Thread: Bedlah origins

I've wondered this for ages, how did the bedlah come about?
I've looked about a bit and I've seen suggestions such as - it was created by Hollywood, it was created to appease westerner's oriental fantasies - inspired by Oriental art, or may have been influenced by Indian saris.....

Or is it just one of those 'what's the meaning of life' questions along with the 'What's the origin of belly dance'...lol

Anyway I'm really curious as to the bedlahs beginings! Is there anywhere a record of the first ever one being worn? Look forward to Bhuzzers thoughts!

Turkey was in the 30s influenced by the cabarets of Europe (think Moulin Rouge and such), and the dancers got some their more revealing and to our taste sometimes overly so costume inspirations through that route.

I don't think there is any evidence for its existence before the turn of the 20th century. So about a hundred years old, give or a take a decade or two.

Originally Posted by steffib

Turkey was in the 30s influenced by the cabarets of Europe (think Moulin Rouge and such), and the dancers got some their more revealing and to our taste sometimes overly so costume inspirations through that route.

That make's sense! Esp as some of the Turkish costumes seem a little more 'risque'!

Originally Posted by ssipes

I don't think there is any evidence for its existence before the turn of the 20th century. So about a hundred years old, give or a take a decade or two.

That's what I seemed to think.

I've read about Sol Bloom, Little Egypt and the world fair, was Little Egypt wearing a bedlah style costume? Is there any document of when it was first used in Egypt? And if some say it was a hollywood fantasy how did it end up being adopted by Egyptian dancers?

Didn't somebody on Bhuz write a formal dissertation about this topic?

Originally Posted by dollydaydream

That's what I seemed to think.

I've read about Sol Bloom, Little Egypt and the world fair, was Little Egypt wearing a bedlah style costume? Is there any document of when it was first used in Egypt? And if some say it was a hollywood fantasy how did it end up being adopted by Egyptian dancers?

From Wikipedia: Little Egypt was the stage name for two popular belly dancers. They had so many imitators, the name became synonymous with belly dancers generally.

Farida Mazar Spyropoulos, (c. 1871, date of death unknown), also performing under the stage name Fatima, appeared at the "Street in Cairo" exhibition on the Midway at the World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893.

Ashea Wabe danced at the Seeley banquet in New York in 1896, enjoying a fleeting succès de scandale.
This is Ashea Wabe - whaddya think? Bedlah? Bra/skirt set?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FUktaHZWiI]YouTube - Little Egypt[/ame]

Wowsers!!!

Oh! I know this one! The bedlah evolved from a beaded bra and belt costume worn by Maud Allan as Salome. Its an imitation of orientalist art. It's not really Middle Eastern at all. I mean, it is inspired by the Exotic East, but its not culturally based on anything specific.

Photo of Maud Allan as Salome

Originally Posted by isildriel

From Wikipedia: Little Egypt was the stage name for two popular belly dancers. They had so many imitators, the name became synonymous with belly dancers generally.

Farida Mazar Spyropoulos, (c. 1871, date of death unknown), also performing under the stage name Fatima, appeared at the "Street in Cairo" exhibition on the Midway at the World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893.

Ashea Wabe danced at the Seeley banquet in New York in 1896, enjoying a fleeting succès de scandale.
This is Ashea Wabe - whaddya think? Bedlah? Bra/skirt set?

Yes I'd deft say that's a two- piece going on there! I didn't realise there was more than one Little Egypt!

Ezma , that footage is awesome! I have seen that a while ago and had forgotten about it.
There's also some great footage on utube of Casino Badia with Tahia Carioca as one of the dancer's.

Originally Posted by _Kepi_

Oh! I know this one! The bedlah evolved from a beaded bra and belt costume worn by Maud Allan as Salome. Its an imitation of orientalist art. It's not really Middle Eastern at all. I mean, it is inspired by the Exotic East, but its not culturally based on anything specific.

Photo of Maud Allan as Salome

Thanks for posting! I had read about the Salome connection. Great picture.


Satin, wow someone wrote a dissertation on the subject - awesome! Sound's interesting.

More!More! Who else has turn-of-the-century costume photos?

Hey I just realized that Spyropoulos is a Greek name - Little Egypt, the first AmCab dancer was Greek? I gotta tell Helena this - she probably knows, but still - !!!!

I wrote a history paper for my college class about bellydance in America from 1893 up to the 70s. It has loads of information about this exact subject. It's like about 11 or 12 pages and is kinda amaturish since I'm no professional, but it's well researched. I'll post it for ya'll if you want. :) I can also reccommend some good sources. Donna Carlton's Looking for Little Egypt is excellent. It was a big source of info for my paper.

From what I know, the Egyptian movie industry was influenced by Hollywood. And, several of the Golden Era bellydance stars were featured in Egyptian movies. So, there is at least one connection between Hollywood and the costumes worn by the Golden Era dancers.

some of my favorite orientalist pictures, these are paintings by european artists and other westerners that wanted to present middle eastern culture in a way that westerners would like and understand, which was pale, western standards of beauty and often scantily clad. VERY ethnocentric but still beautiful.


orientalist pictures pictures by Xantastic - Photobucket

there is one photo I'm trying to find. It's a picture of three egyptian dancers from the 1893 columbian exposition. They are standing there with their arms around each other and they look just so fantastic. I have spent so much time staring at that photo. It is very inspiring to me. I saw it in the book Looking for Little Egypt but I'm having trouble finding it online. I will post it if I do.

idk if this will work but I think this allowed me to upload my history paper. here is a link to it
ZohoViewer - final draft.docx

Originally Posted by _Kepi_

there is one photo I'm trying to find. It's a picture of three egyptian dancers from the 1893 columbian exposition. They are standing there with their arms around each other and they look just so fantastic. I have spent so much time staring at that photo. It is very inspiring to me. I saw it in the book Looking for Little Egypt but I'm having trouble finding it online. I will post it if I do.

idk if this will work but I think this allowed me to upload my history paper. here is a link to it
ZohoViewer - final draft.docx

I think I know the picture. Check through the vintage art links on Yasmina's site:Vintage Belly Dance Photos

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I love this photo/postcard.
Many of the girls appear to wear little vests over what I assume were light cotton "shirt/blouses". I wonder if they might also have been inspiration. OK you blouse might be slightly sheer then let's be daring and leave out the blouse then we we get to the night club let's get glamourous. I am sure Hollwood costumes and early 20th cheesecake also did inspire nightclub wear to some exptent.
I have heard that Indian choli tops baring the belly might have had some influence but I am not at all sure about that one.

That photo is fantastic! It looks similar to the egyptian theatre at the Chicago World's Fair but I'm not sure if it's the same. Those costumes/dancers inspired more seedy hoochy-coochy dancers.

Indian choli's were absolutely influential. Ruth St. Denis wore Indian inspired costumes.

Read my paper. It'll lay down the knowledge. Its only like 3,500 words, but its good. I got an A on it.

Originally Posted by _Kepi_

there is one photo I'm trying to find. It's a picture of three egyptian dancers from the 1893 columbian exposition. They are standing there with their arms around each other and they look just so fantastic. I have spent so much time staring at that photo. It is very inspiring to me. I saw it in the book Looking for Little Egypt but I'm having trouble finding it online. I will post it if I do.

idk if this will work but I think this allowed me to upload my history paper. here is a link to it
ZohoViewer - final draft.docx

Awesome! Thanks!


Great postcard Lizaj! That reminds me -I watched a doc a while ago about a french guy at the turn of the century who took colour photo's I'm sure he had footage and photo's of dancers. Will investigate later!


Also on utube there is photo's from a French world fair if you search - 'exposition universelle 1889: rue du claire & les almees' ......At about 3.30 in there are sketches and photos of dancers, there is an American lady narrating - she describes the dancers - I guess she's narrating someone's account of the fair, it's really interesting - would link if I could...hint hint lol

Originally Posted by _Kepi_

Read my paper. It'll lay down the knowledge. Its only like 3,500 words, but its good. I got an A on it.

Would love to! Well done for getting an A!






Awesome info everyone! thanks!.... :)

Link didn't work :(

lets try this
final draft.docx

nope. try this one
Upload Files, MP3, Music. Free File Hosting To Share Files

The first link worked for me, yesterday (7/29/10)

Kepi, look for a PM from me.

Originally Posted by dollydaydream

That reminds me -I watched a doc a while ago about a french guy at the turn of the century who took colour photo's I'm sure he had footage and photo's of dancers. Will investigate later!

That was Albert Kahn. There was footage of Ouled Nail dancers in that documentary, don't remember any belly dance or bedlah though. :(

Is this the Paris 1889 Exposition clip you meant? [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yftSkqGDlfM]YouTube - Exposition Universelle 1889: Rue du Caire & les Almees[/ame]
I couldn't see a credit for the voice over content i.e. whether that was a contemporary account or something written for the film. Anyway, the dancers were such a hit they took them to the next World's Fair (Chicago 1893).

French take on "belly dancer" costume 1895 - this is La Goulue the can-can dancer outside her bellydance dance hall (which failed).

It's still a vest over a top, similar to the Expo dancers, but a bit more playing up the expanse of midriff IMO. Getting there. Add Mata Hari and Maud Allen and you're pretty much there. By the 1920's Josephine Baker is topless on stage in Paris so in some cases (probably those with a foreign "exotic" schtick) nekkid flesh in an aspiring cosmopolitan nightclub might be perceived as dead sophisticated.

Originally Posted by LiesaB.

The first link worked for me, yesterday (7/29/10)

Yay I got it now! Think it was my pc - (well a friends borrowed pc - and it crashed - again!) But got it now!

Thanks Kepi :)