Henry Dazian (May 3 1854-May 4, 1937) made a fortune providing costumes and stage materials for two generations of American actors and actresses. He was a trustee of the Actors Fund of America for 30 years. Dazian’s, the single name by which his theatrical emporium was known to generations, is still doing business. (It was once located two doors west of The Lambs’ clubhouse; today it is in South Hackensack, NJ). He was active for half a century and worked with other Lambs such as Augustine Daly, Charles and Daniel Frohman, Klaw and Erlanger, and Charles Dillingham. He supplied many costumes to the Follies.
Henry Dazian was born on Grant Street, Manhattan, attended local schools, and graduated from City College. Then he joined his father, Wolf Dazian, who had established the Dazian Theatrical Emporium on what is now Lafayette Street, in the 1830s. Soon after the outbreak of the Civil War the business moved to SoHo, and became Dazian and Sons. In 1878, a time when Union Square was the Mecca of theaters, the firm moved to the Fourth Avenue side of the Square above 15th Street. Henry was the oldest of Wolf Dazian’s three sons. Among the few of the hundreds of actors he dressed personally were Edwin Booth, E.L. Davenport, Lewis Aldrich, McKee Rankin, Richard Mansfield, and Helena Modjeska.
He was elected to The Lambs in 1906.
Dazian was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Opera House and he negotiated in Europe the terms of the first contract to bring Enrico Caruso to the United States.
He retired to Miami Beach, where he died at age 83 May 4, 1937. He left $50,000 to the Actors’ Fund of America, about $960,000 today.
Dazian and his two wives are interred in a beautiful mausoleum in the Larch section of Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx.