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Mermaids of Vaudeville: Women Aquatic Entertainers of the 1870s Through 1920s
Paperback
General DramaGeneral World History
ISBN13: 9781476658476
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Published: Oct 27 2026
Pages: 120
Height: 0.26 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Swimming entertainment captured the imagination of visitors at dime museums, variety and vaudeville theatres, local fairs, industrial exhibitions, and other venues in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After beginning with menfish--male tank swimmers--these performances were highlighed by Boston's Sallie Swift, the first US water queen, and other women.
This history profiles a series of women aquatic entertainers through the 1920s. Most, such as Canada's Clara Beckwith and Australia's Annette Kellerman, came from working-class backgrounds and chose a sport-like amusement as an alternative working environment, seeing an opportunity to earn a more glamorous living far away from the drudgery of waitressing, laundering, sewing, or domestic servitude. They helped lay the groundwork for today's sport of artistic (aka synchronized) swimming.
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