Female Impersonators of the Mid 19th Century

By Boyd Miles I met a person doing a very difficult impression at a recent Gettysburg event (as this was published in 1995 it must have been the 1994 event). His impression was as a female impersonator of the 19th Century and he was doing it well. Just as some women dressed as men there were some men that dressed as women. for some it may have been just a way to get work, others did it for psychological reasons, and some people just liked to dress as women. In a time when dress and gender were more firmly linked it would have been easier to pass than today. here are some 19th Century examples of female impersonators. An Irish actress by the name of Lavinia Edwards used the stage name of Miss Walstein. Lavinia lived with her 17 year old sister Maria in England. They were supported by a Mr. Thomas Smith. On January 23, 1833 Maria went for a doctor. Lavinia was very ill. Medical help was too late and poor Lavinia, aged 24, died. The coroner found two things: Lavinia died of cirrhosis of the liver and she was a he. Lavinia had passed as a woman for at least 10 years and even close friends didn't know. He was described as "most lady like". His true name was never found out and Maria was not his sister. On May 6, 1858 Jenny de Savalette de Lange died at her apartment in Versailles at age 68. She had, in her life, been engaged six times but never married, (the first three times to army officers that later took foreign posts). At her death a fifty year secret was revealed. Jenny was a man. Jenny was not particularly attractive but had many well placed friends. He was supported by a royal pension and was given an apartment in Versailles. When Jenny walked down the street, folks would say after she passed, "how much she resembles a man." On June 11, 1862 the Provost Guard at Fredericksburg, Virginia made the following note: "Private Thomas Stewart, Company A, First Pennsylvania Artillery, was dressed in a female dress and very disorderly when arrested." It is unknown if he did this often or just this once. In one of the strange coincidences of fate, another actress by the name of Edwards also died at age 24, this one in 1873. Eliza Edwards "with her beautiful long hair parted in the middle" was indeed a man. Sometime before 1876 a man posing as a woman was arrested for stealing women's clothing. Also two more men were reported in 1890 who were successfully living as women. One was a lady's maid and the other a teacher. The employers of both were fooled. Serving with the 7th Cavalry in the west was a laundress known as Mrs. Nash. Mrs. Nash had lived with several soldiers of the 7th from 1868 to 1878. As they left the service (or were killed by Indians) a new one would move in. While her current "husband", a Corporal, was on active campaign in the summer of '78 she took ill and died. As in most of these cases, dead men do tell tales. Mrs. Nash was a man. When word reached the field you may be sure that the men had unkind words for the poor Corporal. In a fit of grief and embarrassment, the Corpora used his revolver for a purpose not intended by the Army. Another post-war case of interest was Mr. James Robbins of Maine. Robbins, a Civil War veteran, did not pose as a woman but dressed as one at home. He did not attempt to hide his "hobby". He didn't leave his property dressed as a woman, likely to avoid legal problems, although he did wear women's shoes, size 6, to town. He always dressed in the latest fashions, made for him by the best local dressmakers. It was said that with his long black hair and fine clothes, he wasn't bad looking. Jim insisted his wife keep his dresses ironed, which was quite a bit of work as he changed several times a day. His afternoon gowns were said to be quite elaborate and he had a favorite cashmere gown just to wear in the orchard. Some of these men were homosexuals but others, like Jim, were not. Homosexuals were not unknown in the Civil War period but the word was. The word "homosexual" was not coined until 1869. "Uranian" was coined in 1862 by Karl Ulrichs, a German social scientist of the 1860's. This was Germanized by 1865 to "Urning" but this term was not likely to have been used here at the time. "Sodomy" (the act) and "Sodomites" (the actors) are more proper period terms. "Bugger" (noun and verb) was also used and so common was the term that it even appeared in the 1864 Webster's Dictionary. "Mollies", an 18th Century term was also in use. (Mother Clap was arrested for running a Molly house in 1726) The term "transvestite" is also post-war as is "eonism". The correct terms for our period seem to be "Hermaphrodites" and "Impersonators". Karl Ulrichs, writing under the name of Numa Mumantius, advocated legal rights for "urnings" as early as 1862. He wanted the act decriminalized and for members of the same sex to legally marry. Now that is something to add to your first person camp fire discussions, isn't it? Sources: Webster's Dictionary of 1864 Oxford English Dictionary Psychopathia Sexualis, Richard von Kraft-Ebing Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Havelock Ellis The Mysteries of Sex, C.J.S. Thompson Gay American History, Jonathan Katz The Story the Soldiers Wouldn't Tell, Thomas P. Lowry copyright 1995, 2008 by Boyd Miles