Date of Printing: 1880s• Medium: Photo Postcard • Subject Category: Bizarre & Oddities • Signed: Signed Verso Period • Created: Romantic (1800 - 1899) • Plate Size HxWxD cm: 8.2 x 5.1 • Leaf Paper Size HxW cm: 9•1 x 6 • Style: Original Vintage • Print on Verso: Signature on verso • Condition: Good • Edition Type: Limited Edition • Paper Type: Woven, modern paper • Framed: Unframed
EXCEPTIONALLY RARE fragment from a carte-de-visite photograph of the legendary LYDIA THOMPSON, recognized by historians as THE VERY FIRST BURLESQUE DANCER.
Lydia Thompson (born Eliza Thompson; 19 February 1838 – 17 November 1908), was an English dancer, comedian, actress, and theatrical producer. After dancing and performing in pantomimes in Britain and then in Europe as a teenager in the 1850s, she became a leading dancer and actress in burlesques on the London stage. She introduced Victorian burlesque to America with her troupe the "British Blondes", in 1868, to great acclaim and notoriety. Her career began to decline in the 1890s, but she continued to perform into the early years of the 20th century. Today she is recognized for her early feminist stance, gender-bending dress on stage (as in this photograph), and deconstructing power roles in society by breaking down class barriers.
Note that this photo has been cut down from a carte-de-visite photo typical of the latter 1800s.Glued to paper, with Lydia Thompson's autograph on the verso. EXTREMELY RARE OFFERING.
This is part our LEGENDS OF BURLESQUE series of collectibles on Antinous.