F. Scott Fitzgerald in Drag (1916)

F-SCOTT-FITZGERALD-in dragIt has been said that the dominant influences on F. Scott Fitzgerald were literature, Zelda, alcohol, and Princeton. The photos above were taken during the novelist’s Princeton days, where he played an active role in The Princeton Triangle Club, writing scripts and lyrics for what’s now the oldest collegiate musical-comedy troupe in the US. After Fitzgerald failed several exams, he was barred from performing in the club’s 1916 musical production, The Evil Eye!. A shame, given that he co-wrote the script. But F. Scott wasn’t going to be completely denied. Yes, he posed in drag for a publicity photo that appeared in The New York Times on January 2, 1916. The newspaper called him “the most beautiful” girl in the show.

H/T Retronaut

Related Content:

F. Scott Fitzgerald Reads From Shakespeare’s Othello and John Masefield’s “On Growing Old” (c.1940)

The Evolution of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Signature: From 5 Years Old to 21

The Wire Breaks Down The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Classic Criticism of America (NSFW)

Find major works by F. Scott Fitzgerald in our Free eBooks and Free Audio Books collections.


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  1. Ben says . . . | January 6, 2013 / 7:44 am

    Fascinating article, but I’m afraid you have some information wrong. The oldest collegiate musical comedy group in the US is the Hasty Pudding at Harvard University, having been founded in 1795 and putting on its first public annual musical in 1844.

  2. Jen says . . . | May 18, 2013 / 6:08 pm

    I believe the Hasty Pudding Club was founded as a social club not a musical theater group. As opposed to the Triangle Club which was founded a musical comedy group.

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