Nowadays, when one thinks of Burlesque and Vaudeville, images of a scantily clad woman covered in feathers and flashy underwear come to mind. But Burlesque, in it’s original incarnation had more to do with off-kilter performances from comedians, singers, and dancers rather then titillating stripteases a la Dita Von Teese. Here are some photos, housed at the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee theater of The Ohio State University, that shows 19th century female Vaudeville and Burlesque performers in their element.
To see the full collection in all of it’s glory, head over to Ohio State University’s Knowledge bank.
Sources: Flavorwire, The Knowledge Bank at Ohio State University.
