by Kathleen B. Casey, University of Tennessee Press, 2015

The Prettiest Girl on Stage is a Man: Race and Gender Benders in American Vaudeville

Prettiest Girl, Cover

While some several states and municipalities have tried to ban drag performances in the 21st century, The Prettiest Girl on Stage explores a forgotten era in which gender impersonators took center stage. Through four in-depth case studies, this book goes back more than a century to give you a front row seat to comedy, satire, serious drama, and celebrity culture.

This book is ideal for readers interested in:

This book is ideal for readers interested in:

  • American History

  • Theater, Performance, and Popular Culture

  • The History of Drag

  • Racial and Ethnic History

  • Women’s and Gender Studies

  • The Intersectional Nature of Gender and Race

What You’ll Discover

What You’ll Discover

  • How so-called cross-dressing was viewed as a family-friendly artistic performance in the early 20th century
  • What male and female impersonators performances reveal about evolving gender ideologies
  • How performances involving racial mimicry dramatized feelings about Jim Crow and immigration
  • Four in-depth case studies of Eva Tanguay, Julian Eltinge, Lillyn Brown, and Sophie Tucker
Order Now:

Order Now:

Available August 2025 at:

  • Bookshop.org
  • Amazon

“Well-written and thoughtful, Casey’s fine book deserves attention.”

Leroy Ashby,
Washington State University, Pacific Historical Review, May 2017

“Through its careful consideration of a range of sources, The Prettiest Girl on the Stage Is a Man powerfully demonstrates how the popular stage and its star performers simultaneously affirmed and exploded stereotypes of gender and race, often in the course of a single evening’s performance. The book will find a welcoming audience among U.S. cultural historians and students.”

Marlis Schweitzer
York University, Journal of American History

“There is a treasure trove of untapped archival material… and Casey’s work signals a positive step in learning more about one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the United States.”

Lauren Rebecca Sklaroff
University of South Carolina, Journal of Southern History

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