“Gaby Deslys as a Jiu-jitsu Artist” (1907)

• Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 21st November 2016

French music hall star Gaby Deslys – famous for her “Jiujitsu Waltz” – is shown throwing Sorekichi Eida in this 1907 publicity photo.

Note that the term “Jap” held no pejorative meaning in Edwardian English, being more in the nature of a simple abbreviation like “Brit” for British.