"He's Behind You!" A Brief History of Pantomime

pantomime photo essay
Haywood Magee / Picture Post / Getty

Do Have A Cow, Man
Actress Dorothy Ward, playing the part of the principal boy in the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, talks to a pantomime cow at the Chiswick Empire, London, in 1950. The principal boy role — played by a female — is an element of "traditional" pantomime.

Get the Latest Photos from Time.com
Get TIME photos and pictures of the week delivered directly to your inbox.