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The First Self-Proclaimed Drag Queen - Smithsonian Mag

Mickt Flior
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editorial Editorial Illustration magazine portrait illustration smithsonian commercial illustration
The First Self-Proclaimed Drag Queen Was a Formerly Enslaved Man
- Smithsonian Magazine 

Illustration designed for an article in the Smithsonian magazine about  William Dorsey Swann, who's recognized as the first self-proclaimed drag queen in history. The secret balls he hosted in Washington D.C. in the late 1880s, were known as "drags", and might have helped coin the term we know today as "drag queen". 

Illustrator: Mickt Flior | @artsymickt 
Full Article by Cari Shane
editorial Editorial Illustration magazine portrait illustration smithsonian commercial illustration
editorial Editorial Illustration magazine portrait illustration smithsonian commercial illustration
editorial Editorial Illustration magazine portrait illustration smithsonian commercial illustration
editorial Editorial Illustration magazine portrait illustration smithsonian commercial illustration
editorial Editorial Illustration magazine portrait illustration smithsonian commercial illustration
Below are various shots of the different stages of the creative process. I had a clear image of the idea I wanted to portray in my head, already with colors and shadow effects. For that reason, this piece was created directly on the Ipad.

The idea was to show a figure that is easily understandable as male, wearing clothes and accessories that are also easily noticeable as traditionally female. I made sure to illustrate attire and accessories that are adequate for the late 1880s when Swann (our main character) was alive. Women's fashion - and traditional drag queen attire - would have been very different from today.
The First Self-Proclaimed Drag Queen - Smithsonian Mag
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Raleigh, NC, USA

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