Douglas Byng in drag as a glamorous woman. Photograph, 194-.

Date:
[between 1940 and 1949]
Reference:
2045281i
Part of:
The James Gardiner Collection.
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Collection contents

Available online

view Douglas Byng in drag as a glamorous woman. Photograph, 194-.

In copyright

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Credit

Douglas Byng in drag as a glamorous woman. Photograph, 194-. In copyright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

About this work

Description

Photograph of Douglas Byng posing in a black dress, black gloves, white stole, jewellery and holding a black fan.

Publication/Creation

[Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [between 1940 and 1949]

Physical description

1 photograph : print ; 12.3 x 9 cm

Series

Contributors

Notes

With: the negative inside small plastic envelope with "Dame Panto" written in black ink
The following description was provided by James Gardiner: "Byng, one of the great stars of the English variety stage appears here in 'Glamour Dame ' drag, a genre which he was instrumental in developing in the 1920s. Before that, Pantomime dames were grotesque parodies making no attempt at 'female impersonation'. In this shot, circa 1950 he wears a black satin dress with an ostrich trimmed train, ostrich boa and fan, and very large rhinestone jewellery. The large rhinestone bow worn here on the hip, was inherited on Douglas Byng's death in 1987 by the drag artist Danny Larue, who was a fan of Byng's work, and who admitted he had been greatly influenced by it."
This work is untitled: the title has been supplied by the cataloguer.

Reference

Wellcome Collection 2045281i

Ownership note

Gifted to James Gardiner by Douglas Byng, 1984.

Type/Technique

Languages

Subjects

Where to find it

  • Photograph album labelled ‘Drag'

    LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores

    Note

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