Transgender

Forum













%expand(%include(D:\http/ads/ads0.html))


Turn of the Century
Transgender Post Cards

By Ms Bob and Carol Kleinmaier



Click on image to see larger version
After a long promised visit to view my collection Cindy asked if we could highlight the older items I have. When I started to search I found that the oldest item was The Strange Career of the Chevalier D'Eon de Beaumont Minister Plenipotentiary from France to Great Britain in 1763 by Captain J. Buchan Telfer, R.N., F.S.A., F.R.G.S. The book is a first edition, printed in London in 1885. I could have written a book report for this column, but that didn't seem very compelling. However, there are several turn of the century post cards which did seem worth sharing. Most were bought from dealers and have no messages on the back. Two, the comic ones, came from flea markets and did bear messages. Let's spend a few moments reading other people's mail, shall we?

Greetings

Crossdressed men have always been good for a laugh and that's why there's one on this card. The wig and the make-up with its heavy age lines must be intended to inspire mirth. There's little to say about the joke. Is the caption implying that the sender has nothing new to say?

The copyright on the card is 1910, published by F. G. Henry & Co. of New York. In those days it cost only a penny to send a card. The postmark is February 21, 1911, from somewhere in Michigan, sent to Miss Maude Cramer of Boyne Falls, Michigan. The message follows and it does seem like the sender has little to say. One word is hard to read, so it's a blank:

"Dear Sis.

How be you. We are all fine & dandy down here. Washing to-day. Gee but it's cold. Yesterday we went for a drive & I tho' my face would burst open the wind just seemed to crack it. Well we got home all right at 11:00. So you see we were not dead. You said Mama's boy was coming down. Isn't he _______ . Well you know.

Bess."

Don't Cry Little Girl

The Victorians and early Edwardians kept their young boys in dresses for about the first decade of their lives. This card is having fun with that practice. Poor little girl. Jealousy and rage have always been the result of seeing someone else in "your" dress.

The card is postmarked Saint Joseph, Missouri, November 17, 1911, to Miss Carmileta Geinauldt, 1816 Green St., San Francisco, Calif. It's hard to read the name. As with the other card there's a reference to still being alive. Times must have been tough in 1911.

"Your two cards at hand. Glad to hear you are still in the land of the living. Surprises are alright when they come. Will be glad to receive the letter you speak of. Are you still jealous? Ha! Ha!

Lovingly,

Miss D"

Cakewalk

There is little known about these cards. They were printed in France and advertise a show. However, there is plenty of material available on the cake walk. The influence of African-Americans on the art of Europe can probably be traced to the International Exposition, held in Paris in 1889. At this Exposition French composers, like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, were first exposed to exotic influences which would change European music for evermore. One was the gamelan orchestra of Java. But, the more influential was jazz, performed by traveling bands of Afro-Americans. The effect was staggering and pervasive. So, when Debussy composed his set of piano pieces, "The Children's Corner," it includes one called "Golliwog's Cake Walk." A "golliwog" is a Black baby. The "cake walk" was a dance.

The cake walk was featured in minstrel shows even before the Civil War. Its roots are supposed to go back to plantation competitions, when dancers would compete for prizes, sometime even cakes. It became a national craze is the 1880's and 1890's. There were cakewalkers on Broadway and hundreds of competitions throughout the country. The dance features high-stepping and strutting. One author says that the contestants originally danced with a bucket of water on their heads. Whoever spilled the least water, won the cake.

These cards are the only connection I've ever seen between cake walks and crossdressing. Judging from the size of the female impersonator, this must have been a comic act. The caption to the photos reads, "LE CAKE-WALK Dansé au Nouveau Cirque. LES NEGRES." Which tells us that this dance can be seen at a theater called New Circus in a show entitled "The Blacks."

Personality Cards

These two cards represent what we think of as classic theatrical female impersonation, a professional performer who imitates well known women performers. Charles Pierce is probably the most famous contemporary female impersonator, though he called himself a "male actress." Bertin was a French female impersonator who stopped performing before World War I. I haven't been able to find any background on "d'Adrienne Larive," though I'm sure the information is out there. Unfortunately for me, it is probably in French.

"Polaire" is another matter. She was a very popular performer. Manager Willie Hammerstein once booked her at Hammerstein's Roof Garden in New York. She was billed as the ugliest woman in the world with the smallest waist. You can only admire Monsieur R. Bertin's dedication to his art as he corseted his waist down for this impersonation. Was this just for the photos or did he perform in such confinement?

Cindy and I have discussed highlighting other elements from the collection. But, we're not sure where to begin. Is there anything you'd like to see or find out about? If so drop a note to TGForum or Miss Bob at msbob@tgforum.com


Is an avid collector of TG material
He welcomes the chance to compare collections buy, sell or trade.
He can be reached by Email

msbob@tgforum.com


TGF's Home Page