Billy Waters is dancing : or, how a Black sailor found fame in regency Britain
Shannon, Mary L.2024
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Every child in Regency London knew Billy Waters, the celebrated 'King of the Beggars.' Likely born into enslavement in 1770s New York, he became a Royal Navy sailor. After losing his leg in a fall from the rigging, the talented and irrepressible Waters became London's most famous street performer. His extravagantly costumed image blazed across the stage and in print to an unprecedented degree. For all his contemporary renown, Waters died destitute in 1823 - but his legend would live on for decades. Mary L. Shannon's biography draws together surviving traces of Waters' life to bring us closer to the historical figure underlying them.
Main title:
Author:
Shannon, Mary L., author
Imprint:
New Haven : Yale University Press, 2024.
Collation:
384 pages : illustrations (black and white, and colour) ; 24 cm
Audience:
Specialized.
ISBN:
9780300267686 (hbk)
Dewey class:
791.092BWAT
Language:
English
Related title:
Billy Waters is dancing : or, how a Black sailor found fame in regency Britain
Subject:
Waters, Billy, active 18th centuryStreet entertainers -- England -- London -- BiographyAfrican American entertainers -- BiographyLondon (England) -- Social life and customs -- 18th centuryBiographyUnited Kingdom, Great Britain19th century, c 1800 to c 1899Biography & non-fiction proseBiography: historical, political & militaryEuropean history
BRN:
1504360
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