In fact, brassieres or similar garments had been worn by various civilisations for 3,000 years. Romans wore a band of fabric to restrict their breasts, while the ancient Greeks preferred to accentuate their bosoms by tying a belt underneath their breasts. The more liberated Minoans, however, wore cloth garments to both enhance and reveal their assets.
In fact, the term brassiere, meaning ‘arm support’, was being used by manufacturers as early as 1904 but the mention in American Vogue put the word on the map and resulted in its inclusion in the 1911 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Following the successful Anti-Sweating exhibition of the previous year, the issue of sweated labour and low pay for homeworkers entered the debating chamber of the House of Commons. In 1907 after lengthy discussions, a Select Committee was set up to investigate the plight of homeworkers in the clothing industry.
A year after the advent of the perm, another new product was to revolutionise the hair styles of the future. French chemist Eugene Schueller came up with a formula for synthetic hair dye by modifying the ingredients used for fabric dye.
His new range of dyes, in gold red and dark shades, was called ‘Auréole’ and would form the foundation of the hugely successful cosmetic firm, L’Oréal. It was also the starting point for the entire hair dye industry.
The pioneering Lumière brothers launched a new process which would change the future of colour photography. The process, named Autochrome Lumière, involved taking three scenes through the primary colours – red, yellow and blue. The three negatives were then covered with sheets made from microscopic dots and a light shone from behind to produce a colour image.
At the same time, another innovative film-maker and founder of Universal Studios, Carl Laemmle, was attempting to create sound for films using phonographs. The experiments resulted in a process called ‘Syncroscope’, which was demonstrated a few times before it was dropped.
Russian-born scrap dealer Louis B. Mayer took over The Gem Theatre, a rundown burlesque venue in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in order to turn it into a picture house. On November 18, it reopened as The Orpheum. Despite being Jewish, Mayer chose a Christian film for the opening, to disassociate the theatre from its racy past. The success of The Orpheum led to a takeover of four more theatres in the district and a further expansion put him in control of New England’s largest theatre chain.
In 1916, Mayer formed his first production company and, eight years later, he joined forced with Marcus Loew, owner of Metro Pictures and Goldwyn Pictures, to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. As the effective head of MGM, Louis was one of the most influential figureheads in Twentieth Century cinema and was the creator of the ‘star system’ within the studio.
Five years after setting up his own studio, British cinema pioneer Will Barker bought his first sound stage and moved his entire operation from North London to West London. Ealing Studios was born and was set to establish Britain’s place in film-making history with such classics as Passport to Pimlico, The Blue Lamp and The Ladykillers.
Europe released its first full-length feature film, L’Enfant Prodigue (The Prodigal Son). The 90-minute film, directed by Michel Carré from his own three-act play, premiered at a Paris theatre on June 20.
Other films released this year included the first screen adaptation of Jules Verne’s novel 20,000 Lieues Sous les Mers (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and the first-ever Ben-Hur, made without the permission of author Lew Wallace. The subsequent successful court case by publisher Harper and Brothers, against Kalem Studios, was a landmark in copyright law.
US showbusiness magazine Variety began publishing film reviews for the first time in January, two years after its formation.
Inspired by the spectacular Folies Bergères show in Paris, impresario Florenz Ziegfeld conceived an elaborate Broadway production along the same lines, as a showcase for his wife, entertainer Anna Held. The Ziegfeld Follies opened on July 18, 1907, at New York’s Jardin de Paris.
The concept was to survive 30 years, continuing even after Ziegfeld’s death in 1934, and over the years would include such entertainers as W.C.Fields, Eddie Cantor, The Tiller Girls and Fanny Brice.
In ballet, Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova introduced the Dying Swan solo, choreographed for her by Michael Fokine. It was to become her most famous solo.
In London, a long-brewing row between music hall artists, stage hands and their employers finally boiled over at the Holborn Empire. The theatre’s staff walked out on January 22, sparking a strike in most London halls and many suburban venues, organised by the Variety Artists Federation. The ‘Music Hall War’, over the low pay received by all but the biggest stars, was supported by such luminaries as Marie Dainton, Arthur Roberts and Marie Lloyd.
Marie Lloyd explained her own support for the cause:
‘We (the stars) can dictate our own terms. We are fighting not for ourselves, but for the poorer members of the profession, earning thirty shillings to £3 a week. For this they have to do double turns, and now matinées have been added as well. These poor things have been compelled to submit to unfair terms of employment, and I mean to back up the federation in whatever steps are taken.’
The dispute ended in February with an agreement which included a minimum wage and a maximum working week for musicians.