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The role of Arline in Michael William Balfe’s The Bohemian Girl was a standard part of Emma Abbott’s repertoire. In this black and white photograph of her 1882 performance, she stands with feet slightly apart looking directly at the camera. Her hair is braided and wound in a bun on the top of her head. In her right hand, she carries a tambourine decorated with multi-colored ribbons. She wears a short-sleeved velvet jacket, snug at the waist, which ends at mid-hip. Round metal pieces, about the size of a quarter, hang from the bottom of the jacket and the sleeves. The jacket is also decorated with large white embroidered designs. The skirt ends about three inches below her knees, showing her laced leather boots. The skirt is boldly decorated with large white embroidered shapes reminiscent of snowflakes. Above these shapes is a wide band of simple black designs -- a snake and the letter “V” can be seen. A length of paisley fabric is angled around the top of the skirt below the jacket. She is posing before a stage backdrop of a mountain scene. Painted boulders appear at the bottom edge, to her left. What might be fallen leaves are piled just behind the place where she stands.
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