Hark! Silliness 19th Century Style

I have a tendency to strike over-the-top poses when I'm fooling around, a habit I blame on performing in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan annually from the fourth grade through high school.  Unfortunately for my dignity, people occasionally catch me at it while holding a camera, such as at Returning Heroes last week.

Hark! I see a visitor approaching!

Anyways, I happened across these pictures of British burlesque performers from the 1890s.  The 19th c. form of burlesque (which, as you can see, still involved cute girls and not a lot of clothes) was a form of satire in which current politics, celebrities, trends, etc. were mocked with sketches and popular songs with re-written lyrics.  In fact, many of the tunes used were originally from the light operas of G&S.  As you can see, my penchant for silly posing isn't new.

Totally cute.