Ella Shields collection

Collection

Identifier: MS-0971

Staff Only

Content Description

This collection contains sheet music for "You Oughta See My Baby" and "Why Did I Kiss That Girl," both editions featuring Ella Shields on the cover, as well as a playbill for a 1949 showing of the nostalgia music hall show "Thanks for the Memory," and five photographs of Ella Shields from various points in her career.

Dates

Creation: Circa 1905-1949

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

Ella Shields was a music hall entertainer known for her male impersonator performances. Her most popular performance was "Burlington Bertie from Bow," written by her then-husband William Hargreaves. She was born in Baltimore on September 26, 1879 and began her acting career in Altoona, Pennsylvania in 1878. In 1904, she made her English stage debut at Forester's Music Hall in London, and she continued to perform in the United Kingdom for the rest of her career. In 1929, she announced her retirement, but in 1948, she began performing again in the nostalgia revue "Thanks for the Memory." She died on August 5, 1952 in Lancaster after collapsing on stage.

Source: “Miss Ella Shields.” The Times. August 6, 1952, sec. Arts and Sports.