What's interesting about the Burlesque Museum

Burlesque Hall of Fame is a non-profit museum dedicated to preserving, sharing and inspiring the art of burlesque. Employees seek, collect, protect and demonstrate artifacts of the past. The main mission is to demonstrate respect for a diverse heritage, to promote lifelong learning through face-to-face communication with living art legends, and to continually strengthen the ability to make a positive contribution to the future of burlesque.

The Burlesque Hall of Fame is currently housed in a small space of just 220 square meters, which makes it difficult to properly display the collection and support a growing audience, but to the detriment of the collection experience.

Museum history

Burlesque Hall of Fame began with the personal collection of Jenny Lee, a legendary dancer who has dreamed of a Burlesque Museum since the early 1950s. Retired dancer Jenny Lee began collecting burlesque memorabilia when she owned the Sassy Lassy nightclub in San Pedro. After Lee was diagnosed with cancer, she and her husband moved to an abandoned goat farm in California's Mojave Desert.

As the founder of the League of Exotic Dancers, she was committed to keeping all the exhibits together. Jenny planned to build a Hall of Fame as well as a school for aspiring strippers who could train there alongside the rest of the great burlesque dancers. Jenny hosted the annual burlesque gathering, and her friend Dixie Evans founded the Miss Exotic World competition to bring new fans and dancers to the museum.

Unfortunately, Jenny passed away before she could fulfill her dream. However, thanks to her close friend and stage colleague, Dixie Evans, the dream came true. 15 years after Jenny's death in 1990, Dixie established a museum in Helendale, California. It has become a place of pilgrimage not only for previous generations of performers, but also for a new generation of neo-burlesque dancers.

In the early 2000's, a small group of volunteers took on the task of preserving a unique collection of costumes, props, photographs and converting them into a formal, non-profit institution dedicated to preserving an often overlooked area of entertainment history.

At the end of 2005, the museum was temporarily closed for inventory and repairs due to significant damage to the museum premises as a result of adverse weather conditions. In 2006, the Hall of Fame moved from Helendale to Las Vegas in the hopes of creating a permanent, first-class destination for tourist attraction, research and exhibitions.

Today, the collection is replenished with several thousand costumes, sets, photographs and personal items that capture the careers and lives of dancers and producers over almost a century of their performances. The Burlesque Hall of Fame is a growing testament to the power and social impact of burlesque art.

What to see at the Burlesque Museum

The following exhibitions are held here:

• The history of burlesque, from the late 1800's to the present day.
• The emergence of neo-burlesque and its role in uniting generations.
• Costumes, props and other artifacts from the history of burlesque.
• Bawdy Shop Studio is a classroom for classes, exhibitions, lectures, readings and film screenings.
• Gift shop with books, t-shirts and all kinds of burlesque treats.

The museum includes costume elements and props: boa feathers, gloves, garter belts, dresses, shoes, and jewelry. Many of these items are specially designed for striptease.

Unique custom items include the ivory used by Sally Rand, gloves and a black velvet shoulder pad worn by Rose Lee the gypsy, Jane Mansfield's heart-shaped sofa, Sheri Champaign's cremation ashes.