A photograph of Jules Léotard, acrobatic performer and aerialist who developed the art of trapeze and for whom the garment was named, ca. 1860Son of a gymnast father, Jules Leotard claimed his parents hung him upside down as a child to stop him crying, however, with his handsome looks & physique, he became a sensational hit with his spectacular acrobatic shows throughout Europe, sadly dying aged 33 of smallpox/cholera.Leotard was among the first famos men to have their physique photographed and traded as a commodity.
