1867–1932

Florenz Ziegfeld was a man fond of grand spectacles and he helped make Broadway one of the world’s most sought after entertainment destinations. After working as a vaudeville manager in Europe, he came to New York at the turn of the century and put on Broadway revues that were extravaganzas of sequined costumes, lavish stage design, and special effects. A revue was a sort of vaudeville production that loosely referred to the social and cultural events of the past year; Ziegfeld explained that the particular purpose of his shows was to “glorify the American girl.” His most famous productions were the Follies, which were done as annual shows from 1907 to 1925, featuring massive sets and huge chorus lines of scantily–clad girls.