The Vaidis Twins

A carte-de-visite portrait of the Vaidis Twins.

Louise Adele Vaidis and her sister Elizabeth Vaidis were born in England in 1868. According to the same Internet source, they were already performing in the United States in 1877, at which time they would only have been nine years old. Louise Adele was certainly resident in Chicago in 1889, when she patented a revolving trapeze.

Advertisements in Times place them in England in 1885 and 1886, when they were appearing at the Royal Aquarium in London. A review on 27 April 1886 mentions 'the wonderful twin sisters Vaidis' and their 'not a little astonishing and very dangerous evolutions on the trapeze'.

The following review appeared in 'The Saint Paul Globe' (Minnesota) on 25 August 1902: 'The prize attraction secured is the Vaidis sisters - two aerial performers of world-wide reputation. These performers have traveled all over Europe, and have given exhibitions in the leading playhouses on two continents. The sisters are twins, and have invented and introduced in their act a revolving trapeze, which is one of the greatest aerial novelties ever given by any performers. Among other wonderful acts presented by the Vaidis twins is a dive by Lizzie Vaidis from a tower 100 foot high'.

Photographed by Bradley and Rulofson of San Francisco.