Lillian Russell
Singer and actress Lillian Russell was born Helen Louise Leonard on December 4, 1861, in Clinton, Iowa. She performed in burlesque and light opera, debuting in Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore in 1879. Russell was praised for her voluptuous beauty and was frequently photographed. Women everywhere tried to emulate her plump physique by buying potions and corsets to accentuate their curves. Although Russell was the ideal beauty of her time, her 186-pound figure–which she kept by eating without restraint–would be quite a departure from today’s standard of beauty. Russell later wrote a newspaper column on health, beauty and love, and she died in 1922.
Photo: Library of Congress
