Princess Seraphina (1700s)
Although she predated the modern usage of the term "drag," which is said to be a product of late-19th century British theater, Princess Seraphina is widely regarded as the first English drag queen. The female persona of 18th-century Englishman John Cooper, Princess Seraphina dared to roam the streets of London when homosexuality was a capital offense. And she was reportedly as familiar to her neighbors as she was to the regulars of the underground bars and clubs known as molly houses, which hosted London's thriving gay subculture of the 1700s. Much of what is known about Princess Seraphina comes from court records from a remarkable trial in which Cooper — who exposed himself to legal scrutiny amid the era's "sodomy laws" — brought charges against a man who robbed him at knife-point and threatened to expose his sexuality.
Madam Pattirini (1854-1931)
Madam Pattirini (above), the drag alter ego of Brigham Morris Young, was one of the 57 children of Brigham Young, the founder of Salt Lake City, Utah, and the second president of the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon church). An article published in 1901 in the Deseret News, the paper owned by the LDS church, noted that Morris Young performed in drag as Madam Pattirini, an “Italian prima donna,” at the birthday celebration of the church’s then-president, Lorenzo Snow. The article said Morris Young showed himself to be a “prime entertainer” and praised him for his “good falsetto voice and the ability to sustain a female character.” For those looking to honor Morris Young’s most well-known act, a Utah distiller introduced a gin named after the drag diva in 2017.
William Dorsey Swann (1860-1925)
William Dorsey Swann, who was born into slavery in Georgia, went on to make history as the first self-identified drag queen and the first American activist to lead a queer resistance group, according to historian Channing Joseph. On New Year’s Day in 1896, Swann was charged in Washington, D.C., with “keeping a disorderly house,” which was typically a euphemism for running a brothel. But what he was actually running, according to newspaper accounts at the time, was a drag ball (or, as the judge characterized it, a “hell of iniquity”). Swann, who had previously been arrested for “female impersonation,” was quickly convicted and sentenced to 10 months in jail. Swann requested a pardon from President Grover Cleveland, and, while the request was denied, it was reportedly the first time an American used legal and political action to fight for the right of LGBTQ people to gather.
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