Sold by Max Rambod Inc, Woodland Hills, CA, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since February 5, 2021
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
California Imperial Court System coronation program archive of drag performance and community-based organizing ephemera of LGBTQ activist and mutual aid networks during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Produced between 1976 and 1981 by regional courts in Long Beach, Monterey, and Stockton, these materials record ceremonial and social functions central to the Imperial Court System, founded in 1965 by José Sarria. The programs capture a period of expanding queer visibility and institution-building prior to the HIV/AIDS Crisis, when drag pageantry was fundamental to fundraising, political engagement, and mutual aid. Archive of nine saddle-stapled coronation and event programs issued by California chapters of the Imperial Court System. Includes programs for events such as "Closet Ball '77," "The Rocky Horror Coronation" (1979), "A Spring Renaissance" (1980), and "Ziegfeld '81." Contents feature illustrated covers, event schedules, advertisements, contestant listings, and messages from reigning court figures including Empress Dorothy Big Mouth, Empress IX Sophie, and Emperor James Michael V. Several programs incorporate humor and personal commentary, alongside dedications reflecting interpersonal and organizational bonds. The 1976 Long Beach program includes promotional material for Empress candidates, notably a full-page image of Louella Mother in drag sponsored by "Queen Mother III of Los Angeles." References throughout the programs identify interconnected networks such as the San Francisco Tavern Guild, Operation Concern, and affiliated courts across California, indicating coordinated regional activity and shared institutional culture. These materials document the Imperial Court System's dual function as a performance-based institution and a framework for charitable and social support within LGBTQ communities. Coronation events formalized hierarchies of emperors and empresses while generating funds for local causes, embedding drag within broader systems of civic engagement. The programs also reflect the aesthetic and rhetorical strategies of queer communities navigating public visibility in the years following gay liberation movements of the late 1960s and 1970s. Minor toning, rubbing, and scattered staining to the 1978 "Old Fashion Christmas" program with occasional handling creases; otherwise well-preserved; overall very good condition. A cohesive archive illustrating the intersection of drag performance, leadership, and mutual aid in California's Imperial Court System.
Seller Inventory # 22685
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