Category: 1910s-1940s
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Respectable Transgression: Womanless Weddings, Mock Weddings, and the Performance of Gender
The article explores historic mock weddings and womanless weddings, highlighting their roles as spaces permitting temporary gender nonconformity, while underscoring… Read more.
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The Life and Career of Alene Hoover
Erna Alene Hoover—born in Harlan, Iowa, on April 12 or 13, 1912—emerged from the Midwest with a determination that would… Read more.
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The Legacy of the Dreamland Theatre in Tulsa
The Dreamland Theatre stood at the heart of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, a community built through Black entrepreneurship, mutual support, and… Read more.
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Burlesque in Davenport, IA | Part 1
From riverboats to vaudeville stages, Davenport, Iowa was no stranger to spectacle. Between the 1860s and 1940s, this Mississippi River… Read more.
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Greene’s Opera House | Cedar Rapids, IA
Greene’s Opera House emerged as a cultural hub in Cedar Rapids during the late 19th century, offering residents access to… Read more.
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History of Burlesque in Council Bluffs, IA
Council Bluffs has always been a city of crossroads — a place where travelers, traders, and dreamers converged along the… Read more.
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Iretha “Pepper Pot” Tucker
Born in 1926 in Kansas City, Missouri, Iretha Tucker—née Greer—was a firecracker on stage and a force in midcentury Black… Read more.
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The Ebony Dancers of Kansas City
In the heart of Kansas City’s vibrant Black entertainment scene, a dazzling troupe emerged in 1950 that blended rhythm, spectacle,… Read more.
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Early Burlesque in Des Moines, IA
Long before Des Moines embraced its modern burlesque revival, the city played host to a vibrant, complicated legacy of tease… Read more.
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Sahji: Queen of the Shake Dancers
In the golden age of jazz and burlesque, Madeline Jackson, professionally known as Sahji, emerged as one of the most… Read more.
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Aida Overton Walker: Queen of the Cakewalk
Aida Overton Walker (1880 – 1914) was a transformative figure in American performance history. As a dancer, singer, choreographer, and… Read more.
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Lin Chan: Chinese Dancer
In the late 1930s, as tensions escalated in East Asia and the United States edged toward war, a young woman… Read more.
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Florence “Dainty Dotty” Jensen
In the dust and dazzle of America’s mid-century circus culture, Florence Jensen — better known as “Dainty Dotty” — stood… Read more.
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Burlesque in Falls City, NE
Long before Falls City became known for quiet streets and prairie charm, it played host to a livelier, more provocative… Read more.
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Lestra La Monte
In the world of mid-century burlesque and drag performance, few figures were as visually arresting and artistically daring as Lestra… Read more.
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Yvonne De Carlo AKA Lily Munster
Before she became a household name as Lily Munster, Yvonne De Carlo was a determined young woman chasing dreams from… Read more.
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Aquatease & the Oyster Girl
We’ve covered the fan dancers of the 1930s and 40s but I’m here to dive into another performance art that… Read more.
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Burlesque in Auburn, NE
In the quiet corners of southeast Nebraska, performance history flickers between preservation and mystery. Auburn may not boast the grand… Read more.
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Burlesque in Chadron, NE
Nestled in the Nebraska Panhandle, Chadron’s performance history is anything but provincial. Beginning in the late 1800s, the town’s opera… Read more.
