Vesta Tilley was a male impersonator from the Music Halls.
Born in Worcester in 1864 she had a huge interest in theatre
as a child. She first wore male clothes on stage when she was
just five years old. Later she became bored with her song and
impressions acts declaring, 'I felt that I could express myself
better if I were dressed as a boy'. Success quickly followed
and by 1874 she had made her London debut at the Canterbury
Hall.
Vesta aimed to create convincing male characters. Her most
famous character was the man about town – smart, middle
class, well dressed and polite. This was the character in
her hit song 'Burlington Bertie'. It tells the story of a
'swell' who stays out all night partying and doesn't get up
till ten thirty in the morning. Vesta also performed as a
judge, a clergymen and a soldier. Her songs included: 'Jolly
Good Luck to the Girl who Loves a Soldier', 'After the Ball',
and 'Strolling Along with Nancy'.
In the first Royal
Variety Performance, she appeared as Algy, 'The Piccadilly
Johnny with the Little Glass Eye', and was described as 'the
most perfectly dressed young man in the house'.
Vesta paid meticulous attention to detail when dressing and
took over an hour to get ready, padding and constructing her
figure. She even wore men's underclothes. Women's underwear
of the time was tightly corseted and would have looked strange
under men's clothing. She never cut her hair short but wore
it plaited into tiny braids and coiled around her head under
a wig.
She was immensely popular with women who saw her as a symbol
of independence (she earned £500 a week). She also poked
fun at men and their vanities. She retired in 1920 with a special
matinee performance. Nearly 2 million people signed the People's
Tribute to her. Like many music hall stars, she made the crossover
from music hall to pantomime, appearing as principal boy in
Augustus Harris's spectacular pantomimes
at Drury Lane theatre. She married Walter de Frece, who
was active in theatre management and later became a Member of
Parliament. On his knighthood, she became Lady de Frece. She
died in Monte Carlo in 1952.
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