessity for a caddy in a golf game. ‘The Last Day of Summer’ was capitally put on, the appearance of a young couple seated on a bleak-looking beach, she sheltered from the wind with his coat, being very realistic. The ‘Extract From the Will’ was a capital portrayal of a family incident and a ‘schemer,’ in which is shown a young society girl telling her fiancée how cheaply they two can live on nothing. The concluding tableau, ‘The Night Before Her Wedding,’ was made more effective by the girls who made up the guests at a dinner given to a fair friend who is about to be married singing the old familiar chorus, slightly altered, ‘For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow.’

“That the audience highly appreciated the efforts of the performers was shown by the fact that every tableau had to be repeated.”¹

¹ “An Evening With Gibson.”

Hamilton Times.   April 07, 1899.

The Spectator was also highly complementary in its review of the Gibson tableaux :

“The entertainment, named An Evening With Gibson, was carried out skillfully in every way, and the very large audience evidently took great pleasure in the various pictures, nineteen in all. The stage was well-lighted, the various characters were appropriately costumed, the poses were most effective, and the accompanying stage appointments were all that could be desired. Each tableau was received with much applause and laughter and demanded twice.”²

² “A Gibson Evening : Delightful Entertainment Arranged By Young Ladies, Held in Christ Church Cathedral Schoolhouse : Number of Tableaux Illustrating the Work of Charles Dana Gibson, the Clever Young Artist : The Entertainment Was Well-Attended By a Large and Appreciative Audience.”

Hamilton Spectator.   April 07 , 1899.