A short history of burlesque from 1840 to today

In the 1940s with the clear distinction and between the upper and lower classes, burlesque was a form of low level theatre with comedy sketches and dance routines that often parodied  the upper classes and their forms of entertainment such as opera.  The current take on burlesque, that of the striptease, or at least showing of more flesh than is seen on the streets didn't come to the theatres until the late 1800s.

Lydia Thompson, "music-hall darling" of the UK started a burlesque troupe called The British Blondes which caused a scandal in the UK and, in an era when all flesh had to be covered, sold plenty of tickets! The scandal of their costumes was that they wore flesh-coloured tights for the stage which gave the impression of naked flesh.

Lydia Thompson's troupe is credited for the development of burlesque in the US.  The British Blondes arrived in New York in September 1868 to an eager audience. Their popularity, and the scandal, preceded them and burlesque in the US flourished. But it was not just about showing flesh, it was an evening's entertainment that featured comedy routines and song and dance as well as the titillating shows.

While England and the US were scandalised by tights, burlesque was huge in Paris in the late 1800s with the famous Folies Bergere and the Moulin Rouge which made so many showgirls famous and produced so many beautiful colourful can-can costumes.

I love this description of Paris at the time by Henry James: "a massive flower of national decadence, the biggest temple ever built to material joys and the lust of the eyes ..."

And the showgirls of the time really were famous, not just in an underground way. Minstinguett apparently spent time with Oscar Wilde and Jean Cocteau as well as being romantically linked to the King of Spain, and Prince Orloff of Russia.

Many of the burlesque stories of these showgirls are fabulous PR stories. Misstinguett, known as Miss, admitted that she was not a great beauty but that she generated the 'loveliest legs in the world' description herself.

1900 to 1930 were the golden years of burlesque in the US. But while burlesque was rising in popularity, the general public was still in the petticoated and buttoned up fashion of the time. But in the 1920s things started to change.  Skirt hems were rising, showing first the ankle, then the calf and by 1930 they were nearly showing knees! In America, along with prohibition, they introduced laws restricting skirt lengths.

Meantime in Downtown New York the speakeasies were doing a roaring trade and the art of the striptease developed. They still had to be very careful not to show too much skin or be "bawdy" onstage but there was usually a huge difference between the touted shows and what happened when the police weren't present. The famous Minsky's theatre downtown is where burlesque got its real start and business was so brisk that Billy Minsky opened two more theatres uptown. He was responsible for promoting the career of Gypsy Rose Lee. On 12 February 1931, Gypsy Rose Lee made her debut on Broadway and was the biggest sensation burlesque had ever seen.

Then in the 1940s television brought the glamour to people's homes.  Betty Grable, singer, dancer and the symbol of Second World War glamour starred in Pin Up Girl and the idea of the pin-up was born.

With the end of the Second World War however the live art of burlesque was back. The new acts' major influences were movies and stars such as Marilyn Monroe and  Brigitte Bardot. The hourglass figure was firmly in fashion as was "big hair" and the corset.  As with burlesquers before her, Marilyn Monroe was a "created" beauty and her fame is not attributed to her beauty alone but to her character, style and overt sexiness.

The 1950s burlesquers also created themselves with their own look, their own act and their own props. Their names as well as their acts were over the top - Rosita Royce had a fly-away bikini of trained pigeons as her trademark; Evangeline the Oyster Girl  would appear from a giant shell and Lili St Cyr had a transparent bathtub made for her stage performances.

Burlesque is still alive and well today with big names and big personalities such as Dita Von Tees and Immodesty Blaize. It has also taken off amongst the general public. If you haven't been to a burlesque show I highly recommend it. There are plenty of clubs and venues that offer shows and the chance to dress up in a fabulous burlesque costume yourself.

The source for this article is an extract from Burlesque and the Art of the Teese by Dita Von Teese plus Wikipedia