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Constance Collier bookmark postcard

The main attraction of Edwardes’ musical comedies at the Gaiety and Daly’s theatres were the Gaiety Girls who formed the chorus. They were fashionable, elegant young ladies and not at all like the corseted actresses from the burlesques. Gaiety girls were polite, beautifully dressed and well-behaved young women, who were much sought after by the ‘stage door johnnies’ of the 1890s. They became a huge draw and a symbol of ‘ideal’ womanhood.

Mr Hayden Coffin in The Geisha

Gaiety Girls in The Geisha

Being able to sing was not the main talent needed to be a Gaiety Girl and Edwardes used a chorus of people from local church choirs hidden behind the scenery to swell the music.

Stage Door Johnnies

San Toy Diary

Gaiety Girls were seen dining in public at all the best restaurants, at Ascot and Henley and other such society occasions. Some made good marriages – a significant number into the aristocracy, including Gertie Millar who became Countess of Dudley and Rosie Boote, who became Marchioness of Headfort.

Gaiety Girls' souvenir programme

The Quaker Girl