Billy Waters is Dancing: Or, How a Black Sailor Found Fame in Regency Britain

The story of William Waters, Black street performer in Regency London, and how his huge celebrity took on a life of its own

Every child in Regency London knew Billy Waters, the celebrated “King of the Beggars.” Likely born into enslavement in 1770s New York, he became a Royal Navy sailor. After losing his leg in a fall from the rigging, the talented and irrepressible Waters became London’s most famous street performer. His extravagantly costumed image blazed across the stage and in print t...