Annie Hindle was one of the first male impersonator in the United States. She was born in the 1840s in England. By the early 1860s she was performing in British music halls singing as both male and female characters - with quick costume changes in the wings between songs.
With her short clipped hair, a low alto voice and realistic costume, Hindle could transform herself into men from all walks of life, singing and comment on everything from courtship and marriage to class solidarity.
Hindle immigrated to New York City in 1868. She billed herself as:
“Miss Annie Hindle, serio-comic and the greatest male impersonator in the world”
Soon after arriving, Hindle married Charles Vivian, a ballad singer. But six months later they separated. There’s no record they ever got divorced. Hindle later said that Vivian was a heavy drinker with a hot temper and he beat her.
Annie received good reviews for her solo act in minstrel shows which led to steady bookings. One review for a performance in Galveston, Texas, said:
"Annie Hindle has proved a great success. As a male impersonator her sex is so concealed that one is apt to imagine that it is a man who is singing."
In 1870, Hindle performed at the Metropolitan Hall in Washington, D.C. Blanche Du Vere, a “jig” dancer was also on the bill. Records from that year show a marriages occurred between Blanche and “Charles” Hindle. There relationship only lasted a year but Blanche gained a new career when she began performing as a male impersonated under the name Blanche Selwyn.
In 1886, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Hindle married her dresser Annie Ryan while on a tour through the mid-west. Hindle dressed as a man gave her name as Charles. Within days a reporter began hounding the couple, asking questions about the legitimacy of their relationship. His article soon appeared in the Grand Rapids newspaper.
Despite the scandal, Hindle’s career and marriage persevered. She and Ryan moved to a new town and Hindle got a new agent. They remained together for five years; until Ryan’s death in 1891. Newspapers reported that theatrical professionals attended Ryan’s funeral.
Handle went back on the road with her male impersonator act. Hindle met Louise Spangehl while performing on stage in Virginia. Their wedding was reported in The Pittsburgh Dispatch. The minister who performed the wedding thought Hindle was a man.
Hindle’s last known public performance was in 1904.
