This Collection Of Photos Shows The Costumes Of 19th Century Burlesque Performances.

Burlesque performance has seen a recent rise in popularity. The performances are part comedy, part strip-tease, and part talent show. They often include oversized fans, pasties, corsets, and lots of glitter. Today’s performances are a bit different in that they’re more focused on the sexy, and often support body positivity and good self image. They’re also entities in and of themselves.

In the early days, burlesque performances were short, comedic interludes in a longer, perhaps more serious performance. “Burlesque” comes from the Italian word burla, meaning joke, ridicule, or mockery — a spoof. It’s related to the English tradition of pantomime, which took serious work and parodied it (often musically). A modern-day equivalent would be Spaceballs or Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Though the humor could be downright crude, the audience was expected to understand the references and have a certain familiarity with more “serious” works.

History lesson aside, burlesque was popular for hundreds of years, and is nothing without its costumes and characters. By the 1890s, burlesque performers would gain a degree of fame in their circles, and promoted themselves and their theaters via “cabinet cards.” These cards were photographs featuring dancers in their costumes. Most were a bit risqué, (at least for the late nineteenth century), as well as a bit funny. You can also see how standards of beauty changed in the past 120 years.

These costumes are pretty impressive, and they have a pretty good sense of humor. It seems like those Victorians had a fun side after all!