Inside The Controversial History Of Burlesque In 33 Revealing PhotosBy Erin Kelly | Edited By John KuroskiPublished November 20, 2023Burlesque dancers like Lydia Thompson and Gypsy Rose Lee defined the art form, raising eyebrows with their scandalous moves and risqué outfits.Vintage burlesque dancers never meant to be especially titillating. In fact, their main goal was to make the audience laugh.In 19th-century London, the burlesque performances that crowds flocked to theaters to see were variety shows that put a comedic spin on classical plays and operas. Indeed, the term burlesque comes from the Italian burlesco, derived from burla, which means ridicule or mockery.Burlesque shows gained popularity in the United States in 1868 thanks to English dancer Lydia Thompson and her troupe, the “British Blondes” — but their performances were controversial. One journalist described the shows as a “disgraceful spectacle of padded legs jiggling and wriggling in the insensate follies and indecencies of the hour.”1 of 34Victorian burlesque dancer Eliza Blasina wearing a horse costume. 1867.Flickr/Ohio State UniversityAn American burlesque theater costume. 1879.Wikimedia CommonsBritish burlesque dancer Marie Loftus. 1896.Wikimedia CommonsEva Tanguay, the legendary vaudeville star who gave famously enthusiastic performances. Circa early 1900s.New York Public Library Digital CollectionsAn advertisement for a French cabaret featuring the famed burlesque dancer Mistinguett. Circa 1931.Wikimedia CommonsVaudeville and burlesque star Dora Dean and her husband, Charles Johnson, in the early 1900s. This married couple achieved many firsts: They were the first to put steel on the soles on their shoes and the first African-American couple to perform on Broadway.Instagram/@burlesquehallAida (Ada) Overton Walker, circa 1911. Dubbed “The Queen of the Cakewalk,” Walker was an American vaudeville performer, actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer.Instagram/@burlesquehallNora Bayes as the lead in a burlesque performance of Romeo and Juliet. Circa 1920.Library of CongressThe Epler sisters, Venetia and Daphne, during a performance in Chicago. Circa 1933.Underwood Archives, Inc/Alamy Stock PhotoSally Rand performing “Leda and the Swan” at the Chicago World’s Fair. 1933.Underwood Archives, Inc/Alamy Stock PhotoIconic French dancer Josephine Baker starred in The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936. Here she is donning her famous banana skirt.Wikimedia CommonsStripsy Roselie, a burlesque marionette designed by famous cabaret puppeteers Walton and O’Rourke, in a Los Angeles night club. She holds a cigarette and exhales talcum powder “smoke.” 1939.SuperStock/Alamy Stock PhotoGypsy Rose Lee in her striptease stage act “The Streets of Paris” at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock PhotoThe cast of a 1940s burlesque performance.Instagram/@burlesquehallNoel Toy got her start as a chorus girl at the Golden Gate International Exposition, where she was noticed by Forbidden City nightclub owner Charlie Low. Circa 1940s.Instagram/@burlesquehallNoel Toy was famous for this “bubble dance” at the Forbidden City nightclub in San Francisco. Circa 1945.Wikimedia CommonsLili St. Cyr performing with a large, exotic bird. Circa 1946.Wikimedia CommonsLaWanda Page as a young dancer before she appeared on the TV show Sanford and Son as Aunt Esther.Facebook/The Burlesque Hall of FameJadin Wong, a Chinese cabaret dancer. Circa 1953.Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy Stock PhotoJessica Rogers was a top-grossing burlesque dancer in the 1940s and ’50s. In one notable routine, she dressed as a college professor and sang a song called “Bare Facts.”Facebook/Burlesque BabyKitty West, the Bourbon Street stripper known as Evangeline the Oyster Girl. Circa 1940s.Instagram/@burlesquehallFrances DuBay’s “Lady Godiva” striptease involved a live horse helping her disrobe on stage. Circa 1950s.Edward Roth/Alamy Stock PhotoFrancis DuBay posing with her horse, whose real name was Melody Lady.Facebook/El Ateneo Cantina Film FestDixie Evans, the “Marilyn Monroe of burlesque,” poses with a bird.Facebook/The Burlesque Hall of FameFabulous Fanny, also known as “The South American Cyclone,” began dancing in the mid-1950s, working the chorus line at a club in New York City.Instagram/@burlesquehallBefore her burlesque days, Dorian Dennis earned a degree in chemistry from New York University.Facebook/Famous LadiesKnown as “China’s Most Daring Dancing Doll,” Coby Yee began dancing in the 1940s and soon became a mainstay in Asian nightclubs. Photo circa 1950s.Instagram/@burlesquehallPatti Waggin, the “co-ed with the educated torso,” was also a motorcycle racer, competing in local races by the time she was 14. Later, she found working nights on the burlesque stage made her enough money to put herself through college. Circa 1950s.Facebook/The Burlesque Hall of FameThe dancer and erotic actress Lili St. Cyr pictured on a publicity card from El Rancho Vegas, a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip.Chronicle/Alamy Stock PhotoKa’ena began her career in Hawaii in the 1950s, and she soon became known for her dangerous knife and fire dance.Instagram/@burlesquehallApril March (born Velma Fern Worden) was one of the innovators of the elegant striptease.Facebook/The Burlesque Hall of FameA poster for the film Teaserama, a 1955 low-budget documentary featuring Bettie (Betty) Page.Everett Collection, Inc./Alamy Stock PhotoDancer Jennie Lee started the Exotic Dancers’ League (EDL), a labor union for burlesque performers. Here, they protest on the streets of Los Angeles, circa 1959.Instagram/@burlesquehallLike this gallery?Share it:ShareShare to FlipboardFlipboardEmailSoon, burlesque dancers were pushing the limits of what was considered appropriate to Americans — and growing ever more famous as they did so. At a time when housewives found themselves mostly relegated to homemaking, the British group showed American women that they didn’t have to stay in the kitchen. They had a place on the stage.What Is Burlesque?Burlesque began as an offshoot of commedia dell’arte, an early form of comedic Italian theater that emerged in the 15th century. It, too, consisted of bawdy takes on the politics of the time. Actors even satirized stories from Greek mythology.By the 19th century, the art had transformed into the popular Victorian burlesque style. These shows began as short, one-act musical theater parodies of plays or operas. They were full of puns and featured women dancing in tights, but they were mildly risqué at worst.