Did you know one of the first drag queens was a black man with dwarfism? Thomas Dilward was born in the late 1830s in Brooklyn, New York and was a contortionist, singer, violinist, comedian and actor. His performances often involved impersonating operatic prima donnas in drag. He used to perform at a theater in Brooklyn, but he eventually traveled all around the world performing, including stops in Australia, New Zealand, and England. According to the 1877 edition of Bartlett’s Book of Americani
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Did you know one of the first drag queens was a black man with dwarfism? Thomas Dilward was born in the late 1830s in Brooklyn, New York and was a contortionist, singer, violinist, comedian and actor. His performances often involved impersonating operatic prima donnas in drag. He used to perform at a theater in Brooklyn, but he eventually traveled all around the world performing, including stops in Australia, New Zealand, and England. According to the 1877 edition of Bartlett’s Book of Americani
124K viewsJun 1, 2025
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