Neil Richards Collection
Finding Aid
Historical note
Born and educated in
Scope and content note
This collection dealing with the history of
theatrical
transvestism and gender impersonation was begun by Neil Richards during his
research for the physical and digital exhibition All Frocked Up:
Glimpses of Cross-Dressing in Saskatchewan (2003).To provide historical and
international
context to the images from Saskatchewan, Richards collected, principally
through EBay, paper ephemera featuring female and male impersonators who had
achieved fame on British music hall and American vaudeville stages during
the first half of the 20th century. The
collection contains material relating to
the careers of Vesta Tilley; Julian Eltinge; John Graffton; Millie Gold; Hetty
King; Danny Brown; Doc Benner; Danny LaRue; Charles Pierce; Jim Bailey; Rae
Bourbon; Lynn Carter; Divine; Hinge and Bracket; Rex Jameson; T. C. Jones;
Hector Nicol; Nellie Kolle; Grace Leonard; Dixie Norton; Claire Romaine; Ella
Shields; Florenze Tempest; Bert Errol; William Lingard; Tom Martelle and Karyl
Norman.
1. Periodicals.
2. Postcards.
3. Photographs.
4. Programs and Flyers.
5. Sheet Music.
6. Recordings.
7. Videos/DVDS.
8. Books.
Provenance
Neil Richards
Finding aids: Yes.
Restrictions on access: No restrictions to access.
Location: University of Saskatchewan Archives
Retrieval numbers: MG
355
BOOKS
Maitland, Sara. Vesta
Tilley.
Tierney, Tom. Danny’s Boys. A Female Impersonator Paper
Doll. (2 Versions)
NY: Parody
Productions, 1997.
PERIODICALS
Female Mimics
Vol. 1 # 7, 9
POSTCARDS
Female Impersonators
Julian Eltinge
# 1
Julian Eltinge in the Fascinating Widow. [Postcard]
[S.l.: s.n., n.d.]
Eltinge in drag holds
fan. This is a promotion card produced for the Boston Theatre
#2
Julian Eltinge in the Fascinating Widow. [Postcard]
[S.l.: s.n., n.d.]
Promotional card for
production at English’s Opera House,
#3
Julian Eltinge in the Fascinating Widow. [Postcard]
[S.l.: s.n., n.d.]
Eltinge in drag posed
against a Japanese screen. This is a promotion card produced for the Olympic
Theatre, St. Louis, Missouri
#4
Portrait of Eltinge in Male Attire. [Postcard]
[S.l.: s.n, n.d.]
Autographed Sincerely
yours, Julian Eltinge
#5 Julian Eltinge in the Fascinating Widow. [Postcard]
[S.l.: s.n., ca. 1912] Postmarked 1912
A promotional card for a performance at the Columbia Theatre. Features five images of Eltinge in a canoe.
John Graffton
#6 John Graffton,
Damimitator. [Postcard]
[S.l.: s.n., n.d.]
Swedish postcard of
female impersonator
Male Impersonators
Millie Gold
#7
Millie Gold. [Postcard]
[S.l.: s.n., n.d.]
Hetty (Hettie) King
#8
Miss Hettie King in Blue Boy.
[Postcard]
[S.l.]: Rotary
Photographic Series, [n.d.]
Vesta Tilley
#9
Vesta Tilley. (Philco Series 3104A) [Postcard]
#10
Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.]: Rotophot
Postal, [ca. 1905]
#11
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.]: Rotary
Photographic Series, [n.d.]
Colored photograph
#12
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.]: Rotary
Photographic Series, [n.d.]
#13
Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.: s.n., [ca.
1905]
#14
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.: s.n., n.d.]
#15
Miss Vesta Tilley. (Philco
Series 3147F) [Postcard]
#16
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.: Rotary
Photographic Series, [n.d.]
#17
Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l
.] : Real Photo Series, [n.d.]
#18
Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
London
: The Philco Publishing Co.,
[ca. 1907]
#19
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Rotary Photographic Series, [ca. 1906]
#20
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
London: Beagles &
Co., [ca. 1906]
#21 Miss Vesta Tilley . [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Real
Photographs, n.d.]
#22
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
London, The Philco
Publishing Co., [
ca. ????? ] Check this card
#23 [Vesta Tilley]
[Postcard]
[S.l] : Rotary
Photographic Series, [n.d.]
#24 [Vesta Tilley] [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Rotary
Photographic Series, [n.d.]
#25
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Real
Photographs, [n.d.]
#26
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard
#27
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Rotary Photographic Series, [n.d.]
#28
Miss Vesta Tilley. (Philco
Series 3172A) [Postcard]
#29
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Rotary Photographic Series, [ca. 1911]
#30
Miss Vesta Tilley. (Philco
Series 3172 C) [Postcard]
London: The Philco
Publishing Co., [ca. 1907]
#31
Miss Vesta Tilley. (Philco Series 3172 B) [Postcard]
#32
Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Real Photo Series,
[n.d.]
#33
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Rotary Photographic Series, [n.d.]
#34
Vesta Tilley. (Philco Series
3117 B) [Postcard]
#35
Miss Vesta Tilley. (Philco
Series 3171 D) [Postcard]
#36
Miss Vesta Tilley. (Philco
Series 3171 C) [Postcard]
#37
Miss Vesta Tilley. (Philco Series 3171 B) [Postcard]
#38 Vesta Tilley. (Philco Series 3147 A) [Postcard]
#39
Miss Vesta Tilley. (Philco
Series 2026 B) [Postcard]
#40
Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Real Photo Series, [n.d.]
#41
Miss Vesta Tilley. [Postcard]
[S.l.] : s.n., n.d.]
Comic and Miscellaneous
#42 Chinese Actor Impersonating a Female Character. Chinese Theatre,
#43 A Man’s a Man For All That.
[S.l.: s.n. n., n.d.]
#44 Sir, How Dare
You!
[S.l. : s.n. n., ca. 1908]
Comic card
#45 Would Some Nice Young
Man Like to Make a Pet of Me?
Holmfirth: Bamforth
& Co, [n.d.]
Comic card
#46 Sing Me To Sleep
Comic card
#47 The Babes in the Wood
[S.l
. : s.n., n.d.]
Comic card
#48 A Hair Restorer
[S.l. : s.n., n.d.]
Comic card
#49 I Don’t Know
Where I’m Going. But I’m on My Way
Holmfirth: Bamforth,
[n.d.]
Comic card
#50 Untitled
Studio portrait of
two women in men’s evening attire
PHOTOGRAPHS
Autographed
sepia photograph of Julian Eltinge. Autographed 1917
Five stills from the
1987 Canadian motion picture Too Outrageous starring Craig Russell
PROGRAMS AND FLYERS
Danny and Doc Present
the New Jew Box Revue (Black and Gold on White)
Danny Brown and Doc Benner
Present The Jewel Box Revue
It’s Been a Pleasure - Jewel Box Revue (Pink Type on blue)
Finocchio’s. Glamorous. Unusual (Program from San Francisco Club featuring Female
Impersonators.
Les Ballets
Trockadero de Monte Carlo (1977 Program from the NY Travestie
Ballet)
Two Flyers from
British Productions Starring Female Impersonator Danny LaRue
a) Aladdin
b) A Night at the Music Hall
RECORDINGS (AUDIO)
CDs
Charles Pierce
Charles Pierce at Bimbos.
Pierced Ears. Rare live Performance
Masculine Women & Feminine Men
Compilation of
recorded songs from male and female impersonator stars of English music hall
and cabaret including Vesta Tilley, Ella Shields, Hetty King and Douglas Byng.
RuPaul
Supermodel of the
World
LPs
Jim Bailey
Jim Bailey
Live in Concert Jim
Bailey
Rae Bourbon
Around The World in 80 Ways
An Evening in
Let Me Tell You About My
Operation
Rae Bourbon In Selections
from Don’t Call Me Madam
(Mr.) Lynn Carter
She’s A He
Divine
The Best of Divine
(Double Album)
Little Baby (45 RPM)
Shoot Your Shot (45
RPM)
Walk Like A Man/Man Talk (45 RPM)
Hinge and Bracket
An Evening With Hinge and Bracket.
Rex Jameson
The Amazing Mrs. Shufflewick.
T. C. Jones
T.C. Jones Himself.
Hector Nicol
Queen Of The Road
MOTION PICTURE SOUND
TRACKS
Blake Edward’s Victor
Victoria
To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar
Tootsie
Yentl. (Barbra
Streisand)
SHEET MUSIC
Female Impersonator Sheet Music
Julian Eltinge
Come Over on My Veranda. [Music] / Music by Lester W. Keith; words
by John Kemble.
Don’t Go in the Water, Daughter (Julian
Eltinge’s Bathing Song). [Music] /
Music by Jean Schwartz; words by William Jerome.
The Fascinating Widow [Music] / Music by Kerry Mills.
The Fascinating Widow. [Music] / Music
by Kerry Mills; words by E. Rae Goetz.
Friends. [Music] /By Howard Johnson, Joseph H Santly and
George W. Meyer.
I’m At Your Service Girls. [Music] / Music by Ted D. Ward; lyric by
Edward Grossmith.
In My Dream Of You. [Music] / Music by Percy Wenrich; lyrics by
Julian Eltinge.
Merry Wedding Bells. [Music] / Music by Jean Schwartz; words by
Edward Madden.
Sometimes The Dream Comes True. [Music] / Music by Ted. D. Ward;
lyric by Edward Grossmith.
Those “Come Hither” Eyes.
[Music] / Music by Jerome Kern; words by Schuyler Greene.
When Martha Was A Girl. [Music] / Music by Percy Wenrich; words by
Julian Eltinge.
When You Skate With a Wonderful Girl.
[Music] / Music by Percy Wenrich; lyric by Edward Madden.
Bert Errol
Beautiful Roses (Ballad). [Music] / By Earl Carroll and Anatol
Friedland.
Tony Traviata. [Music] / By Earl Carroll and Arthur Behim.
William Lingard
As Through the Park I Go. [Music] / Written, composed and sung by
William Lingard.
Tom Martelle (aka Tom
Martell)
The Gay Young Bride. [Music] / Words and music by Tom
Martell.
Love Blooms But Once. [Music] / Words and music by Tom Martelle.
Naughty
Mam’Zelle. [Music] / Words and music by Tom Martelle.
Karyl Norman
All That I Need Is You.
[Music] / Music and words by Lester Santly and Abel Baer.
Beside A Babbling Brook.
[Music] / Music by Walter Donaldson; lyric by Gus Kahn.
Childhood Days. [Music] / By Henry Creamer, Joe Darcy and
Dave Franklin.
Don’t Leave Me Mammy. [Music] / Music by Henry W. Santley and Con
Conrad; lyric by Benny Davis and B. G. de Sylva.
I’m Through (Shedding Tears Over You).
[Music] / Music by Edwin J. Weber; lyric by Karyl Norman.
In a World of Our Own.
[Music] / Music by Joseph Santly and Henry H. Santly; lyric by Howard
Rogers.
Midnight Rose (Fox-trot
Ballad). [Music] / Music by Lew Pollack; lyric by Sidney Mitchell.
Nobody Lied (When They Said That I Cried Over You). [Music] / Music by Edwin J. Weber; lyric by
Karyl Norman and Hyatt
Sun God (Won’t You Bring Him Back To Me). [Music] / Music by Edwin
J. Weber; lyric by Karyl Norman.
Suppose Nobody Cared.
[Music] / Music by Edwin J. Weber; lyric by Karyl Norman.
Male Impersonator Sheet
Music
Billy Glason
You Ought to See Her Now. [Music]
/ By Harry Pease, Ed Nelson and Bob Russak.
Hetty (Hettie) King
Fill ‘Em Up. [Music] / Music by L.
Silberman; words by H Rule, T. McGhee and J. Walsh. London: L. Silberman.,
c1920.
If You Knew Susie Like I Know Susie. [Music] / By B. G. De Sylva.
I’ve Got the Time – I’ve Got the Place. [Music]
/ Music
by S. R. Henry; words by Ballard MacDonald.
Nellie Kolle
Feather Your Nest. [Music] / By Kendis & Brockman and Howard
Johnson.
How Sorry You’ll
Be (Wait’ll You See). [Music] / Words and music by Bert Kalmar and Harry
Ruby. (Cut down sheet missing publisher).
Check this in OCLC
I’m Going Right Back Home. [Music] /
Words and music by Jack Rollett.
I’m Sending a Letter to Santa Claus. [Music] / By
Lanny Rogers & Spencer Williams.
The King’s Navee. [Music] /
By Charles Dunn.
One For the Road. [Music] / Words and
music by Nellie Kolle.
Timmy Clancy (King of the Clancy Clan). [Music] / By Joe Edney.
Where Are the Lads of
Grace Leonard
Keep On the Sunny Side.
[Music] / Music by Theodore Morse; words by Jack Drislane.
Helene Mora
Bright Happy Days. [Music]
/ Music by Barclay Walker; words by Marshall Locke.
I Don’t Want To (Oh, Come On). [Music] / By A. Seymour Brown.
Claire Romaine
I Only Want to Whisper In Your Ear. [Music] / Music by Hermann E.
Dareewski Jr.; words by Ballard McDonald.
When I Marry You. [Music] / Music by Albert Gumble; words by
Alfred Bryan.
Ella Shields
A-U-Double S-I- E (Song fox trot). [Music] / Words and music by
Moya Crossley.
Dream Sweetheart. [Music] / Words and music by Bud Green.
Everybody’s Singing. [Music] / By Maurice Scott and Frank
Wood.
If You knew Susie Like I Know Susie.
[Music] / By B. G. De Sylva.
I’m Going Back Again to Yarrawonga. [Music] / Written and composed by Cpl. Neil
McBeath, A. I. F.
I’m Sitting On Top of the World (Just Rolling
Along –Just Rolling Along.
[Music] / Music by Ray Henderson;
lyrics by Lewis and Young.
Lawd, You Made the Night Too Long. [Music] / Music by Victor Young; lyric by
Sam E. Lewis.
Let Bygones Be Bygones. [Music] / By Jos. Geo. Gilbert.
Let Us Be Sweethearts Over Again. [Music] / By Jos. Geo. Gilbert.
Roll’em Girls (Roll Your Own).
[Music] / By Micky Marr, Bobby Heath and Archie Fletcher.
Sorry. [Music] / Music by Dick Adamson; words by Geo. H. Lewis.
Sewanee Butterfly. [Music] / Music by Walter Donaldson; lyric by
Billy Rose.
That’s What I Call Keen. [Music] / Music by Ted Fiorito; lyric by
Gus Kahn.
When The Bloom Is On The Heather. [Music] / By Harry Carlton and Frank W.
Carter.
Florenze Tempest
I Love The Ladies. [Music] / Music by Jean Schwartz; words by Grant
Clark.
Oh! What a Beautiful Dream.
[Music] / Music by Joe Cooper; words by Dave Oppenheim.
You Ought to See Her Now.
[Music] / By Harry Pease, Ed
Nelson and Bob Russak.
VIDEOS/DVDS
First A Girl. The Original 1935 British musical version of
“Victor/Victoria” starring Jessie Matthews.93 minutes (video)
Madame Behave. 1925 silent black and white feature film starring Julian
Eltinge in and out of drag. 54 minutes (video)
Outrageous. Director Richard Benner’s 1977 Canadian
cult classic starring Craig Russell, a female impersonator from
Saved By The Bells. 2003
film by
“Scans like Moulin Rouge on E’ - John Griffin, the Gazette 90 minutes (DVD)
The items listed below are part of a promised gift by
Neil Richards to supplement his initial gift.
Female Impersonators
The
Follies in the Bustler of
Male Impersonators
Hetty (aka Hettie) King
Miss Hettie
King. [Postcard]
[S.l.] : Rotary Photographic Series, [n.d.]
SHEET MUSIC
Female Impersonator Sheet
Music
Karyl Norman
Manzanilla. [Music] / Lyric by Hal Billings; music by H. Joseph
Tandler.
Sweet Indiana Home. [Music] /Lyric and music by Walter
Donaldson.
Francis Renault
Then I’ll be Happy (I “Wanna” Go Where you Go – Do What You Do. [Music] / Words by Sidney Clare and Lew
Brown; music by Cliff Friend.
Male Impersonator Sheet
Music
Lulu Darrett
Way Down Yonder in the Cornfield (The Famous
Hetty (aka Hettie) King
Follow the Car Tracks.
[Music] / Lyrics by Ballard Macdonald; music by Alfred Solman.
Ship Ahoy! (All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor). [Music] / Written by
A. J. Mills; composed by Bennett Scott.
Babe
Ev’ry Little Bit Helps. [Music] / Music by Fred Fischer; words by
George Whiting.
Claire Romaine
Call ‘Round Any Old Time. [Music] / Words by E.W. Rogers; music by
J Chas. Moore
There Never Was a Girl Like You.[Music] /
Words by Harry Williams; music by Egbert Van Alstyne
Ella
Shields
Bravo! Territorials (While Jack is busy on the sea). [Music] /
Written and composed by William Hargreaves and Chas. Collins.
I Live Up-Town. [Music] /
Words by Alfred Bryan; music by Geo. W Meyer.