LGBTQ+ Performance History Female Impersonation and Drag Stage Music Ephemera 1910s–1950s

Karyl Norman Club My-O-My Finocchio's

Archive

Archive of drag performance and female impersonation music ephemera, 1910s–1950s, documents the role of stage performance, popular song, and nightclub culture in the development of early twentieth century queer entertainment. The material centers on performers who shaped female impersonation traditions in vaudeville, cabaret, and nightclub circuits, preserving evidence of repertoire, publicity, and audience engagement. Figures such as Karyl Norman and Bert Errol appear through attributed sheet music, situating the archive within a transatlantic performance culture in which gender impersonation functioned as both theatrical convention and queer expression.

Five pieces of sheet music and related memorabilia, measuring approximately 9 x 12 to 10 x 14 inches. Two sheet music titles associated with Karyl Norman include I’m Through (Shedding Tears Over You) and Nobody Lied (When They Said I Cried Over You), reflecting the popular song repertoire of female impersonators active from the late 1910s through the 1940s. One sheet is attributed to Bert Errol performing Gimme a Little Kiss Will Ya Huh?, a standard adapted within impersonation performance contexts. The archive also includes a 1950s promotional pamphlet for Club My-O-My, a venue known for female impersonation shows, featuring the tagline “The World’s Most Beautiful Boys in Women’s Attire” and illustrated with black and white photographs of performers in formal gowns, wigs, and stage makeup.

Spanning the period from vaudeville through midcentury nightclub entertainment, the material reflects the persistence and evolution of drag performance prior to the emergence of modern LGBTQ+ political movements. The combination of printed music and promotional imagery supports research into performance history, gender expression, and the commercial infrastructure of queer nightlife. Minor wear to some covers; materials remain clean and visually strong; overall very good condition.

Item #20845

Price: $550.00