Drag queens

Abstract William (Bill) Goldberg (1937-2019?) performed in drag, going under the stage name “Mame,” and performed as a supernumerary (non-singing or speaking role) in productions of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. He often attended and hosted parties with friends for anniversaries, birthdays, and other holidays; and attended plays, ballets, operas, and concerts. The collection contains a variety of material types that document Bill Goldberg’s interests, hobbies, profession, and social life. The...

Abstract Jack Van Alstyne, born ca. 1938, known to his gay friends as "Cheezit," was the son of Howard C. Van Alstyne and Marion G. Fox Van Alstyne. He lived in Camden, NJ for much of his life. His collection includes a scrapbook of Philadelphia and New Jersey gay life of the 1960s through 1980s; grouping of ca. 75 photographs of Philadelphia and New Jersey drag queens and gay men, owned by John Brown, known as Marilyn; photographs taken by Alstyne of gay men in Rittenhouse Square, summer of 1953;...

Abstract

This collection consists of a single item: an 8-page handwritten memoir by John Brown, who also went by Sammy as well as by the drag name Marilyn. It tells the story of how Brown was introduced to gay life in Philadelphia, how he and friend Jack Van Alstyne met queens in Rittenhouse Square in 1953, and how he took on the drag name Marilyn. It also has details about Brown serving time in juvenile detention in 1954.

Abstract Vincent P. Grimm (b. 1937) and his life partner Will Kratz (1939-2017), along with other club members, planned, operated, and performed in revue shows for two decades as part of the XYZ Club. The XYZ Club hosted performances and picnics at Epler’s Grove from 1963 to at least 1981. The collection is comprised of three types of material: photocopies of biographical material about Vincent Grimm; a printed typescript of the memoir written by Grimm on the history of “The XYZ Club”; and five...