Julian Eltinge

Born in 1881, Julian Eltinge performed the most popular drag act of his day. Performing in drag from an early age, he mimicked contemporary female mannerisms so exactly that many audience members were shocked to learn, at the end of his performance, that he was a man. He was a key figure in Vaudeville theatre from the 1910s until the 1930s, when the art form began to wane and society became much more prejudiced against drag and the LGBTQ+ community.