This thesis focuses on two famous blueswomen during The Harlem Renaissance: Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) and Ma Rainey (1886-1939). The purpose of this thesis is to use the Harlem Renaissance as a cultural context in order to address the ways both women performed sexuality and gender throughout their career and personal lives. In particular, I use historical analysis, lyrical analysis, and ephemera analysis in order to analyze how they expressed themselves and fashioned their identities within the Harlem Renaissance. This research is beneficial because it highlights the experiences of two women of color from the 1910s and 1920s and their contributions to queer culture, which can serve as evidence of queer history in the United States.
