Vesta Tilley's legacy reaches as far as RuPaul’s Drag Race UK

Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum holds a large collection of theatrical posters and playbills, as well as many pieces of costume and props relating to the performer Vesta Tilley.

Born in Worcester in 1864, Tilley was one of the greatest ever stars of the music hall. She was a male impersonator, performing songs in a masculine persona which made gentle fun of various traditional ‘types’ of men – the soldier, policeman, man-about-town, dandy.

By the 1890s she was England’s highest earning woman. She took scrupulous care with her costumes and mannerisms to achieve a perfectly accurate portrayal of those she played, which gave her a freedom to take on these masculine roles and mock the stereotypes and follies of men.

Of course, this gender ambiguity was only permissible when she was on stage – late Victorian Britain upheld very strict rules surrounding gender and sexuality, and Tilley had to be careful to avoid accusations of immorality.

She was always very careful to manage her image in her off-stage life, dressing in highly feminine clothing and presenting herself as a happily married woman.

This strategy worked for the most part – Tilley only cause one notable scandal in her life, at the 1912 Royal Command Performance, when Queen Mary was so shocked at the sight of a woman wearing trousers that she covered her face with her programme and commanded her ladies-in-waiting not to look at the stage.

Vesta Tilley was a trailblazer, playing with ideas of gender ambiguity at a time when it was considered dangerous to do so.

Her legacy continues today – only recently she was mentioned on the UK version of RuPaul’s Drag Race as an inspiration to a new generation of fabulous performers.

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Find out more about Museums Worcestershire’s collections at museumsworcestershire.org.uk/collections/.