Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Julian Eltinge (Susan Walters) collection
- Dates:
- Approximately 1901-2024
- Creators:
- Walters, Susan and Berger, Mark
- Abstract:
- The collection is comprised of three series consisting of two boxes, one large format folder, and one digital repository containing documents, photographs, newspapers and periodicals, advertising materials, and original research, both original and xeroxed, pertaining to the career of vaudeville and silent film entertainer Julian Eltinge (1881-1941).
- Extent:
- 1.25 Linear Feet (2 boxes, 1 oversized folder)
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[item description], Julian Eltinge (Susan Walters) collection (0336-L2026.04). Lambda Archives of San Diego, San Diego, Calif.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains original and xeroxed photographs, postcards, autographs, advertising materials, playbills, newspapers and periodicals, original research, and ephemera related to the career of American vaudeville, theater, and silent film actor Julian Eltinge (Born William Dalton, 1881-1941). The collection also includes elements of the above related to Eltinge's contemporaries in the entertainment industry and research and ephemera related in particular to his time spent in the town of Alpine, California, in San Diego County. The materials cover the period from 1900 to 2008.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Stage and film actor Julian Eltinge (birth name William Dalton), was born in 1881 or 1883, most likely in Newtownville, Massachusetts. Records and resources obtained by Susan Walters, Mark Berger, and others indicate several different birth dates for Eltinge, but all point to this date range. At some point in the early 1890s, after the Dalton family had moved to Butte, Montana (from a brief stint in Los Angeles), Eltinge was sent back to Massachusetts for his education. Research and contemporary storytelling indicate that this is where Dalton began acting, in a group called the Boston Cadets. Around this time Dalton may have taken his stage name, Julian Eltinge. Sources from Susan Walters' and Mark Berger's body of research indicate the name "Julian" may have come from a childhood neighbor in Butte, William's own mother, Julia, or William's middle name. One contemporary source, a newspaper called the New York Clipper, (quoted by Walters in her original research) states that the last name "Eltinge" was pulled from a classmate in Butte. Eltinge gained his fame and spent most of his career (beginning in 1905) as what was then referred to as a "female impersonator," similar to what we'd now refer to as a drag queen. During this period of history between the turn of the century and the stock market crash of 1929, "female impersonation" by men was an acceptable, mainstream form of entertainment alongside other vaudeville acts like minstrelsy, in which Eltinge participated as well, in blackface (according to F. Michael Moore's 2022 biography). The object of this form of entertainment was usually to lampoon certain archetypes of women, however some female impersonators sought to instead look as much like women as possible, using complex makeup techniques and handmade clothing and corseting to, in more modern terms, "pass" as women, and then cap off their act with a "reveal" as men. Eltinge was considered the master of this specific type of performance. Advertising and reviews at the time claimed that he was the most beautiful woman on stage. During the height of Eltinge's success, he became a millionaire and gained international fame, performing in Europe and Japan. Eltinge owned a large property in Silver Lake, within Los Angeles, on which he built a Mediterranean style mansion. He also part-owned a theater bearing his name in New York, several apartment buildings, a line of makeup (marketed to women), multiple cars, and eventually, property in San Diego county. Eltinge retired from show business in 1925. Almost all of this wealth would be gone by the end of the 1920s as the Great Depression rolled in and American preferences in entertainment and standards around gender changed. The economic crisis forced Eltinge to come out of retirement and find opportunities to perform to support his livelihood. Eltinge was also among many silent film celebrities who failed to make the transition to "talkies," or films with sound. Morality laws in the early 1930s banned cross-dressing of any kind for any purpose, putting the final nail in the coffin of his career.
Despite, or perhaps because of, Eltinge's decidedly effeminate career choice, Eltinge did his utmost to project masculinity off stage. According to research by Walters and Berger, Eltinge went as far as cultivating close relationships with journalists in order to encourage them to portray him in a particularly manly light. With this in mind, it is hard to get any insight into whether or not Eltinge was gay or gender non-conforming in his private life. Extant evidence including modern interviews (conducted by Susan Walters) with people who had relationships with Eltinge or knew those that did, and contemporary biographical information, indicate that Eltinge had a number of romantic relationships with women. Eltinge professed to enjoy horseback riding, fishing, and sports. It is possible that this was a cover for his personal homosexual tendencies, but that would be conjecture. Eltinge certainly cultivated close relationships with many men, and invited groups of male artists to live on his property in San Diego County.
In 1926 or 1927, Julian Eltinge purchased property in Alpine, a town in San Diego's rural East County. Research performed by Susan Walters indicate that Eltinge may have "discovered" the town while traveling from Los Angeles to the Agua Caliente horse racing track and casino in Tijuana, Baja California, however this is unlikely as the Agua Caliente casino did not open until 1928 and the racetrack did not open until 1929. This was a common destination for the first generation of Hollywood celebrities during Prohibition as alcohol could easily be obtained in Mexico. Research by Susan Walters suggests Eltinge may have been acquainted with Baron Long, who owned property near Alpine and was heavily involved in the construction of the Agua Caliente complex, and thus may have introduced Eltinge to the area. Her research also shows Eltinge's property ownership under both the name "Dalton" and "Eltinge" from 1927 to his death in 1941, via copies of the "San Diego County Directory." Eltinge opened a guest ranch (also called a dude ranch), named either "Shady Acres" or the "Sierra Vista Rancho Resort Hotel", consisting of two main homes and several standalone apartments for guests, as well as a large pool. Contemporary newspaper clippings collected by Mark Berger indicate that Eltinge attempted to sell the property in 1936, but was unable to likely due to the poor economic conditions. Despite likely still owning the property, accounts indicate that Eltinge was living in an apartment in Los Angeles for most of the 1930s, up to his death. Eltinge's mother resided on the property for some time after his death in 1941. Most of the buildings on the property were demolished over time, however the pool and one of the main homes still exist in degraded condition. The remaining home is an occupied private residence.
- Acquisition information:
- Susan Walters, Susan Walters on behalf of Mark Berger, 2026.
- Arrangement:
-
This collection is organized into three series:
- Series I: Mark Berger papers [Box 1-2, Oversized Folder 1]
- Series II: Susan Walters papers [Box 1]
- Series III: Susan Walters Born Digital files
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-04-06 19:09:33 +0000 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Regarding materials created by Susan Walters: Susan Walters retains copyright over her material, and permission must be obtained from her to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Susan Walters must also be cited when her work is used.
Regarding materials from Mark Berger and others: The status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.
Responsibility for obtaining permissions for any use and distribution of these materials rests exclusively with the user and not Lambda Archives of San Diego. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from Lambda Archives of San Diego as owners of the physical property.
- Preferred citation:
-
[item description], Julian Eltinge (Susan Walters) collection (0336-L2026.04). Lambda Archives of San Diego, San Diego, Calif.
- Location of this collection:
-
4545 Park Blvd, Suite 104San Diego, CA 92116, US
- Contact:
- (619) 260-1522