Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Bess begins


Here's an exciting find. The below is from the December 15, 1892 Brooklyn Daily Eagle reporting on a reception of the Coronet Yacht club at Tivoli Hall in Brooklyn. Among the entertainers that evening we see "Miss Bessie Raymond, soprano soloist."

I'm betting this is Bess a full two years before she became Mrs. Houdini. "Bessie Raymond" was the stage name she used for her solo singing act before and after her marriage. She was a Brooklyn resident and she was a Miss! In fact, she'd be only 16-years-old here.


Until this, the earliest mention we have of Bess as a performer (or Bess in general) is the June 22, 1894 "Risey in the Box" article from the New York Clipper which mentions her as a member of the "Floral Sisters, neat song and dance artistes." (Try as I might, I've never been able to find any mention of the act elsewhere.) But Bess' sister Marie talks about Bess performing as "Bessie Raymond" before this, and I think that's exactly what we have here.

Bess begins!

UPDATE: Just for clarity, the photo at the top of this post is not Bess in 1892. It's just the earliest picture of her I can find and is likely 1894.

Related:
at

5 comments:

  1. Michael PascoeApril 19, 2023 at 9:09 AM

    I always remember a separate picture of a dapper Houdini with a bowler hat I think. I had always assumed that those pictures were taken at the same time. But, by what you have stated John, I guess that's not true.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John CoxApril 19, 2023 at 12:26 PM

      They were taken at the same time. I'm just using the earliest pic of Bess I can find. I didn't mean to imply that's her in 1892.

      Delete
  2. Leo HeviaApril 19, 2023 at 10:11 AM

    Typo alert:

    became Mrs. Houdini. "Bessie Raymond" was the stage name she used for her solo (signing) act before and after her marriage.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 23, 2023 at 10:25 AM

    I wonder if "Harry Warren" could be the famous songwriter?

    ReplyDelete