Gladys Manuel

Details

DescriptionStudio portrait of a woman in costume, she is wearing a ballet tutu and posing doing a variation on splits. The name "Manuel" is written on the negative and "Hollywoods". Research suggests the picture is of Gladys Manuel (or Manual) who became Gladys Leslie when she married. It is believed this photo was taken in 1934 when she was 16 years old. Born Gladys Minnie Sheehan in 1918, the youngest of seven children, Gladys was fostered by the Manuel family and took their name. This may have been after her parents divorced in 1923, she was five years old. Two of her sisters were also fostered out to local families in Port Adelaide, they returned when things at home improved financially but Gladys stayed on with the Manuels. The Manuels were a Greek family with five children, all much older than Gladys. One brother (George) owned a popular fish and chip shop in Semaphore and another brother (Harold) taught ballroom dancing. Gladys was a keen and talented dancer learning Irish, Scottish and ballroom dancing and became Harold's partner in ballroom demonstrations. She also played the violin and painted. In this photo Gladys is in costume, and posing as if she were dancing, shown kneeling on the floor. Gladys featured as one of the 'Beautiful ballet girls' featured with their ballet mistress Miss Gwen Freak in ‘The Mail’ Saturday 7 May 1932 for Junior Red Cross Week. It is possible that Gladys was one of Gwen’s regular troupe of dancers who performed in charity concerts during the early 1930s. Gladys married William Alfred John Leslie in 1938. William worked in Port Adelaide and carted wool from the wool stores to the city. Their daughter Georgina Leslie was born in 1939. CreatorBond StudioLocationnot specifiedNotesML724KeywordsdancingPerforming artsportraitswomenCatalogue NumberBS00350

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CollectionMr Bond’s Studio

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