Rare Photos of “Drag Queens” from the 1800s and the 1900s

Jonathan Stone for Art-Sheep

During the 1800s “queen” was a term used as a derogatory slur towards homosexuals. Cross-dressing and drag queen shows seem to have been popular since the 19th century, as men like Brigham Morris Young made a big career in drag performing as Madam Pattrini.

In the photos below you can see men dressed in a woman’s attire, but not all of them are “drag queens”. While a drag queen is a man who dresses in women’s clothing to make an appearance or perform a show, a trasgender person is someone who doesn’t identify with a certain gender and a transvestite is a cisgender male who likes wearing clothes made for women.

Now, even though we can’t be sure as to how the people depicted in the photos identify, we can certainly celebrate their bravery and the risk they took taking these photos.

via littlethings