Barbette’s Legacy Foundation

06/20/2026

Thank you, Round Rock Pride, for your partnership and support! 💕✨

We were honored to announce our 2026 Barbette Scholars and celebrate three incredible young artists carrying forward the spirit of creativity, courage, and authenticity that Barbette embodied.

Congratulations to Christian Fendt, Sio Fitzgerald, and returning scholar Gabriella Heath. We’re proud to support your artistic journeys and can’t wait to see what comes next.

06/19/2026

Throwing it back to one of the projects that helped inspire the creation of the Barbette’s Legacy Foundation . ✨💕

Barbette + Fontaine brought together the story of Round Rock native Barbette, the internationally acclaimed aerialist and drag pioneer, and Central Texas drag icon Cynthia Lee Fontaine from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Through the film, we had the opportunity to introduce new audiences worldwide to Barbette’s remarkable legacy and explore how his influence continues to resonate today.

Since the documentary’s release, that work has grown into a historical marker, scholarships for young artists, and a foundation dedicated to preserving and sharing Barbette’s story for future generations.

We’re grateful to everyone who has supported this journey and helped keep Barbette’s legacy alive.

Watch the award-winning documentary for free on Revry: revry.com/details/movie/afd53470-adf5-11f0-8e56-d9584f4e09e6


Cynthia Lee Fontaine Round Rock Pride Revry The Williamson Museum

06/18/2026

🎭✨ FINALLY HOME, BARBETTE! "For the family, it's after decades of thinking he had been forgotten," said Barbette's great-niece, Chris Cahill.

This Pride Month, family, friends, and supporters gathered in Round Rock to unveil a new official Texas Historical Marker honoring Barbette, the hometown performer who captivated audiences from Broadway to Paris and became one of the world's most celebrated entertainers.

Now, Barbette's legacy has a permanent place in Texas history.

Watch this special story and read more here: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/pride-month-ceremony-in-round-rock-honors-barbette-with-new-texas-historical-marker | CBS Austin

06/12/2026

Read the Austin American-Statesman article here: https://www.statesman.com/news/local/article/round-rock-barbette-lgbtq-history-marker-22289568.php

A full-page story in this week’s Austin American-Statesman about Barbette and the new Texas Historical Marker at his gravesite in Round Rock. 💕✨

For a performer who once made headlines around the world, Barbette has appeared in the Statesman before. But seeing his story featured again in 2026, nearly a century after the height of his fame, feels especially meaningful.

This recognition didn’t happen overnight. It represents years of work by Barbette’s family, historians, preservationists, community leaders, and supporters who refused to let his story be forgotten. Their efforts helped turn a long-approved marker into a reality and ensured that one of Texas’ most extraordinary artists finally received a permanent place in our state’s historical record.

Over the last four years, I’ve had the privilege of helping tell that story through CBS Austin, an award-winning documentary, the Barbette’s Legacy Foundation, scholarships for young artists, and now a forthcoming biography with University of Texas Press.

Thank you to Claire Osborn for the thoughtful article and for taking the time to dig into both Barbette’s legacy and where this journey is headed next.

A kid from Round Rock became an international star, dazzling audiences from New York to Paris and leaving an imprint on performance, drag, and aerial arts that is still being recognized today.

The marker is up. The story lives on.

Read the article here: https://www.statesman.com/news/local/article/round-rock-barbette-lgbtq-history-marker-22289568.php

Austin American-Statesman Barbette’s Legacy FoundationWe Love Barbette Cynthia Lee Fontaine Round Rock Pride

06/12/2026

✨💕

Texas just put up an official state historical marker honoring a drag performer almost no one remembers, one who lived and died right there in the state, a hundred years before Texas started legislating against drag.

His name was Barbette, born Vander Clyde Broadway and raised in Round Rock. As a boy he taught himself to balance on his mother's steel clothesline. At 14 he answered an ad, joined an aerial act, and was told to perform as a woman because women's clothes made a wire act more dramatic. He took the advice and ran with it.

Going solo as Barbette, he became an international sensation. Audiences thought they were watching a glamorous blonde defy gravity on the trapeze. Only at the very end did he pull off his wig and reveal the muscled man underneath.

By the 1920s he was the toast of Paris. Jean Cocteau called him his greatest muse, Man Ray photographed his transformation, and Coco Chanel counted him a friend.

An injury ended his performing days. He came home to Texas and died in 1973, largely forgotten.

On June 4, during Pride Month, Round Rock unveiled his marker at the cemetery where he rests. Round Rock raised him, the world forgot him, and Texas finally made it official.

06/11/2026

Thank you MySA for sharing Barbette’s story and the big milestone last week with his Texas Historical Marker dedication in Round Rock. ✨💕

"Seeing it finally unveiled was a powerful reminder that LGBTQ+ history is Texas history," event organizers shared online. 🔗 bit.ly/43SY0zV

06/08/2026

From Round Rock to Paris, the search for Barbette’s story continues. 💕✨

Barbette’s Legacy Foundation Founder and President John-Carlos Estrada has been invited by The Williamson Museum to host a special salon on his ongoing research and writing of the first full-length Barbette biography, forthcoming from the University of Texas Press.

Join us this Wednesday, June 10, for an inside look at the discoveries, archives, and stories helping bring the life of this groundbreaking Texas performer to the page.

Award-winning journalist and filmmaker John-Carlos Estrada is coming to Salon at Wildfire!

Join us for Searching for Barbette, an evening exploring the incredible true story of Barbette — the internationally acclaimed trapeze artist and female impersonator born in Round Rock, Texas. Estrada will share how a visit to a Williamson Museum exhibit evolved into the internationally screened documentary Barbette + Fontaine and a forthcoming biography with University of Texas Press. The presentation will discuss rare archival discoveries, stories from research trips to New York and Paris, a screening of Barbette + Fontaine, and discussion of how Barbette’s story continues to inspire a new generation through the Barbette’s Legacy Foundation.

06/07/2026

What an incredible day at Round Rock Pride! 🌈

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Barbette’s Legacy Foundation booth, celebrated our 2026 Barbette Scholars, and helped support the next generation of Central Texas artists.

Because of your generosity, we raised hundreds of dollars that will go directly toward scholarships and opportunities for young creatives pursuing their dreams in the arts.

A special congratulations again to our 2026 Barbette Scholars:
✨ Christian Fendt
✨ Sio Fitzgerald
✨ Gabriella Heath

If you’d like to help us continue growing this program, you can make a donation here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/44460237-5d04-4351-bd89-bc1874babb29

And mark your calendars now for the Barbette Bash: Cirque du Barbette on Saturday, December 12 at The Rosette in Austin.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of cirque, vaudeville, and spectacular performances celebrating the legacy of Barbette, the Round Rock-born aerialist, drag pioneer, and Texas icon who captivated audiences around the world.

Ticket details coming soon. 🎪✨

06/06/2026

🎨 Celebrating Returning Barbette Scholar Gabriella Heath 🎨

The Barbette’s Legacy Foundation is proud to recognize Gabriella Heath, our inaugural Barbette Scholar, with a special scholarship award celebrating their continued artistic growth and dedication to the arts.

Gabriella is a cartoonist, printmaker, and rising senior at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where they are majoring in Comic Arts while pursuing minors in Art History and Creative Writing. Over the past year, they have exhibited work in juried gallery shows, participated in comic and art events, won first place in MCAD’s 2026 Student Artist Book Competition, and are preparing for a solo gallery exhibition this fall.

We’re especially excited by Gabriella’s ongoing comic project inspired by the life and legacy of Barbette. Through stunning illustrations and innovative printmaking techniques, they are helping introduce Barbette’s story to a new generation while exploring the spectacle, artistry, and magic that made him an international sensation.

As our first-ever Barbette Scholar, Gabriella continues to embody exactly what this program was created to support: talented young artists using their creativity to tell meaningful stories and keep history alive.

Congratulations, Gabriella! 🌟

Want to help us support more young artists across Central Texas? Consider making a donation to the Barbette’s Legacy Foundation.

DONATE HERE: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/44460237-5d04-4351-bd89-bc1874babb29

06/06/2026

🎭 Introducing 2026 Barbette Scholar Christian Fendt 🎭

The Barbette’s Legacy Foundation is proud to support the next generation of Central Texas artists through scholarships honoring the legacy of Round Rock native Barbette, the internationally acclaimed aerialist, performer, and drag pioneer who challenged expectations and inspired audiences around the world.

Today, we’re thrilled to recognize Christian Fendt as one of our 2026 Barbette Scholars.

A recent graduate of Cedar Ridge High School, Christian has already built an impressive resume in the performing arts. In 2023, he performed on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre as a finale soloist for the Arts for Autism benefit concert. He also earned four UIL One-Act Play medals for his work in Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice and has appeared in productions of CHICAGO: Teen Edition, Mary Poppins, Catch Me If You Can, and Newsies, where he portrayed Crutchie.

This fall, Christian will attend the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University to pursue a degree in Musical Theatre.

Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at age four, Christian shared in his application that the arts have given him a platform to tell his story and connect with others. He also drew inspiration from Barbette’s journey, writing that, like Barbette, he has learned to embrace what makes him different and turn it into a strength.

His talent, perseverance, confidence, and commitment to the performing arts embody the spirit of this scholarship, and we can’t wait to see where his journey takes him next.

Congratulations, Christian! 🌟

If you’d like to help us support more young artists across Central Texas, please consider making a donation to the Barbette’s Legacy Foundation.

DONATE HERE: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/44460237-5d04-4351-bd89-bc1874babb29