Sarah AJ
Kismet 1962 from "Letters From Female Impersonators Vol 10" AI enhanced, upscaled and then manually colourised.
This is a young female impersonator ,pictured in 1962, from Havana in Cuba, who simply goes by the name of "Kismet". Kismet is 24 years old, 5 feet 4 inches in height and weighs 150lbs.Kismet got stranded in the US after she was seeking work in Florida, when the revolution broke out and was advised not to return by her father. Kismet became a female impersonator after seeing other mimics in a show in Miami and decided to give it a go in an effort to make more money. Interestingly, Kismet confesses in her letter (transcribed below) that since becoming a performer she wishes to spend all the time representing as female.
The original image appeared in the Nutrix publication, "Letters From Female Impersonators Vol 10" which is available for all in PDF form from The Digital Transgender Archive (www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/pn89d6592). Personally I was astonished by the quality of the resulting image after AI upscaling and enhancement. The clarity and sharpness facilitated a vibrant colourisation. Kismet's love of Latin dancing, pushed me in the red/black themes I selected for her lingerie and her discarded dress.
Like so many of impersonators in these publications, there is little other information about Kismet, but if any of you readers have more details, please get in touch. I'll let her describe her situation herself in her letter
=================
Dear Editor:
Thanks for inviting me to pose for photos to appear in your worthy publication, "Letters from Female Impersonators " in response to your readers requests for more photos of myself and more information on how I first got started in show business. As a female impersonator and exotic &dancer, I was born in Havana, Cuba, twenty-four years ago and am 5 feet 4 inches in height, weighing 150 pounds.
As my father was in business for himself in Havana, I was able to go to high school, where I took up typing and other commercial courses, thinking that it would be a great aid when I left school to enter my father's business of export cigars and tobacco.
I was visiting Miami, Florida, when fighting broke out in Cuba and my father advised me to stay in the United States for the time being. I took a position with a theatrical agency which booked Latin—American dancers and singers for the Miami Beach and Miami night clubs. I could speak and read Spanish and I acted as interpreter for the actors who could not speak the language.
These actors could not speak a word of English but their "sight" acts made them oÄy to play in night clubs as fill-in acts, such as acrobats, tumblers, or doing specialized Spanish or Latin dance routines.
Because I was constantly in the company of members of the theatrical profession, it was natural for me to long to go on the stage and better my position in life instead of remaining a typist and interpreter. In exchange for giving English lessons to these actors, I was given &once instruction by several of the Spanish dance teams, which the agency for whom I worked had booked for a season run in a hotel,
I worked out with both the male and female dancers at night during rehearsals which did not interfere with my regular office work. I soon became quite adept at this type dancing.
order to learn the dance steps, I had to bore row some of the attractive costumes which had plenty of lace and satin on them, with the upper sections of the male costumes almost a replica of the female costume.
In time, I grew to like the life I was leading and since I could not return to Cuba because of the revolution which was still going on, I decided to try out for a new show which had just come over. I answered a call for male dancers and passed. Soon I was worHng steadily in various revues and night clubs as a Spanish dancer.
I worked hard to become more proficient at dancing, which I loved to do. However, the war scare and warm winter weather up North frightened a lot of tourists and winter visitors away from the Miami Beach Hotels. Soon some of these hotels closed up or discontinued lavish floor shows to cut down on expenses and I found myself out of work. There was now little work for Spanish dancers like myself.
On my nights off, which were many, I used to frequent a night club in Miami Beach which featured female impersonators as a lure for the tourist trade. After seeing how lovely and beautiful the men looked dressed up as females, and evidently enjoying themselves, I decided to try to do the same for my own amusement—just as a gag.
I had heard about the fame of Coccinelle, the well-known Parisian dancer who had made a fortune as a female impersonator and I figured if he could do it and get away with it, earning a lot of money, why shouldn't t I do the same thing? I took the name of 'KISMET" because my real name is too long to go on a marquee and it was "fate" that made me decide to become a female impersonator.
My past theatrical experience in stage makeup was extremely helpful and I was able to do a passable job of applying cosmetics. Luckily for me, I was able to get by in my new field of female impersonation, until I became experienced enough for my makeup to pass on close inspection. As I was a dancer, rather than a singer or showgirl in the show, with plenty of fast action movements which distracted attention away from my face, I was accepted with no trouble as a female.
As I gained more experience, I paid more attention to my gowns and dresses in my efforts to become a featured performer in the show world of female impersonation. Daring this beginning of my career as a female impersonator— tor, I was busy learning all I could on how to dress, talk in a low tone of voice, apply cosmetics— to look like a real woman and act like one. The most difficult item was in setting my dark— haired wig to the latest feminine styles but I did my best,
My natural black hair wag cut Short, almost crew—cut, and this I soaped down with a thick solution of detergent and a hair grooming aid, which when it dried kept my real hair down so that it would not interfere with the inside contours of my wig. The soap helped keep my hair slick and made it easy for me to slip on the lovely black-haired wig.
The wig changed my personality from an ordinary male to a nice—looking female. The spirit gum held the hairlace of the wig down tight on my forehead until it was time to be removed.
I have experimented with several types of wigs and found that human hair wigs, although they are a great deal more expensive, are the best of all to use instead of nylon or other artificial types of hair.
Real hair can be easily set into bewitching, demure, daring or latest style of glamorous hair—do. Once it is sprayed with a quick-drying lacquer, it would stay that way for a long time, thus saving time—consuming and expensive trips to the beauty parlor. Many ersatz wigs offered for sale which are not made from human can be used of course, but they do not take to hair spray as well as real hair and they become mated and unsightly. Nor do the cheaper wigs have the same soft luxurious lovely feel that human hair has, which is why I advise purchasing real hair wigs, if possible.
I have found, since I have become a professional— femme mimic, that form-fitting evening gowns that come all the way down to the slipper tops are best, since they hide any imperfect leg muscle bulges, which are a sure tip-off to one's s real identity.
Since turning professional, I have a constant urge to dress up as a female all the time. I spend a great deal of the money I earn in purchasing new dresses, fur pieces and rhinestone costume jewelry.
A fine wardrobe is a most essential part of any femme mimic t s wardrobe and Like females, one cannot be seen too often in the same dress or outfit. That is why, after a while, we imper— sonators will swap smart-looking well-cut gowns that we have worn only slightly for other good unwanted gowns and dresses with the other members of the show, so long as the exchanged item is in the latest style and not outmoded. In this way, we are always in the height of fashion.
To overcome the fact that current feminine street wear shoes which feature tapered toes are often narrow in width, I usually take a size larger shoe with an E width and stuff soft sponge rubber in the toe section, so that the shoe will fit better and not fall off when walking. The one fear that I had in the back of my mind when going on stage to perform was that I would stumble on the spike-heeled shoes which I usually wore to build up my height and thus pitch headlong into the stage lights !
Fortunately, this has never happened but there is always the chance that some member of the troupe would crowd you off the tiny stages of night clubs onto the top of a patrons table at ringside. However, once on stage dressed up as a girl, the performer is kept so busy working, listening for music cues, keeping in the spotlight and dancing, that all fears vanish and a happy glow comes over him as the audience's applause informs him that all is going well.
I am very happy that my decision to turn female impersonator has worked out so well and the fact that I like looking like a girl all the time has helped me out a great deal. With best wishes to you and your vast army of readers.
Sincerely yours,
"KISMET"
================
TECHY STUFF:
The original screen grab was 335x616 pixels. This was upscaled and enhanced by a factor of three resulting in an image 1005x1848. The upscaling was performed by the excellent open source software "Upscayl" (www.upscayl.org/), I then used the open source image editor GIMP (www.gimp.org/) to convert to greyscale and then back to RGB for colourisation. Further white balancing and contrast adjustments were also performed in GIMP before exporting the image you see here as a JPG.
Disclaimer: The digital enhancements to the original are all my own work, plus (in this case) use of AI enhancement. Any such unauthorised use (without prior permission) for that aspect of the work will be considered a violation of my partial copyright. Where the original item is shown, it is done so purely for comparative purposes only.
Kismet 1962 from "Letters From Female Impersonators Vol 10" AI enhanced, upscaled and then manually colourised.
This is a young female impersonator ,pictured in 1962, from Havana in Cuba, who simply goes by the name of "Kismet". Kismet is 24 years old, 5 feet 4 inches in height and weighs 150lbs.Kismet got stranded in the US after she was seeking work in Florida, when the revolution broke out and was advised not to return by her father. Kismet became a female impersonator after seeing other mimics in a show in Miami and decided to give it a go in an effort to make more money. Interestingly, Kismet confesses in her letter (transcribed below) that since becoming a performer she wishes to spend all the time representing as female.
The original image appeared in the Nutrix publication, "Letters From Female Impersonators Vol 10" which is available for all in PDF form from The Digital Transgender Archive (www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/pn89d6592). Personally I was astonished by the quality of the resulting image after AI upscaling and enhancement. The clarity and sharpness facilitated a vibrant colourisation. Kismet's love of Latin dancing, pushed me in the red/black themes I selected for her lingerie and her discarded dress.
Like so many of impersonators in these publications, there is little other information about Kismet, but if any of you readers have more details, please get in touch. I'll let her describe her situation herself in her letter
=================
Dear Editor:
Thanks for inviting me to pose for photos to appear in your worthy publication, "Letters from Female Impersonators " in response to your readers requests for more photos of myself and more information on how I first got started in show business. As a female impersonator and exotic &dancer, I was born in Havana, Cuba, twenty-four years ago and am 5 feet 4 inches in height, weighing 150 pounds.
As my father was in business for himself in Havana, I was able to go to high school, where I took up typing and other commercial courses, thinking that it would be a great aid when I left school to enter my father's business of export cigars and tobacco.
I was visiting Miami, Florida, when fighting broke out in Cuba and my father advised me to stay in the United States for the time being. I took a position with a theatrical agency which booked Latin—American dancers and singers for the Miami Beach and Miami night clubs. I could speak and read Spanish and I acted as interpreter for the actors who could not speak the language.
These actors could not speak a word of English but their "sight" acts made them oÄy to play in night clubs as fill-in acts, such as acrobats, tumblers, or doing specialized Spanish or Latin dance routines.
Because I was constantly in the company of members of the theatrical profession, it was natural for me to long to go on the stage and better my position in life instead of remaining a typist and interpreter. In exchange for giving English lessons to these actors, I was given &once instruction by several of the Spanish dance teams, which the agency for whom I worked had booked for a season run in a hotel,
I worked out with both the male and female dancers at night during rehearsals which did not interfere with my regular office work. I soon became quite adept at this type dancing.
order to learn the dance steps, I had to bore row some of the attractive costumes which had plenty of lace and satin on them, with the upper sections of the male costumes almost a replica of the female costume.
In time, I grew to like the life I was leading and since I could not return to Cuba because of the revolution which was still going on, I decided to try out for a new show which had just come over. I answered a call for male dancers and passed. Soon I was worHng steadily in various revues and night clubs as a Spanish dancer.
I worked hard to become more proficient at dancing, which I loved to do. However, the war scare and warm winter weather up North frightened a lot of tourists and winter visitors away from the Miami Beach Hotels. Soon some of these hotels closed up or discontinued lavish floor shows to cut down on expenses and I found myself out of work. There was now little work for Spanish dancers like myself.
On my nights off, which were many, I used to frequent a night club in Miami Beach which featured female impersonators as a lure for the tourist trade. After seeing how lovely and beautiful the men looked dressed up as females, and evidently enjoying themselves, I decided to try to do the same for my own amusement—just as a gag.
I had heard about the fame of Coccinelle, the well-known Parisian dancer who had made a fortune as a female impersonator and I figured if he could do it and get away with it, earning a lot of money, why shouldn't t I do the same thing? I took the name of 'KISMET" because my real name is too long to go on a marquee and it was "fate" that made me decide to become a female impersonator.
My past theatrical experience in stage makeup was extremely helpful and I was able to do a passable job of applying cosmetics. Luckily for me, I was able to get by in my new field of female impersonation, until I became experienced enough for my makeup to pass on close inspection. As I was a dancer, rather than a singer or showgirl in the show, with plenty of fast action movements which distracted attention away from my face, I was accepted with no trouble as a female.
As I gained more experience, I paid more attention to my gowns and dresses in my efforts to become a featured performer in the show world of female impersonation. Daring this beginning of my career as a female impersonator— tor, I was busy learning all I could on how to dress, talk in a low tone of voice, apply cosmetics— to look like a real woman and act like one. The most difficult item was in setting my dark— haired wig to the latest feminine styles but I did my best,
My natural black hair wag cut Short, almost crew—cut, and this I soaped down with a thick solution of detergent and a hair grooming aid, which when it dried kept my real hair down so that it would not interfere with the inside contours of my wig. The soap helped keep my hair slick and made it easy for me to slip on the lovely black-haired wig.
The wig changed my personality from an ordinary male to a nice—looking female. The spirit gum held the hairlace of the wig down tight on my forehead until it was time to be removed.
I have experimented with several types of wigs and found that human hair wigs, although they are a great deal more expensive, are the best of all to use instead of nylon or other artificial types of hair.
Real hair can be easily set into bewitching, demure, daring or latest style of glamorous hair—do. Once it is sprayed with a quick-drying lacquer, it would stay that way for a long time, thus saving time—consuming and expensive trips to the beauty parlor. Many ersatz wigs offered for sale which are not made from human can be used of course, but they do not take to hair spray as well as real hair and they become mated and unsightly. Nor do the cheaper wigs have the same soft luxurious lovely feel that human hair has, which is why I advise purchasing real hair wigs, if possible.
I have found, since I have become a professional— femme mimic, that form-fitting evening gowns that come all the way down to the slipper tops are best, since they hide any imperfect leg muscle bulges, which are a sure tip-off to one's s real identity.
Since turning professional, I have a constant urge to dress up as a female all the time. I spend a great deal of the money I earn in purchasing new dresses, fur pieces and rhinestone costume jewelry.
A fine wardrobe is a most essential part of any femme mimic t s wardrobe and Like females, one cannot be seen too often in the same dress or outfit. That is why, after a while, we imper— sonators will swap smart-looking well-cut gowns that we have worn only slightly for other good unwanted gowns and dresses with the other members of the show, so long as the exchanged item is in the latest style and not outmoded. In this way, we are always in the height of fashion.
To overcome the fact that current feminine street wear shoes which feature tapered toes are often narrow in width, I usually take a size larger shoe with an E width and stuff soft sponge rubber in the toe section, so that the shoe will fit better and not fall off when walking. The one fear that I had in the back of my mind when going on stage to perform was that I would stumble on the spike-heeled shoes which I usually wore to build up my height and thus pitch headlong into the stage lights !
Fortunately, this has never happened but there is always the chance that some member of the troupe would crowd you off the tiny stages of night clubs onto the top of a patrons table at ringside. However, once on stage dressed up as a girl, the performer is kept so busy working, listening for music cues, keeping in the spotlight and dancing, that all fears vanish and a happy glow comes over him as the audience's applause informs him that all is going well.
I am very happy that my decision to turn female impersonator has worked out so well and the fact that I like looking like a girl all the time has helped me out a great deal. With best wishes to you and your vast army of readers.
Sincerely yours,
"KISMET"
================
TECHY STUFF:
The original screen grab was 335x616 pixels. This was upscaled and enhanced by a factor of three resulting in an image 1005x1848. The upscaling was performed by the excellent open source software "Upscayl" (www.upscayl.org/), I then used the open source image editor GIMP (www.gimp.org/) to convert to greyscale and then back to RGB for colourisation. Further white balancing and contrast adjustments were also performed in GIMP before exporting the image you see here as a JPG.
Disclaimer: The digital enhancements to the original are all my own work, plus (in this case) use of AI enhancement. Any such unauthorised use (without prior permission) for that aspect of the work will be considered a violation of my partial copyright. Where the original item is shown, it is done so purely for comparative purposes only.