Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Museum notebook: The days of male impersonators

Whanganui Chronicle
4 Aug, 2019 05:21 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Vesta Tilley dressed as a dapper gentleman, late 19th century. Photo / Whanganui Regional Museum Collection

Vesta Tilley dressed as a dapper gentleman, late 19th century. Photo / Whanganui Regional Museum Collection

Viewed from the liberal-minded 21st century, it is interesting to look at the stifling attitudes of the past, particularly relating to clothing.

Men have shed the waistcoats and stiff collars required at the beginning of the twentieth century and women have cast out the corset and voluminous underwear.

Some schools today are moving towards non-gender specific uniforms and allowing their students to wear whatever style they are comfortable with.

Today it is common for women to wear trousers, but a little over 100 years ago a woman wearing trousers in public was scandalous, unless it was for a breeches role, in which case it was hilarious.

Following the tradition of a young man playing the female roles in Shakespearean theatres, a breeches role involved a woman playing the role of a young man.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This developed into male impersonation, which became a popular music hall entertainment from the mid-nineteenth century.

Female actors would dress in masculine clothes and act in an exaggeratedly stereotypical male fashion.

They would perform scenes, tell stories and jokes, and sing and dance, either on their own or as part of a group.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Museum holds a collection of postcards sent to the Nixon daughters of Whanganui, which contains a number of collectible postcards of famous male impersonators of the time.

Miss Vesta Tilley is dressed as a dandy gentleman.

Born Matilda Alice Powles in 1864 in England, she made her stage debut at age three and performed her first male character at age six.

Miss Tittell Brune in military uniform, late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Photo/
Whanganui Regional Museum Collection.
Miss Tittell Brune in military uniform, late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Photo/ Whanganui Regional Museum Collection.

She preferred male roles, stating she felt she could express herself better in male clothing.

Discover more

Museum Notebook: Huia, a lost treasure

01 Jul 04:59 PM

Museum Notebook: From farmer to politician, artist

08 Jul 04:00 PM

Museum Notebook: Finding Thomas McMillan

14 Jul 05:00 PM

Museum notebook: From toki to tiki

21 Jul 05:00 PM

She adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley at age 11, by which time she was so successful that she was solely supporting her family.

She married Walter de Frece in 1890 and died in 1952 aged 88.

The sender of this postcard has written on the back, "How do you like this style? This girl is the highest paid actress in England. What a well-fitting coat she is wearing."

Miss Tittell Brune is wearing a military uniform. Born Minnie Tittell in 1875 in San Francisco, she had her first acting role as Little Jim in Lights of London at age four.

Following this her mother placed her in a convent for a year but she continued acting afterwards, taking both male and female roles. She married Clarence Marion Brune in 1899.

Although not well known in America she was a major figure in Australian theatres with her career peaking between 1904 and 1909. Minnie often claimed she felt conflicted working as an actress, while maintaining her devout Catholic faith.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Vesta Tilley dressed as a dapper gentleman, late nineteenth century. Photo/
Whanganui Regional Museum Collection.
Vesta Tilley dressed as a dapper gentleman, late nineteenth century. Photo/ Whanganui Regional Museum Collection.

When she was widowed in 1935, she joined the Order of St Francis and lived a quiet life until her death in 1974 aged 99.

Miss Gabrielle Ray is dressed as a sailor.

Born Gabrielle Elizabeth Clifford Cook in 1883 in England, she had her first role at age 10 in London's West End where her acting, dancing and beauty were quickly noticed.

After experiencing great success in male and female roles, Miss Ray retired from the stage and married Eric Loder in 1912, but divorced in 1914 after his unfaithfulness.

She briefly returned to the West End in 1915 before opting for provincial theatres, retiring again in 1924.

She suffered from depression and alcohol abuse that lead to a breakdown in 1936 when she was institutionalised. She died in 1973 aged 90.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

*Sandi Black is the archivist at Whanganui Regional Museum.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

'No significant changes': All calm after quake swarm at Ruapehu

Whanganui Chronicle

'Surprising' lack of property value growth in Whanganui region

Premium
OpinionKevin Page

Kevin Page: Facing fears, finding humour and relief in medical journey


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

'No significant changes': All calm after quake swarm at Ruapehu
Whanganui Chronicle

'No significant changes': All calm after quake swarm at Ruapehu

The temperature of Te Wai ā-moe remains stable at about 12°C.

14 Jul 11:23 PM
'Surprising' lack of property value growth in Whanganui region
Whanganui Chronicle

'Surprising' lack of property value growth in Whanganui region

14 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Premium
 Kevin Page: Facing fears, finding humour and relief in medical journey
Kevin Page
OpinionKevin Page

Kevin Page: Facing fears, finding humour and relief in medical journey

14 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP