Kitty Doner. Three-quarter length portrait, in costume, facing left. 1923. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/00650691/
This primary source is valuable for several reasons. First, it provides a positive representation of a woman wearing traditionally masculine clothing. Such imagery can be incredibly affirming for gender-nonconforming children and young adults, as well as for all students who feel constrained by traditional gender norms and expectations. This kind of affirmation is essential for fostering an inclusive classroom environment where all students feel seen, understood, and ready to learn.
Additionally, this photograph serves as a powerful entry point for discussing the historical and cultural evolution of gender performance in the United States. It highlights the ways in which both mainstream and subversive expressions of gender have changed over time and across contexts. Specifically, this source reflects a significant shift in gender role expectations within popular culture, as well as the expanding public roles for women in society following World War I.
This photograph is in black and white, and Kitty Doner, whose real name was Catherine Donohue, is dressed in traditional men’s clothing, including a bowtie, newsboy cap, and a three piece suit. The title indicates that this was a costume for Kitty, and she is smiling and holding a cigarette while looking away from the camera.
This photograph features Kitty Doner, a renowned vaudeville performer, male impersonator, actor, and dancer, taken in the early 1920s. At the time, vaudeville was at the height of its popularity, and women’s legal rights were gradually expanding—though often limited to wealthy white women. The 1920s marked the beginning of a decade characterized by gender-bending performances both on and off the stage. Kitty Doner exemplified this cultural shift by performing traditionally masculine and feminine roles, sometimes even combining both in a single performance.
- How can we practice close analysis with a photograph?
- How did vaudeville pave the way for modern comedic practices of stand up and televised variety shows?
- How do we define femininity and masculinity in our culture? What are different ways that we express gender?
- In what ways does everyone perform gender?
- How has popular culture’s relationship with gender performance and drag culture changed over time and why?
NCTE Standards
NCTE.1: Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
- Students can reach this standard by examining past cross-dressing culture of the early 1900s and can work through a collection of photographs like this to gain new understanding on the subject.
NCTE.7: Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
- Students can use this primary source as a way to access information on Vaudeville acts, cross-dressing history, or even on early circus and variety performances.
NCTE.11: Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
- This primary source is a valuable way to reflect on current practices that are coming under attack in the United States. This source helps build context for the history of cross-dressing, and students can examine the creative aspects through their research as well as examining this photo as a critical member of society.
- A suggested teaching approach could include a research or inquiry project exploring the history of actors performing gendered roles that differ from their assigned gender at birth. Using an artistic lens, a class or group analysis of this photograph could inspire students to uncover untold stories, examine the artists who share them, and consider the impact of positive media representation on younger generations. Additionally, the photograph could provide historical context for young adult texts like Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which features drag kings as symbols of hope and affirmation for LGBTQIA+ youth.
- This image might also serve as a starting point for understanding 1920s culture and vaudeville prior to studying The Great Gatsby. Students could connect it to the theme of gender-bending in the novel by tracking characters' behaviors, descriptions, and dialogue in relation to traditional binary gender roles. Alternatively, it could enhance a Harlem Renaissance unit by connecting the photograph to texts such as Zora Neale Hurston’s 1926 play Sweat. While the play addresses mature themes like abusive relationships, students could analyze its feminist messages and consider how women of different races and classes navigated patriarchal norms.
- This photograph could also introduce the history of acting roles in Shakespearean theater, where women and gender nonconforming (GNC) individuals were historically excluded, while men were celebrated for playing all roles. Resources like the Folger article on the roles women were permitted to play and the NCTE lesson “He Said/She Said: Analyzing Gender Roles through Dialogue” (originally designed for grades 6–8 but adaptable for older students) could support discussions about gender biases, stereotypes, and the evolution of gender in performance.
- Some may seek to challenge this source because Kitty appears content wearing traditionally masculine clothing, arguing that images like this photograph might influence students' perspectives on gender identity or sexual orientation—even though evidence does not support this concern. Such challenges often stem from fears rooted in homophobia, transphobia, and/or misogyny.
- If people are concerned about students seeing images of a woman disrupting traditional binary gender expectations and worry about the influence it could have on them or their children, they can refer to the following resources:
Links to resources for approaching those topics
- This guide book to supporting LGBTQ+ students from GLSEN, which includes a section on unpacking internalized homophobia and transphobia.
- These lessons from The Representation Project that help to unpack gender stereotypes of all kinds.
- Human Rights Campaign’s resource “Understanding Drag: As American As Apple Pie” discusses the history of drag and some of the reasons it’s so important for everyone to see.
- Alok Vaid-Menon’s text Beyond the Gender Binary also helps to unpack some of the ways that the gender binary can be damaging for everyone, as well as ways to think differently about gender.
- [Vesta Tilley, three-quarter length portrait, dressed in men's clothing, facing front] / Steinberg, Fifth Avenue, Cor. 125th St., New York. https://www.loc.gov/item/00650692/
- This photograph is another example of a woman dressed in men’s clothing. Vesta Tilley was a famous English male impersonator, and this photograph was taken in 1906, highlighting that women wearing traditionally masculine clothes goes back far earlier than the 1920s.
- Similarly, the theatrical poster entitled “Stuart (the male Patti) in the new 1492” features a female impersonator and normalizes this practice, as the poster is from 1898. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014635729/
- Malinda Lo’s blog and research on male impersonation that she conducted for her novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club could be helpful to pair with her novel, as well as discuss how drag performances became popular in the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Facing History’s Guide to Analyzing Images would be helpful if teachers of students in grades 6-12 want to use a guide to help students learn the steps in analyzing this photograph or others in the series.