Bill Goldberg photographs, playbills, and ephemera

The collection contains a variety of material types that document Bill Goldberg’s interests, hobbies, profession, and social life. The collection is divided into seven series: I. Small photograph albums; II. Large photograph albums and scrapbooks; III. Programs and playbills; IV. Ephemera; V. Correspondence; VI. Clippings; and VII. Oversized.

Series I: Small photograph albums, is composed of 70 albums containing photographs taken by Bill Goldberg, his friend Jack Van Alstyne, and others. They include photographs from his yearly birthday dinners, drag shows, theater productions, weddings, holidays including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, Passover, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, as well as trips to New Jersey and New York. The albums range in date from 1979-2008. Most photographs include handwritten descriptions.

Individuals mentioned or featured in some of the photograph albums include actor and drag queen Bill “Mame” Goldberg, Bob House, Donald Seidel, Mr. and Mrs. Hanby, James (or Jim or Jym) Paris, artist and photographer Daniel Perry, Jimmie Shoe, Connie Franas, Ernie, Stan, Craig, Martha, Linda, Joan, Stanley, Bobby Schultz, Rob, Denis, Clint, Mildred, Rosemary Seminara, Steve Cuthbertson, Rhonda, Ray, Robin, Lucy, Sammy (Tarzan), John Early, Barbara Jordan, Shirley and her husband, Paul Freidman, Selma, Paul Siegel, Jimmy, Vince, Billy, Kathy, Chuck, Ron, and Christiana F.

Places mentioned include Penn’s Landing, H.M.S. Alacrity, Season’s Bar, the home of the Hanby’s, the home of Stanley and Craig, and Lincoln Center in New York City. A majority of the photographs were taken at Bill’s home, “Pemberton House,” where Bill spent most of his time when not attending parties or plays.

Series II: Large photograph albums and scrapbooks, includes nine photograph albums and scrapbooks containing art, ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence from approximately 1972-1999.

The “W.L.G. Second Showings Stores Flea Market Antique Nostalgia Album” dates from summer 1972-1980, likely constructed at multiple points in the existence of Second Showings vintage and antique store. The store was located at 6th and Lombard Streets (among other addresses over time) and was co-owned by Bill Goldberg and Andy Graffman. Material within this album include depictions of the layout of Second Showings, mentions of the store in the Philadelphia Inquirer, and images of the window displays Bill designed, the Second Showings booth at flea markets, as well as the first dollar made by Second Showings.

The album “Philadelphia Magazine” dates from 1972-1985. The album contains personal photographs of Bill and friends in drag on Halloween. It also contains an article about Henri David’s costume balls, held in the ballroom in the Philadelphia Academy of Music. Bill is mentioned in the last sentence of the article as “Madame Goldberg.” The final article found in the album discusses and reviews two new Broadway plays involving drag, Hosanna and Flowers, describing both plays as part of a new trend on Broadway portraying drag queens.

The album titled “Costume Parties" contains photos of Bill Goldberg and friends dressed in costumes for different events including Halloween 1975, a 1977 Mardi Gras party, and Christmas 1976, at the house of Jack Van Alstyne, also known as “Cheez-it.”

The album titled “Photo Album” contains photographs from summer 1976-1978. The album begins with photographs of Bill Goldberg in front of 100 Pemberton St. with Gregg DeVictor. Photographs also include photographs of Gregg’s room at Pemberton House and photographs from summer 1976. Bill visits Atlantic City beach in summer 1977. During this time, Bill also visits his parents at their apartment in Chestnut Hill Village. It includes photographs from Ed’s Christmas party in his apartment, 1978.

The album “Holidays” has a brown leather cover with gold embossing and dates from 1979-1985. The photographs include Christmas 1979 at Ed’s apartment in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Christmas 1980, a meeting for The Literary Society in Atlantic City, summer 1980 and celebrations of Halloween, New Year’s Day, and Easter. During this same summer, Bill visited the Atlantic City beach with his friends. During this trip, Bill is pictured in his “Mame” outfit during one of the parties.

The album “Bill: Sensational at Sixty” appears to have been created by friend, Jym Paris, after Goldberg’s 60th birthday in 1997. Material inside dates 1982-1999. The album contains art created by Paris, birthday cards from Goldberg’s 60th birthday, and pictures from Henri David’s Halloween in 1995. A letter addressed to Bill thanks him for attending and helping with the Philadelphia AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) Convention Committee. A photocopied leaflet stating the USO Annual Luncheon Meeting suggests that Bill Goldberg may have served in the military. The album also includes photographs of Goldberg on the set of Snake Eyes and a 1998 clipping from the New York Post which announced the death of Roy Rogers.

The album “Opera Productions” contains photos from 1983 to 1988. They are various backstage and rehearsal photos from Bill Goldberg’s work in the Opera Company of Philadelphia, often showing him in costume. Goldberg had non-speaking “supernumerary” roles in several operas, performing in productions of La Boheme, Faustus, Un ballo en Maschera, Boris Godunov, Mephistopheles, and others.

The album “Billy Schied’s Rock’n Drag Show” et al. takes place from 1987-1988. It contains a series of newspaper and magazine clippings documenting local drag shows that Bill either performed in or attended. The first few clippings refer to “Billy Schied’s Rock’n Drag Show,” where rock musicians would perform alongside drag queens. Another flier advertises an invitation to Henri David’s Halloween party. The final few clippings come from an event at Pemberton House referred to as the “Shoe-ette awards” which appears to be an Oscars-type award ceremony for Bill Goldberg and his friends.

An untitled album contains photographs from 1993-1994 documenting productions of Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and I Pagliacci by Ruggiero Leoncavallo performed by the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Goldberg had non-speaking “supernumerary” roles in several operas.

Series III: Programs and playbills, contains 154 programs and playbills dating 1971-1981, with several programs containing no date. The series is in chronological order. Inside each program, Bill would inscribe the date of his attendance, if he attended the opening night, and who he attended the production with, and he often included his tickets. Among those who accompanied him were Paul (Don) Siegel, Ernie Petko, Paul, Jill St. Michaels, Goldberg’s mother and father, and others. Based on the dates inscribed on the programs, it can be inferred that he would attend multiple programs a week and would particularly attend holiday plays, including those at Christmas and Easter. Many of the programs are for plays and musicals, but also included are programs for concerts, dance expositions, ballet recitals, and others. The locations of these performances include Theater Center Philadelphia, Noontime Theater, Arch Street Gallery, Delaware Valley Musical Productions, Philadelphia Sheraton Dinner Theatre, Forrest Theatre, Valley Forge Music Fair, Walnut Street Theatre, Hedgerow Playhouse, Erlanger Theatre, Playhouse in the Park, Helen Hayes Theatre, Alvin Theatre, American Shakespeare Theatre, The Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University, and others.

Series IV: Ephemera, contains loose ticket stubs, a brochure for carriage tours, a program for Arthur Goldenberg’s Bar Mitzvah, a membership form for Plays and Players, brochures for plays, monthly Stage theatre magazines from July 1976 through May 1978, a photocard advertising photographer and art director WIlliam Regis with corresponding postcard addressed to Bill Goldberg, and flyers advertising the productions of Silhouette II, The Elephant Man, The Insanity of Mary Girard, Happy New Year, Mr. Ives, The Coffeehouse Circuit, Abstractions, and The Chairlift.

Series V: Correspondence, includes letters and invitations to Bill Goldberg dating 1976-1977. Topics discussed include an invitation to A Variation on a Most Ancient Theme, a one act play. An invitation to the end-of-season cast and crew party for all shows done by the Germantown Theatre Guild. Also included are newspaper clippings detailing Charles Douglas, a Germantown actor, and his recent appearances in plays. Additionally, an invitation for Bill to attend Happy New Year, Mr. Ives detailing the time, date, and cost of attendance for the production, a letter addressed to Bill from Donald O. Seidel offers thanks for Bill’s monetary participation in Happy New Year, Mr. Ives, which details the income and expenses for the production.

Series VI: Clippings, contains newspaper clippings from 1977-1978. The subject of these clippings include Miguel Pinero, an itinerant playwright, his move from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, and his play Short Eyes. Other clippings include a plea to save the Erlanger Theater, whose fate was to become a parking lot, a story covering The Merchant actor Arnold Wesker, and a column detailing Lanie Robertson, a playwright.

Series VII: Oversized is comprised of two 11 x 17 in. posters with photographs attached, dated 1977. Both present photographs taken by friend Jack Van Alstyne at his home in Camden and on South Street in Philadelphia.