Queenie Foote
American performer (1857–1937)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Queenie Foote (1857 – April 25, 1937), born Eliza S. Nestel, was an American performer, sometimes also billed as The Fairy Queen.
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1857
Queenie Foote | |
|---|---|
Queenie Foote, from an 1890 photograph. | |
| Born | Eliza S. Nestel 1857 Fort Wayne, Indiana, US |
| Died | April 25, 1937 (aged 79–80) Fort Wayne, Indiana, US |
| Occupation | Performer |
Early life
Eliza S. Nestel was from Fort Wayne, Indiana,[1][2] the daughter of blacksmith Daniel Nestel and Henrietta Goebel Nestel. She was a dwarf. Her parents immigrated to the United States from the Kingdom of Prussia; they were both quite tall. She began making public appearances as a child[3] with her older brother Charles, who was also a dwarf,[4] under the management of William Ellinger,[5][6] and with their father as chaperone.[7]
Career
Foote and her brother Charles W. Nestel, known as "Commodore Foote",[8] toured in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.[9] They met with Abraham Lincoln at the White House in February 1864.[10] While in Washington, she was the object of an anatomical study, along with her brother and others.[11]
They met Queen Victoria.[7][12] They were seen with the Lilliputian Comic Opera Company,[13] working with other performers, including fellow little people Commodore Nutt, Admiral Dot, and Jennie Quigley.[14] Charles rejected the "sideshow" label, saying "My sister and I played only the best of concert and dramatic stages, and neither of us every played in any circus or sideshow," adding "We were actors, not freaks."[7][citation needed]In 1895 she helped another brother sell jewelry in Ohio.[15] She was injured in 1909;[16] by 1912 they had retired to Fort Wayne.[7]
