King drag website9/4/2023 ![]() ![]() By the time he was in his teens, he had landed work performing a drag act in saloons. ![]() William’s mother, Julia doted on her son and encouraged him to perform and praised his skills when he began dressing up as a female and performing at an early age. William’s father, Joseph brought his family to Los Angeles around the time William was five but relocated to Montana at some point where Joseph owned a barbershop. So, exactly who was this king of drag queens?Įltinge was born in Newton, Massachusetts on (some sources say 1883 but it may have been Eltinge shaving off a few years) under the name William Dalton. Julian Eltinge reached a level of fame that seems unfathomable today considering the social constrictions of the age in which he lived but he was, in fact, among the most beloved entertainers of his day. In fact, Eltinge’s shows and public appearances were heralded throughout the press not only for their entertainment value but for his mastery of the art of impersonation. In the first half of the twentieth century, Eltinge’s notoriety as a “female impersonator” rivaled that of superstar performer RuPaul’s status today. ![]() Although remembered (mostly) by historians of queer history, he has been largely forgotten by the mainstream public. Long before Divine, Charles Pierce, Craig Russell, Jim Bailey, or any contestant on ‘Drag Race’ brought the art of drag performance to mainstream audiences, there was Julian Eltinge. ![]()
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