First credited movie costume designer

The first costume designers to receive an on-screen credit were Helen Gardner (USA) and a "Madame Stippange", who are both named in the opening credits of Cleopatra (USA, 1912).

The film was the work of an independent production company called the Helen Gardner Picture Players, set up by former Vitagraph actress Helen Gardner in Tappan, New York. The company was unusual for its focus on feature-length productions at a time when most studios stuck to short films.

Cleopatra was based on a play written in 1890 by Victorien Sardou, which was translated and adapted for the screen by director Charles Gaskill. Although loosely based on the same historical events and personages, the film has nothing in common with the more famous 1963 Elizabeth Taylor film of the same name.

Helen Gardner's credit is for "Cleopatra's costume designed by" (in addition to her actor/producer credits), while Madame Stippange's credit is "Original costumes designed by". It is not clear who Madame Stippange was, as the name "Stippange" appears to be unique to the credits of this film, and doesn't seems to appear anywhere else either online or in print. It may have been a pseudonym, or else a misspelling of someone's name, either way it is not possible to connect this person to any known designer active during the period.