RANSVESTIA

As the years passed, bits of information came to me until I was able to put this incident into a larger perspective. My father had always been keen on acting, and during World War I had been in a soldiers' concert party (as they were called) that performed for the troops in France and England. He played female parts exclusively, as far as I could make out, and was very good at it. When I was about twelve or so I came across an old album full of photographs and clippings that dealt with my father's acting career from pre-war days until long after the war. The press cuttings indicated he was successful and popular in male as well as female roles, and the photographs showed what a splendid woman he made as a younger man. He was very slim, about 5'10” tall, and had a smooth face that made-up most convincingly. Many of the reviews complimented him on his appearance and movement, the elegance of his women's clothing, and his fine singing voice. One woman fashion editor had interviewed him while he was changing dresses during a performance, and as well as flat- tering comments about the outer clothing and hats and shoes she included some gushing remarks about the lovely lingerie he wore. Frothy petticoats and frilly garters were popular at the time she was writing. Obviously, he was always meticulous about detail and devoted to the idea of being the complete woman whenever he dressed up as one.

A later photograph showed him dressed in the outfit he had on that memorable night in 1928. Evidently he was playing the role of a carnival queen, and it was probably the night before that I had glimpsed him from the top of the stairs. The photograph had been taken outside, show- ing him in a very feminine pose, one knee pressed into the other with the foot behind, one hand patting the back curls of his wig, and the breeze creating a flutter of black dress and satin evening slip about his calves and ankles. The breeze also pressed his clothes against his thighs, giving away the position of the garters supporting his silk stockings and the place where the bloomers' leg elastic encircled the forward leg a few inches above the knee. I have looked at this and the other pictures a thousand times since I carried my early excitements to their logical conclusion and began to dress up myself.

I, no doubt like you who read this, assume that my father was a trans- vestite. However, I have no evidence that he dressed as a woman much, if at all, after he was about thirty-five. If he did, it was done discreetly. He did play male roles for many more years in various dramatic productions, and did some directing of musical comedy. Perhaps this was for my bene- fit. I don't know. Anyway, from the various things I've said here it is quite clear that he did enjoy being done up as a woman. One or two

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