Date of Award

6-20-2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

History

First Advisor

Timothy Gilfoyle

Abstract

"Daring Dames and Dirty Deeds" is a history of burlesque, drag and censorship politics in Chicago from 1850 to 1980. In this period, burlesque and drag entertainers and shows adapted to changes in the tastes and sensibilities of the public. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, burlesque was primarily a form of parody of "higher culture" entertainment featuring circus performers, comedians, and female dancers in elaborate costume. In Chicago, burlesque gradually changed to become an art form that pushed the boundaries of how women could perform on stage while challenging laws and cultural norms of decency and chastity. Drag began as a form of physical bit comedy in vaudeville. However, in the twentieth century, it became a separate genre with dedicated venues that serviced the queer and genderqueer communities as safe havens of community and entertainment. In the process, drag entertainers also embraced campy humor and satire that skewered issues and public figures through a queer cultural and political lens. Both burlesque and drag provoked protests and surveillance on the part of moral reformers who long suspected theaters and cabarets of being a source of moral corruption of youth in Chicago. Consequently, many drag and burlesque venues were forced to close by municipal authorities, only to reopen in periods when prohibitions against such entertainment relaxed. Both genres of entertainment and their artists persevered through such resistance due to the way in which these forms of adult entertainment provided employment and opportunities to discover new forms of sensuality and identity.

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