Leo Reisman's Orch. - My Sweeter Than Sweet, 1929

In the slideshow are the illustrations by Joseph Christian LEYENDECKER (March 23, 1874 Montabaur, Germany - July 25, 1951 in New Rochelle, New York) - who was a 20th century American illustrator. He is most well known for his men's fashion advertisements, particularly the Arrow Collar Man, and as Norman Rockwell's predecessor as the premier illustrator of covers for the Saturday Evening Post.

In 1882, the Leyendecker family immigrated to Chicago, Illinois, where they founded the successful McAvoy Brewing Company. After studying under John H. Vanderpoel at the Chicago Art Institute, J.C. Leyendecker and his younger brother Frank enrolled in the Académie Julian in Paris for a year, where they were exposed to the work of Toulouse-Lautrec, Jules Chéret, and also Alfons Mucha, founder of the Art Nouveau movement. While Frank returned to the U.S. with serious addictions and a lack of direction, Joseph returned with a drive for success and a clear vision of whats sold and how to achieve it. Soon he got his first commission for a Saturday Evening Post cover the beginning of his forty-four year association with the most popular magazine in the country. In 1900, Joe, Frank, and their sister Mary moved to New York City, taking full advantage of all the opportunities that the city offered, finding much in the way of corporate illustration commissions. During the next decade, both brothers began lucrative relationships with manufactures such as Interwoven Socks, B. Kuppenheimer & Co., and Cluett Peabody & Company, for which he created the Arrow Collar Man (the first brand name in advertising), based on his lover and favorite model, Charles Beach.

In 1914, the Leyendeckers, accompanied by Charles Beach, moved into their mansion and studio in New Rochelle, New York, where Joe would reside for the rest of his life. J.C. Leyendecker's biographers describe his lifestyle as that of an openly gay man, but by the time of his death he had become a secretive recluse. In an era when such a sexual orientation was taboo, Leyendecker's personal life was brushed aside in the popular media in favor of focusing on his fame as an artist. Leyendecker may have attempted to disguise the homoerotic content of his drawings by including women adoring the handsome men. A few images are more overtly homoerotic, such as advertisements for Gillette, in which scantily clad men teach each other how to use disposable razors, while other like the sports or military covers refer to man-to-man homosexual desires in almost clandestine way.

Due to his fame as an illustrator, Leyendecker was able to indulge in a very luxurious lifestyle which in many ways embodied the decadence of the Roaring Twenties. However, when commissions began to wane in the 1930s, he was forced to curtail spending considerably. By the time of his death, Leyendecker had let all of the household staff at his New Rochelle estate go, with he and Beach attempting to maintain the extensive estate themselves. He is buried alongside parents and Frank at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York. Charles's grave site is unknown.

Vintage Drag Queen photographs--Francis Renault

With it being October 1st I  thought it was fitting in a way to pay tribute to those men who were drag queens, female impersonators, female illusionists or how ever we want to call these talented men.  Of course drag has been around forever, from boys playing the roles of girls in Shakespeare to now Rupaul and His show Rupaul's Drag Races.  Of course if your from a certain generation many will recall it was drag queens who lead the fight at Stonewall.  It was drag queens who first were raising money for AIDS and for some very odd reason it is drag queens as one of the subculture in gay life that the media always focuses on at Gay pride events.

Some of you who know me really know well, also know that I did my share of female impersonation.  I worked in drag for nearly twenty years, hanging my stilleto's up eight years ago.  It all started at Halloween, Michael (my first boyfriend) heard me singing Streisand songs in the shower one morning and promptly said "Girl, you need to impersonate her.  You really sound like her and sweetie if you can make you look like it her you could make some big bucks.

Well Michael at the time was a Ms. Gay California, which is where I was living and it pulled a lot of weight.  He was always looking for new talent.  So he made me up to be Streisand, the early years, you know the sailor suit, the pencil dress, the long nails, the cleopatra eye liner and I learned to cross my eyes rather quickly.  What set me apart in 1986 was that I sang live, no lipsynching here.  Rage Nightclub hired me on the spot, the man that ran the club was a huge Streisand fan and he was in tears when I was done.

When Michael died I lost of course my lover and best freind but also my manager, my make up artist and stylist.  I semi-retired for 3 years and started all over again in Cleveland.  The Streisand years were over and I began doing Bette Midler.  I ended my career completely when Ron died now almost 8 years ago.

I was over the whole drag bit.  It is how I raised all the money to open New Hope.  With what happened with New Hope I had no desire to ever don a wig again.  It was some of the very best and also some of the very worst times of my life.  I regret none of it.  In that span of nearly twenty years I am the proudest of helping raise nearly $750,000 for many different charities--the biggest being AIDS.

It seems since Ron has died that I have been on this epic journey to find the man I have always been and for me part of that man was impersonating women.  It gives you a huge insight into their lives.  How they move, how the talk,walk, think and along the way you also deal quiet a bit with the sterotypes too.  Maybe one day if the right cause came along I would consider doing drag one more time.  For now though it is part of the past that, with everything considered I remember very fondly.

"The Slave of Fashion"--Francis Renault
All of the photogrpahs in this post happen to be of renowned Female impersonator Francis Renault who was the featured model in a number of women's fashion shows and burlesque performances.  One of his appearances was promoted in the Boston Traveler on July 23, 1931:  A special fashion show, sponsored by Francis Renault, "The Slave of Fashion," will be put on at Scollay Square Theatre, tomorrow afternoon. Renault's ability to display the latest and most beautiful feminine creations is well-known to Hub theatergoers, and tomorrow this versatile artist promises many new striking fashion delights.

So to those brave men who helped pave the way for all of us today, thank you.  So until next time kids, I am so glas we had this time together.  Tomorrow- Vintage men's underwear ads "The Early 1900's".

News of the day

Not much here for me to really talk about.  I hated missing Liza on Oprah today as was in class.  I did LOVE tonight's new episode of Glee and have all my homework for tomorrow done already.  Tomorrow also starts my tutor responsibilities at Mason Elementary.  Its part of my College Writing II Class and I am nervous to say the least. Keep me in your thoughts that it all goes well.

Hope you have been enjoying the vintage fashion posts I maybe do some more as I found this great web site with oodles of vintage fashion. I also want to take the time and remind everyone I am on Twitter as well and hopefully in some time I will be doing more there once I get a better system to do it than my current refualr cell phone, keeping my fingers crossed.

Hopefully also tomorrow I can spend a lot of time on the Women in History Fashion Show outfit as I am really nervous about that.  In the meantime thanks to all the readers, readership since this new blooger traking thing started has steadily going up every month and I APPRECIATE IT!

I would like to her what you would like to see here as well specific fashion, topics or whatever.  After all maybe weboth can grow a little.  Well until next time, I am so glad we had this time together