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Ernest ‘Stella’ Boulton: Victorian Drag Pionmeer
On the 28 April 1870, two middle class men, dressed in full drag, were arrested outside the Royal Strand Theatre in London, where they attended a show and (gasps) used the ladies bogs. They were thrust into jail, crudely examined, although no longer punishable by death (a pity) sodomy was a serious crime.- and soon became subjects of a lengthy court case that held the capital enthralled. Dubbed the ‘he-she ladies’ by newspapers whose front covers they graced; they were in fact, Frederick ‘Fanny’ Park and Earnest ‘Stella’ Boulton. Both were early advocators of gay rights, but it is Stella who earned the title of Another Woman for her sheer strength and determination to be who she wanted to be, and for achieving this with remarkable aplomb. Stella a bold new play by British playwright Neil Bartlett has opened in London as part of the LIFT Festival.
In times when gender fluidity is finally being confronted, and increasingly accepted, Stella’s story is of particular relevance. Stella has gone down in history as a daring transvestite of the Victorian age but her legacy and bravery in the quest for self realisation is timeless. Every baby comes out of hospital with a whole lot of labels to its ankle saying, Your this gender, you’re this colour, this social class etc.. One of the great gifts the Stella’s of the world give us is saying, Take all these labels off, look at yourself in the mirror one day and say, ‘who are you? It’s not just about living your own life, its about realising that everyone has the right to be them selves and then doing something about it. All Stella wants is happiness.
I’m wondering if Stella would be shipped to Australia, or would it be too risqué for us Colonials?Just another useless piece of trivia: during the first world war, the British frequently shot transgender folk for ‘cowardice in the face of the enemy, or as spies’. Any excuse?
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9 Replies
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Great article Liz. Truly courageous for the times. By any measure. Regards Marian
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Thank you for that article Liz. Amazing times indeed.
If any one wishes to read further there is a book titled “iridescence” by Peter Wells that the author describes as an imagining based on the very real nineteenth century scandal of Boulton and Park.
Even though this book is a novel it does contain newspaper clippings of the time and lithographs. It is a while since I read it and have put it back on my “to read again” pile.
Happy reading
Em -
I may need to find a copy of irridescence. Any ideas (ebay excepted)
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Hi Luci, I did a quick search, Amazon has both hard copies and e books. The kindle version is only $9 and can be read on any phone or tablet. Some libraries may still carry it too.
Em -
Thank you. I’ll have a look
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Is also available on itunes for $11.99
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Purely out of curiosity, could you elaborate on your bracketed comment? “although no longer punishable by death (a pity) sodomy was a serious crime”.
While it has no interest for me I would suggest the execution of consenting adults indulging in this act would have been a tad over the top.I did try to find information about drag in early Australia but all I got were links like this
https://www.facebook.com/AustralianDragRacingHistory/
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I think sodomy was punishable by hanging slightly prior to ‘Stella’s’ time. My flippant remark is indicative of a good public topping, it beats a grand final any day; just bring your knitting to help pass the time away.
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Interesting article Liz.. thank god we are a bit further down the road of acceptance these days
