1871-08-23

HERBERT POLLITT, British transvestite actor, born (d: 1942); Herbert Who, you’re asking, right? Well, we’ve recently met Liane de Pougy (August 11), and we’ve been introduced to Aubrey Beardsley (August 21). Herbert Pollitt was an English transvestite actor who use the stage name “Diane de Rougy” (derived, of course, from the name of Liane de Pougy, who was a Folies-Bergere dancer as well as a courtesan) and a close friend of Aubrey Beardsley, who, as we’ve already learned, some actually believed to be straight, despite all his odd-duck friends. Herbert Pollitt, Folies-drag and all, was an early lover of Aleister Crowley, who we’ll talk about come October.