Mermaids of Vaudeville: Women Aquatic Entertainers of the 1870s Through 1920s

This book explores the world of swimming entertainment that captured the imagination of visitors at the dime museums, variety and vaudeville theatres, local fairs, industrial exhibitions, and more in the United States from the late 19th through the early 20th centuries. The story begins with "menfish"—male tank swimmers—followed by Boston's Sallie Swift, the first US water queen. Most of the female swimmers discussed, such as Canada's Clara Beckwith and Australia's Annette Kellerman, came f...