Rose Sydell

Rose Sydell (born Rosa Sidles; 1865 – August 4, 1941) was an American burlesque actress. She starred in her own show, Rose Sydell and the London Belles, which toured the United States and Europe for 26 years. Sydell's penchant for wearing great quantities of valuable jewels and ostrich plumes secured her reputation as America's first Burlesque Queen.

Rose Sydell and the London Belles Born in Covington, Kentucky, Rose Sydell started her career as a ballet dancer at Robinson's Opera House in Cincinnati, Ohio. At 19, she entered burlesque after receiving an offer from producer Sam T. Jack. For her own costume, Sydell avoided short skirts and tights. She wore long, extravagant dresses—accessorized with diamonds from her own collection—and left the strip teases to the chorus girls.

With its combination of Sydell's celebrity, chorus girls, comical playlets, and popular songs, the London Belles tour was a major burlesque attraction. It played in the US and Europe for over two decades. Sydell was its “bright and particular star.” Sydell was one of the first American burlesque actresses to appear on the cover of the New York Clipper. In a 1910 cover story, the Clipper's burlesque critic wrote, “There are very few stars to-day who are better known, and very few who are as popular, she being well known from coast to coast.”

Sydell stopped performing with the London Belles in 1915 to focus her energies on women’s suffrage.

Over her career, Sydell appeared with the principal stars of the burlesque industry, including Daisy Harcourt, and influenced a generation of burlesque queens, such as Mollie Williams.

Sydell and Campbell amassed considerable wealth in burlesque. The two owned stock in the Columbia Amusement Company from its inception, and bought additional stock in other corporations. They invested in real estate, purchasing a block of brownstones on State Street in Brooklyn, NY, as well as a hotel in Atlantic City. Sydell possessed a large collection of diamonds and other jewels.

Rose Sydell died at home on August 4, 1941. She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York City.