Although showgirls first appeared in late-19th century music halls, the red, white and blue feathered costumes in Deslys’ revue offered Paris something new and triumphal. In 1920s New York, impresarios such as Florenz Ziegfeld staged luxurious Broadway productions that glorified the American showgirl. There, she was celebrated in biopics such as ‘The Great Ziegfeld’ (1936) with its glittering, feathered costumes by the designer Adrian. From Vegas to Taylor SwiftBurlesque performer Dita Von Teese draws on the American showgirls’ legacy by wearing costumes from Jubilee! Another photograph shows Swift in a cloud of ostrich plumes and rhinestones wearing a dark, bobbed wig: a direct reference to 1920s American showgirls and performers such as the Dolly Sisters.