Miss Hetty King
I was going through some things tonight and came upon a cache of old sheet music that had once belonged to my grandmother. One piece in particular that had always intrigued me was this:
(Click on image for a larger version)
So, who was Miss Hettie King, what was she doing dressed as a man, and why did this piece of sheet music end up in the possession of my very straight-laced grandmother?
Google is my friend. I found out that Hetty King was the stage name of Winifred Emms, the daughter of music hall star Will King (stage name of William Emms). Hetty was a male impersonator, a straight woman who played male roles to the delight of music hall audiences. Click on the name to see a biography and a gallery of pictures maintained by a member of the Emms family. They even have a picture of the same piece of sheet music.
Apparently the male impersonator was a tradition in the British Music Hall just like the female impersonator. Male impersonators didn't attempt to hide their gender (as you can see in some of the pictures). I suppose that made it okay in my grandmother's eyes as the male gear was just a stage costume.
At any rate, I'm glad to have solved the mystery
of Miss Hetty King.