Above: Full view

Above: Full view in glassine evelope

This 1920s large format double weight sepia erotic photograph of Ziegfeld Follies showgirl and flapper Tot Qualters is one of the most well preserved artifacts from the heyday of the jazz age showgirl extravaganza. In its original glassine sleeve, this features Qualters in ornate headdress, captured by Orval Hixon from his time with the Hixon-Newman studios. Photographs from this era of the Ziegfeld Follies are particularly coveted, and views with this exquisite sense of style and costuming are among the most desirable and scarce.

Above: Glassine overwrap text

The Follies were lavish revues, something between later Broadway shows and a more elaborate high class Vaudeville variety show. Many of the top entertainers of the era (including W.C. Fields, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Ann Pennington, Bert Williams, Will Rogers, Ruth Etting, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan, Marilyn Miller, Ed Wynn, Gilda Gray, Nora Bayes, Sophie Tucker, and others) appeared in the shows. The Ziegfeld Follies were also famous for many beautiful chorus girls commonly known as Ziegfeld girls, usually decked in elaborate costumes by designers such as Erté, Lady Duff Gordon, or Ali Ben Hagan, which became the talk of Broadway the following day.

Above: Studio signature in negative

The career of Tot Qualters with Ziegfeld:
Make It Snappy Apr 13, 1922 – Jul 1, 1922
The Midnight Rounders of 1921 Feb 7, 1921 – Apr 2, 1921
The Passing Show of 1921 Dec 29, 1920 – May 28, 1921
The Midnight Rounders of 1920 Jul 12, 1920 – Nov 27, 1920
The Century Revue Jul 12, 1920 – Jan 1, 1921
Miss 1917 Nov 5, 1917 – Jan 5, 1918
Ziegfeld Follies of 1916 Jun 12, 1916 – Sep 16, 1916
Stop! Look! Listen! Dec 25, 1915 – Mar 25, 1916
Chin Chin Oct 20, 1914 – Jul 3, 1915

Above: Detail of Tot Qualters

Above: Verso view