A sailor on H.M.S St. Vincent, in drag as a bride in a performance of 'The Great Casimir'. Photographic postcard, 1918.

AB. Smith as "Ninetta" "The Great Casimir"

Able seaman Smith is dressed as a bride, "Ninetta", holding a bouquet of flowers, in front of a leafy painted backdrop. He is wearing a high waisted frock with a short train of the kind fashionable immediately before World War I. The backdrop is well painted, indicating that this is some kind of theatrical performance rather than a 'crossing-the-line' ceremony or ad hoc larking about. 'The Great Casimir' was a musical play by Henry Sambrooke Leigh (1837-1883) and Charles Lecocq

Part of James Gardiner Collection: photographs of military, naval, and prisoner-of-war camp drag.

Item Actions

View At: https://wellcomelibrary.org/item/b20433827
Share
Citation: Cite

Item Information:

Identifier: ws859f89n
Collection: James Gardiner 20th Century Drag Postcards
Institution: Wellcome Library
Date Issued: Jan. 1, 1918
Genre: Photographs
Prints
Topic(s): Female impersonators
Resource Type: Still Image
Analog Format: 1 photograph : photoprint ;
Rights: Copyright undetermined
For more information on copyright, please read our policies