William Anthony Maier – Why is My Uncle Wearing a Dress? 52 Ancestors #5

Entry #5

This is my fifth post for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.  I hope it will be a catch-up post.  So, here is an interesting picture of “Uncle Will,” my grandmother’s youngest brother (my grand-uncle).

So, why is uncle Will wearing a dress, and a wig and makeup?  The short answer is that I don’t really know.  Uncle Will was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1900; from the look of it, he was a young man at the time this photo was taken, so it was probably from between 1915-1925.  My dad saw this photo and made a few unkind remarks about the fact that Will never married.  For this post, I decided to explore the social climate of the times in order to put this picture into context.

What I learned is that female impersonation was a big part of Vaudeville. In “The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville,” Anthony Slide notes that “female impersonation is as old as the theatre itself.” (Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2012, p. 172).  He goes on to say that in American popular entertainment, it dates back to nineteenth century minstrel shows.  Typically, the men involved in female impersonation were very careful to present themselves as being quite masculine when offstage.  The 1930’s, however, saw a decline in the popularity of this genre.

 The demise of Vaudeville is coincidental to the demise of female impersonation.  The 1930’s was a decade in which Americans for the first time became more aware of homosexuality which, of course, equates with female impersonation.  To most Americans of that generation, homosexuality was frightening and had no place in popular entertainment.  Homosexuality and female impersonation went underground for a couple of decades or more (Slide, p. 174).

I have another interesting photo of Uncle Will where he is in costume.  This one has the feel of a “still” shot from a play.  Will portrays a young Christopher Columbus to an unidentified Queen Isabella.

I also have a few photos of my grandmother, Alma Maier Lindner, dressed in costume. I do not know if these related to a special occasion or if there is another explanation.

Uncle Will’s costumed appearances in my family memorabilia do not fit with his other persona. By profession, Uncle Will was a clerk for the printing trade.  In the 1930 U.S. Census, he was listed as the assistant manager for his company.

And, why did Uncle Will never marry?  We know that it was not uncommon for one child in a family (male or female) to remain single, as they took on the responsibility of caring for their elderly parents.  His mother, Julia Stephan Maier lived until 1948 to the age of 91.  Will would have been 48 by the time that she passed away.  Uncle Will appears to have lived at 226 Emming Street with his mother and father most of his life, and city directories show that he continued to reside there after his mother’s death.

I would love to know more about Uncle Will and if he attempted to pursue an acting career.  I will update this blog if I learn more.