Cross Dressing (9 results)

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 176 pages. Fran Baker "'Intimate and trusted correspondents: the Gaskell's, Greens and Jamisons'" / Angus Easton "'We have all of us one human heart': Elizabeth Gaskell and William Wordsworth" / Carolyn Lambert ",Cross-dressing and interpretations of gender in Cranford and 'The Grey Woman's" / Aya Yatsugi "Gaskell's historical novels: Reactions to the period" (SL#82).

Soft cover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. Fully Illustrated (illustrator). Paperback : soft cover edition in good used condition, some slight wear to edges, as normal for age of book. Overall good copy of this title. Excellent read. A good book to enjoy and keep on hand. Or would make a great gift for the fan / reader in your life. This is a bound book of 31 RISQUE / GAY POSTCARDS of men in various poses, wrestlers, fighters, brothers, bonding, lovers, nude, semi nude, all from old photographs. Back of book reads: Men, Here are 31 fabulous postcards of men in al their glory. Tall ones, short ones, skinny ones, bulging ones. Man as gymnast, wrestler, bodybuilder, and ancient Greek revivalist. These astonishing postcards were culled from an amazing collection of 1920s duotone postcards and have a pecular charm all their own. Please send us a note if you have any questions. Thank you. Book.

First Edition. Engstrand, Stuart and Lafayette, Richard/Rachel archive documents early literary and quasi-autobiographical treatments of cross-dressing and transgender identity in American and translated pulp publishing between 1950 and 1968, when gender variance was framed through psychological, medical, and moral discourse. Produced during a period of heightened scrutiny of sexuality and identity under mid-century social norms, these works present narratives of gender nonconformity that oscillate between sympathetic portrayal and sensational framing. The archive captures evolving terminology and conceptualization of "transsexualism" prior to its wider clinical and cultural recognition, supporting research in transgender history, LGBTQ print culture, and the intersection of literature and medical discourse. Engstrand, Stuart. The Sling and the Arrow. New York: Signet Books / New American Library, 1950. First Signet printing, abridged from the 1947 edition. Lafayette, Richard/Rachel. The Transexual: The True Story of a Man Turned Woman! Canoga Park, California: Viceroy Books, 1968. First edition. Two volumes, standard mass-market paperback format. The Sling and the Arrow presents a narrative centered on a married man whose engagement with cross-dressing produces psychological conflict and social alienation, offering an early fictional treatment of gender variance within domestic life. The Transexual adopts a confessional framework, presenting a first-person account of gender transition while incorporating medicalized language and explanatory framing through translation and editorial introduction. Both works employ pulp conventions of provocative titling and marketing, while addressing themes of identity, embodiment, and social constraint. These publications emerged within a cultural and legal framework shaped by obscenity restrictions and the legacy of the Comstock Laws, as well as mid-century psychiatric classification systems that pathologized gender nonconformity. By the late 1960s, increasing visibility of transgender narratives and shifting medical discourse began to alter public understanding, coinciding with broader transformations in LGBTQ activism leading into the Stonewall Riots. Light wear consistent with age; overall good to very good condition. A focused pairing illustrating early literary and popular representations of transgender experience and cross-dressing in mid-20th century print culture.

Little, Jay; James, Antony; Sanderson, Loren. Pulp paperbacks published between 1965 and 1977 document early mass market representations of transgender identity, cross dressing, and gender nonconformity at a time when such subjects were largely absent from mainstream publishing. These works present narrative and anecdotal accounts of gender variance through fiction and quasi documentary formats, reflecting both limited contemporary understanding and the emergence of public discourse surrounding trans experience in the years surrounding the early gay rights movement. The archive supports research into LGBTQ history, gender studies, and the role of pulp publishing in disseminating marginalized identities within mid twentieth century print culture. Little, Jay (Clarence Lewis Miller). Somewhere Between the Two. New York: Paperback Library, 1965. Paperback Library edition, second printing; James, Antony. The Abnormal World of Transvestites and Sex Changes. New York: L.S. Publications Corp., 1965; Sanderson, Loren. Queen of Clubs. Santee, CA: Blueboy Library, 1977. First edition. Three mass market paperback volumes in illustrated wrappers. Somewhere Between the Two presents a fictional narrative centered on gender nonconformity and cross dressing, framing identity through themes of disguise and internal conflict. The Abnormal World of Transvestites and Sex Changes compiles first person accounts described as "the personal accounts of people who have experienced sex change. Men who have become women and women who have become men," including discussion of intersex individuals and female to male transitions. Queen of Clubs depicts a relationship between a gay man and a drag performer, opening with commentary distinguishing "transvestism and transsexualism" and incorporating shifting pronoun use to reflect gender ambiguity. These works were produced during a period when cross dressing and transgender identities were frequently classified within medical or deviant frameworks, and when accessible information circulated primarily through underground or marginal print channels. Pulp publishers provided one of the few outlets for narratives addressing gender variance, often combining sensational language with attempts at explanation or representation. The inclusion of both fictional and anecdotal formats demonstrates the range of approaches used to present these topics to readers prior to the expansion of openly transgender publishing in later decades. Light wear to wrappers and spines with pages intact; overall good condition. This grouping provides early printed evidence of transgender and cross dressing discourse within mid twentieth century American popular literature.

[Women's History] [Gender and Sexuality] [Photography] Cartwright, Margaret. Photograph album, circa 1914 to 1923 documents female youth culture, wartime social life, and gender nonconforming expression in Albion, Michigan during the World War I era. The album records a network of young women associated with local school and community institutions and provides visual evidence of cross dressing practices among women in the 1910s and early 1920s, including staged and candid images of women adopting masculine clothing, posture, and social behaviors. These photographs establish a direct visual record of gender experimentation at a time when public documentation of such expression was limited, while also situating these practices within everyday social environments including school functions, recreational gatherings, and wartime encounters. Albion, Michigan, circa 1914 to 1923. Black cloth photograph album with ownership bookplate of Margaret Cartwright containing 157 black and silver gelatin photographs, most measuring approximately 4.5 x 3 inches, ranging from formal portraits to informal group scenes. Multiple images depict young women dressed in suits, ties, work shirts, trousers, and hats, some smoking pipes and cigarettes in group settings, while others pose individually or in pairs in masculine attire, including one photograph of a woman holding a rifle in military style dress. School related content includes a "Seniors '19" group portrait, images of a girls' basketball team identified as "Clionian," and documented events such as the "9th Annual H.S. Banquet" and the "Clionian Banquet, April 27, 1917." A "First Annual Kimona Parade" dated 1919 shows an auditorium filled with participants in Japanese style garments, indicating organized school pageantry and cultural performance. Additional photographs include wartime imagery of an amputee soldier with crutches posing alongside female companions, early motorcycles, rural labor scenes, and outdoor gatherings near large wooden structures likely used for school or community functions. The album situates female adolescence within a period marked by expanding public roles for women, including increased participation in education, athletics, and wartime support activities during and after World War I. The presence of gender nonconforming dress within peer group settings indicates that such experimentation occurred within structured social environments rather than isolated contexts, while the inclusion of injured soldiers links these social worlds to the immediate aftermath of war. The combination of school life, performative events, and gender expression provides a layered record of how young women negotiated identity, community, and visibility in the early twentieth century. Moderate handling wear to album with some edge wear and occasional creasing to photographs; images remain clear and well preserved. Overall very good condition. A substantial visual record of women's social life and gender expression in a Midwestern community during the World War I generation.

[Cross dressing] [Japan] [Kabuki] Japanese Kabuki onnagata postcard archive, early 20th century, documents male actors performing female roles in the Kabuki performances, a practice formalized following the prohibition of women on stage and sustained through highly disciplined traditions of gesture, costume, and voice. The archive provides direct visual evidence of gender as performed identity within Japanese theater, where onnagata actors did not imitate women but constructed an idealized femininity that influenced audience perception and broader cultural aesthetics. Repetition of individual performers across multiple images, identifiable through consistent facial structure, costume layering styles, and studio backdrops, establishes the archive as a record of named theatrical figures working across repertory roles. Archive of 50 Taish? and Early Sh?wa-era real photo postcards depicting Kabuki and onnagata performers in studio portraits, staged interiors, and on stage. Each measure approximately 4" x 6". Most with original inscriptions in Japanese en verso. Photographs include formal studio portraits and staged performance scenes, with subjects shown in elaborate kimono, layered obi, wigs, and theatrical makeup, often holding fans, swords, or props associated with specific roles. Several postcards depict the same actor in different character types, including transitions between female-role presentation and male heroic roles, reinforcing the fluidity of gendered performance within Kabuki. Verso inscriptions in Japanese include handwritten notes, as well as references to "????" (Tokyo Theater). Additional vertical inscriptions appear to list performance titles or actor names; one card includes what appears to be a play reference resembling "???" (Ch?shingura), a canonical Kabuki narrative. The onnagata tradition was a structured artistic discipline that shaped ideals of femininity in Japan through male embodiment, influencing both stage practice and broader cultural perceptions. The postcards also demonstrate the circulation of Kabuki imagery through mass-produced photographic media, contributing to the formation of actor-based celebrity and the dissemination of theatrical iconography domestically and internationally. The inclusion of repeated performers, annotated dates, and theater references strengthens the archive's value as a resource for tracking performance history, actor identity, and repertory continuity. Light edge wear, scattered spotting, and minor discoloration consistent with age. Overall very good condition. Together, the group provides sustained visual documentation of gendered performance as a formalized cultural practice within Japanese theater.

[Drag and Cross-Dressing] Vernacular cross-dressing photo archive spanning from the 1860s to 1940s, and chronicling decades of cross-dressing in portraits, theatrics, and candid self expression, with direct relevance to LGBTQ+ visual history and the history of gendered fashion in everyday life. The archive preserves images of women posing in men's suits and military style clothing, men wearing dresses, ladies' hats, bathing attire, and performers posing in costume. This group documents transgressive gender play circulated through studio photography, postcards, social outings, family gathering, and private parties long before the modern visibility and acceptance of drag and trans communities in the United States. Archive of 23 photographs, including mostly silver gelatin snapshots, five real photo postcards, two cartes de visite, and one tintype measuring approximately 2 x 2 inches to 4.5 x 6.5 inches. ca. 1880s-1950s. Early images include a mounted oval studio portrait of three women in profile, the central figure in bowler hat, jacket, tie, and spectacles; an 1860s carte de visite of an elderly figure with a mustache in a bonnet and dress and a tintype of two sitters in which a man wears a women's hat. A studio postcard from 1905 shows two women posed romantically in 18th century costume captioned "Misses. Grieve & May." and "Gainsboro Series," with the caption on verso addressed to "Miss L. Wheelman" reading "Picture Girls as promised. Hope you like it, from your brother, Charlie". Another theatrical image show a group of 16 men in late 18th century costume including boys in wigs and dresses. Two snapshots show women in overalls and men's hats. Another real photo postcard a full-length portrait of a performer in an Edwardian riding outfit and a full face of feminine kabuki-style makeup. One small snapshot shows a young Asian woman with bobbed hair posing seriously in a suit and tie. A 1940-stamped snapshot with the verso mark "Riley's Perfect Prints / May 18 1940" shows a man and a woman both cross-dressing and posed together with a handwritten caption "June Has her birthday the same day Dave has / Here they are / Howdy". Other images from the 40s include a snapshot of a man in a floral headpiece, women's sweater, and skirt striking a comic pose, and a comedic portrait of a man wearing a wig and skirt and holding a doll beside a young girl in an oversized suit and hat captioned "March 20 - '48 / Luela". These photographs show a long tradition of cross-dressing and queer spaces, and preserves several exceptional images with a serious and deliberate air of self expression rather than comedy or theatrics. Many sitters present themselves with poise over humor, and several paired portraits carry the visual language of same-sex flirtation, or companionship. Visible wear includes toning, edge wear, creasing, silvering, small abrasions, a few corner losses, and one area of emulsion loss obscuring part of a figure. Overall very good condition. A varied record of gender nonconformity and queer self-expression across more than half a century.

Cross dressing and female impersonation photo archive documenting gender masquerade in postcard portraiture, club entertainment, and informal social photography from the early twentieth century through 1939, with direct relevance to LGBTQ+ visual history and the history of gendered dress outside ordinary convention. Seventeen photographs by unidentified amateur and studio photographers record women posed in men's suits and hats, men posed in dresses, and performers working in female impersonation, showing how gender inversion circulated through social clubs, theatrical performance, mailed postcards, and private amusement well before modern drag culture achieved wider public visibility. The identified Billie Manders postcard places part of the group within British concert party entertainment, while the Rockridge Women's Club photographs locate another part within organized women's social life and Halloween masquerade culture. Photo archive of 18 vernacular photographs, including 7 real photo postcards, silver gelatin snapshots, ranging from approximately 3.5 x 2.5 to 3 x 6 inches, Rockridge and other unidentified locations, circa 1910s to 1940s with a small later instant-photograph subgroup. Seven real photo postcards form the earliest portion of the archive; one is captioned "Mr. Billie Manders, Female Impersonator," identifying the Rhyl performer in tailored dress and theatrical pose, while others show women adopting masculine attire in formal portrait settings. Six photographs from a single event are tied by an en verso inscription reading "Halloween masquerade Dance," "39," and "Rockridge Womens Club," establishing a 1939 club setting for costume-based gender reversal. Rockridge is a neighborhood in Oakland, near Berkeley, CA. The later instant photographs extend the same visual practice into domestic and family space: three men in dresses posed with three young children, a man and woman posed together in reversed conventional attire, and a scene in which a woman in suit and top hat pours a drink while a man in a dress stands beside her holding a glass. One verso inscription reads, "When you see this you will remember these good wines I've sent you for your birthday," linking the image to gift exchange and shared social memory. From the 1910s through the late 1930s, postcard circulation, amateur theatricals, holiday masquerades, and club entertainments created public and semi-private settings in which cross dressed performance could be staged, photographed, mailed, and preserved. This group is strongest not as a generalized survey of queer history but as direct evidence of how gender masquerade operated across distinct cultural settings: commercial performance, women's club festivity, and informal social photography. Good condition overall, with light general handling wear consistent with age. The archive offers concrete visual evidence of gender inversion as a recurring social practice rather than an isolated novelty.

[Cross-Dressing] [LGBTQ] Gender nonconforming performance and dress photo and letter archive in mid twentieth century America during a period when public expressions of gender variance were widely stigmatized and frequently criminalized. Including two identified drag performers in a personal letter and photo negative set. This collection captures individuals embracing gender nonconformity through performance, celebration, and self-expression, reflecting the long-standing presence of cross-dressing in both queer and heteronormative spaces. Several photographs depict costumed events or theatrical performances, with participants dressed in elaborate wigs, dresses, and accessories. Some images appear to be from social gatherings, where individuals are confidently posing, smiling, and engaging with others in drag or nontraditional gender presentations. Archive of fifteen pieces related to gender non conformity and drag performance. Included are ten photographs in colour and black and white, three Kodachrome slides, one typed letter signed "Bob Box," and original mailing envelope addressed to Mr. and Mrs. George Heimback, 8722 South 117th Place, Seattle 88, Washington. Photo measurements range from 3" x 4" to 4" x 6". The envelope bears a stamp dated January 16, 1956 and return identification "Stevens LA [Louisiana] 6953." The typed letter reads in part: "I finally got around to getting duplicate slides made of those pictures I took of our 'performance' (?) at P.T.A. last spring. Keep them as a momento of your 'moment of glory' -- what a deal! Don't think I'd have the nerve to do it again-- how about you?" The three Kodachrome slides depict three adult men standing together in dresses and wigs inside a school stadium setting, likely the performance referenced in the letter. Additional photographs depict individuals posing in feminine attire inside domestic interiors and social gatherings, including figures wearing dresses, wigs, jewelry, and makeup. One photograph shows three individuals walking through stadium seating at what appears to be a public sporting venue while dressed in women's clothing. Several photographs show posed interior portraits of a person presenting in feminine clothing inside a home environment. A black and white photograph shows an individual seated beside another person wearing a sash and holding a newspaper while dressed in feminine clothing, suggesting a costume or social event. Another black and white image shows an individual assisting a person into feminine clothing inside a domestic room, indicating preparation for a performance or gathering. Private drag performance, masquerade events, and gender nonconforming social gatherings formed an important but poorly documented component of mid twentieth century queer life in the United States. Before the expansion of openly gay bars and organized activist groups in the 1960s, gender variant expression often occurred in private homes, costume parties, theatrical events, or informal community performances. Photographic documentation of these events was rarely preserved due to legal risks and social stigma surrounding cross dressing and homosexuality during the 1950s. The Seattle address on the envelope places the recipients within the Pacific Northwest, a region where early gay social networks existed but remain less visually documented than communities in cities such as New York or San Francisco. The presence of Kodachrome slides, domestic snapshots, and typed correspondence linking the images to a specific event provides a rare surviving visual record of gender nonconforming performance and social interaction during the postwar decade preceding the modern LGBTQ rights movement. Minor edge wear and light surface wear; letter with horizontal mailing fold; envelope with light toning and minor creasing. Overall very good condition. A visually detailed mid twentieth century archive documenting private drag performance and gender nonconforming social life in the United States, many predating the emergence of organized gay liberation movements. Signed.