Female impersonation

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Female impersonation is a type of theatrical performance where a man dresses in women's clothing for the sole purpose of entertaining an audience. [1] While the term female impersonator is sometimes used interchangeably with drag queen, they are not the same. Drag as an art form is associated with queer identity whereas female impersonation may come from a wide a range of gender identity paradigms, including heteronormativity. Additionally, many drag artists view drag as a lived form of self-expression or creativity, and perceive drag as something that is not limited to the stage or to performance. In contrast, female impersonation is specifically limited to performance and may or may not involve an LGBTQI point of view. [1]

Contents

History of female impersonation

Ancient Greece

The concept of drag can be seen in the earliest forms of entertainment, including Ancient Greek theatre. In ancient western cultures, women often were not allowed to perform onstage or become actors, therefore male actors played the roles of women also. [2] This demonstrates how female impersonation can be traced back to the earliest forms of entertainment and spectacle. Not only this, but men and boys were expected to dress as women, or in drag, for many religious ceremonies and rituals in Ancient Greece. [3]

There is some controversy as to whether this is actually where drag emerged, or if it occurred later in history, in the 19th century with forms of entertainment such as minstrel shows and Shakespeare's plays, as he often incorporated male actors as female impersonators. [2]

United States

Minstrel shows

Samuel S. Sanford, a blackface female impersonator in Sanford's Opera Troupe. Harvard Theatre Collection - Samuel S Sanford TCS 1.935.jpg
Samuel S. Sanford, a blackface female impersonator in Sanford's Opera Troupe.

The evolution of female impersonation and drag in the United States was influenced by minstrel shows. [4] The term female impersonator was in wide use during the 19th century in theater in the United States to refer to a specific type of performer in minstrel shows and later vaudeville known as "wench" and "dame" roles. These roles were performed by both cisgender heterosexual men, [5] and by queer men who were closeted and in some rare cases openly non-heterosexual. [6] The actor Thomas L. Moxley was a celebrated blackface female impersonator who performed under the name Master Floyd in George Kunkel's Nightingales; [7] a leading minstrel show of the 1850s and 1860s. [8]

These shows were an example of how Blackface was used in a racist form of entertainment where the performers would mock African American men, but as time went on they found it amusing to mock African American women as well. They performed in comedic skits, dances, and "wench" songs. [9] Black people themselves were largely excluded from being performers as at this point in history. [10] Blackface in minstrel shows emerged in c. 1820, but became more established with the creation of the character of Jim Crow, which was first performed in 1828. [10] After the Civil War, performance troupes began to be composed of Black performers. The shows maintained popularity in American entertainment into the 1920s. [11]

In the 19th century and early 20th century minstrel show female impersonators did not attempt to present the illusion of femininity, but rather lampooned cisgender women through a comic representation of women that did not attempt to completely remove the actor's masculine physical traits. Minstrel show female impersonators often employed sexist and racist stereotypes within bawdy humor to make fun of women, often in black women, in blackface. This type of humor continued on the vaudeville and burlesque stage. [12]

In the twentieth century some cross-gender impersonators, both female and male, in the United States became highly successful performing artists in nightclubs and theaters. There was a concerted effort by these working female impersonators in America, to separate the art of female impersonation from queer identity with an overt representation of working female impersonators as heterosexual. Some of the performers were in fact cisgender men, but others were closeted due to the politics and social environment of the period. It was criminal in many American cities to be homosexual, or for LGBTQ people to congregate, and it was therefore necessary for female impersonators to distance themselves from identifying as queer in order to avoid criminal charges. The need to hide queer identity was prevalent among female impersonators working in non-LGBTQ nightclubs before heteronormative audiences from the early 1900s to as late as the 1970s. [13]

Vaudeville and female impersonators

Julian Eltinge as a female impersonator in the Fascinating Widow, early 1910s Julian Eltinge (the fascinating widow).jpg
Julian Eltinge as a female impersonator in the Fascinating Widow, early 1910s

The broad comedic stylings of the minstrel shows helped develop the vaudeville shows of the late 1800s to the early 1900s. [4] In addition to the "wench players", minstrel shows developed the role of "prima donnas", who appeared more elegant and refined while still retaining their comedic elements. [14] [9] While the "wenches" were purely American creations, the "prima donnas" were inspired by both American and European cross-dressing shows, like Shakespearean actors and castrati. [9] [ failed verification ] With the United States shifting demographics, including the shift from farms to cities, Great Migration of African Americans, and an influx of immigrants, vaudeville's broad comedy and music expanded the audience from minstrelsy. [4] Near the end of the 19th century a new type of female impersonation, the female illusionist, began to appear in vaudeville. This type of performer did not use humor to denigrate women, but rather attempted to celebrate women by presenting a realistic looking woman in tasteful fashions of the period. [12]

With vaudeville becoming more popular, it allowed female impersonators to become popular as well. Many female impersonators started with low comedy in vaudeville and worked their way up to perform as the prima donna. [15] They were known to perform song and dance routines with multiple outfit changes. [4] George W. Munroe, who was known for portraying gossipy old Irish women, [16] started in vaudeville in the late 19th century, and became a Broadway star; portraying the title role in the musical The Doings of Mrs. Dooley at the Grand Opera House in 1902. [17] Other vaudeville female impersonators included Gilbert Sarony as his female character Giddy Gusher, Neil Burgess as the Widow Bedotte, and the Russell Brothers who portrayed Irish maids. [16]

In New York City, famous female impersonator Julian Eltinge found success, and he eventually made his way to the Broadway stage performing as a woman. [15] He published a magazine, Magazine and Beauty Hints (1913), which provided beauty and fashion tips, and he posed for corset and cosmetics advertisements. [4] Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Bothwell Browne was the top female impersonator of the West Coast. He performed at the Grand Opera House and Central Theater, among other venues, went on tour with United Vaudeville, and later appeared in the film Yankee Doodle in Berlin (1919), produced by Mack Sennett. [18]

At this time being a female impersonator was seen as something for the straight white male, and any deviation was punished. [4] However, African-American comedian Andrew Tribble found success as a female impersonator on Broadway and in Black Vaudeville. Connection with sex work and homosexuality eventually led to the decline of vaudeville during the Progressive Era. [4] Both the minstrelsy and vaudeville eras of female impersonation led to an association with music, dance, and comedy that still lasts today. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Vaudeville is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition or light poetry, interspersed with songs or ballets. It became popular in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s, while changing over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drag queen</span> Entertainer dressed and acting with exaggerated femininity

A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and have been a part of gay culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackface</span> Theatrical makeup caricaturing Black people

Blackface is the practice of performers using burnt cork or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a global perspective that includes European culture and Western colonialism. Scholars with this wider view may date the practice of blackface to as early as Medieval Europe's mystery plays when bitumen and coal were used to darken the skin of white performers portraying demons, devils, and damned souls. Still others date the practice to English Renaissance theatre to works such as William Shakespeare's Othello.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drag king</span> Mostly female performance artists who dress and behave in masculine way for performance

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minstrel show</span> 19th- and 20th-century American form of musical theater

The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of comically portraying racial stereotypes of African Americans. There were also some African-American performers and black-only minstrel groups that formed and toured. Minstrel shows stereotyped blacks as dimwitted, lazy, buffoonish, cowardly, superstitious, and happy-go-lucky. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people specifically of African descent.

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Julian Eltinge, born William Julian Dalton, was an American stage and film actor and female impersonator. After appearing in the Boston Cadets Revue at the age of ten in feminine garb, Eltinge garnered notice from other producers and made his first appearance on Broadway in 1904. As his star began to rise, he appeared in vaudeville and toured Europe and the United States, even giving a command performance before King Edward VII. Eltinge appeared in a series of musical comedies written specifically for his talents starting in 1910 with The Fascinating Widow, returning to vaudeville in 1918. His popularity soon earned him the moniker "Mr. Lillian Russell" for the popular beauty and musical comedy star.

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Francis Leon (born Francis Patrick Glassey; November 21, 1844 – August 19, 1922 was an American vaudevillian actor best known as a blackface minstrel performer and female impersonator. He was largely responsible for making the prima donna a fixture of blackface minstrelsy.

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Luke Schoolcraft was an American minstrel music composer and performer. He appeared in numerous minstrel shows throughout the North after the American Civil War.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Vaudeville</span> Vaudeville-era African American entertainment

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finocchio's Club</span> Historic nightclub in San Francisco featuring entertainment by female impersonators

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Hines</span> American vaudeville entertainer

Florence Hines (1868–1924) was a Black American vaudeville entertainer who was best known for performing throughout the United States in the 1890s as a male impersonator with Sam T. Jack's Creole Burlesque show. In her heyday, she was described as 'the greatest living female song and dance artist" and 'the queen of all male impersonators". Her career was noteworthy for breaking existing minstrel stereotypes and portraying Black men in a more positive light, as well as for setting high standards for the Black female comedians and blues singers who followed her.

References

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  2. 1 2 thedifferentlevel (2021-09-01). "History of Drag: From Antic Greece to RuPaul's Drag Race". LEVEL. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  3. ↑ McDaniel, Spencer (2022-07-11). "In Ancient Greece, Children Wearing Drag Was a Religious Obligation!". Tales of Times Forgotten. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Boyd, Nan Alamilla (2003), Wide-Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965, University of California Press, ISBN   9780520938748, archived from the original on 30 July 2020, retrieved 1 February 2020
  5. ↑ Fisher, James (2021). Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 331. ISBN   9781538123027.
  6. ↑ Boag, Peter (2012). "Chapter 2: "I Have Done My Part In Winning the West": Unveiling the Female to Male Crossdresser". Re-Dressing America’s Frontier Past. University of California Press. ISBN   9780520274426.
  7. ↑ "Deaths In the Profession; Thomas L. Moxley". The New York Clipper . 12 July 1890. p. 279.
  8. ↑ Mahar, William John (1999). Behind the Burnt Cork Mask: Early Blackface Minstrelsy and Antebellum American Popular Culture. University of Illinois Press. p. 365. ISBN   9780252066962.
  9. 1 2 3 Bean, Annemarie (2001), Female Impersonation in Nineteenth-Century American Blackface Minstrelsy, New York University, ProQuest   304709304
  10. 1 2 "Blackface: the Sad History of Minstrel Shows". AMERICAN HERITAGE. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  11. ↑ "Minstrel Songs | Popular Songs of the Day | Musical Styles | Articles and Essays | The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America | Digital Collections | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  12. 1 2 "Gender Crossings; Female Impersonations In American Entertainment". Queering the Popular Pitch. Taylor & Francis. 2013. ISBN   9781136093708.
  13. ↑ Goodman, Elyssa Maxx (2023). "Chapter 4". Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City. Hanover Square Press. ISBN   9780369733016.
  14. ↑ Bean, Annemarie, ed. (1996). Inside the minstrel mask: readings in nineteenth century blackface minstrelsy. Hanover, NH London: Wesleyan Univ. Press. ISBN   978-0-8195-6300-2.
  15. 1 2 3 Moore, F. Michael. Drag!: Male and Female Impersonators on Stage, Screen, and Television: An Illustrated World History. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Company, 1994. ISBN   978-0899509969 [ page needed ]
  16. 1 2 Wilmeth, Don B.; Miller, Tice L. (1996). "Male/Female Impersonation". The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. Cambridge University Press. p. 149. ISBN   9780521564441.
  17. ↑ Bordman, Gerald (2001). "The Doings of Mrs. Dooley". American Musical Theater: A Chronicle. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 213. ISBN   9780195130744.
  18. ↑ Boyd, Nan Alamilla (2003). Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965 . University of California Press. ISBN   0-520-24474-5.
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