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A hundred years ago in America, a man in drag could face serious consequences—if he didn't look beautiful enough. |
Source: Miles Kreuger/Institute of the American Musical (Los Angeles) |
Meet Julian EltingeAmerica's most successful and highly-paid female impersonator from the 1900s to the 1920s. Enter a forgotten world of musicals and burlesques, when men from college to the boardroom to the military enthusiastically dragged up for lots of applause and little retribution. Visit backstage vaudeville, discover a blossoming Hollywood, and rub elbows with silent-film royalty.
Rich with detail, this first-ever biography about a gender-bending vaudeville mega-celebrity at the dawn of our era will appeal to history and theatre buffs alike. In a time when politicians weaponize gender and sexuality, Eltinge’s story offers complex insight into cultural ideas about masculinity and femininity, reminding us that humans have always contained multitudes. READ MORE ABOUT BEAUTIFUL |
