Laura Bailey collection of gender and transgender materials
Collection
Call Number: GEN MSS 787
Scope and Contents
The Laura Bailey Collection of Gender and Transgender Materials consists of a broad range of visual materials, including photographs, postcards, and many types of printed ephemera; manuscript materials, and audiovisual materials. The collection is organized largely as it was received from Bailey, with many materials in binders according to category of gender or transgender culture or performance as assigned by Bailey. Also included is a catalog for the collection compiled by Bailey and the hand-written index cards she used to catalog it.
The collection has been cataloged in two groups. The printed component, comprised of books, magazines, newsletters, and a variety of printed ephemera, is in the process of being cataloged in the Yale Library’s online catalog. The archival component is described in brief in this finding aid. More detailed descriptions will be added in the future. The collection catalog and index cards detail the contents of the entire collection, including the printed component.
The first piece Laura Bailey bought in the 1960's was a digest entitled "Muscle Man in Silks" about a body builder who "had a weakness for women's silk lingerie." She went on to gather, widely and internationally, any material that exhibited or commented on gender variation: photographs, postcards, flyers and programs for night clubs, sheet music, and clippings. These cover a wide range of gender expression, from drag queens and kings to cowgirls and bearded ladies. This finding aids lists materials as received from Laura Bailey – most of them gathered into thematic groups in scrapbooks and photo albums.
The collection has been cataloged in two groups. The printed component, comprised of books, magazines, newsletters, and a variety of printed ephemera, is in the process of being cataloged in the Yale Library’s online catalog. The archival component is described in brief in this finding aid. More detailed descriptions will be added in the future. The collection catalog and index cards detail the contents of the entire collection, including the printed component.
The first piece Laura Bailey bought in the 1960's was a digest entitled "Muscle Man in Silks" about a body builder who "had a weakness for women's silk lingerie." She went on to gather, widely and internationally, any material that exhibited or commented on gender variation: photographs, postcards, flyers and programs for night clubs, sheet music, and clippings. These cover a wide range of gender expression, from drag queens and kings to cowgirls and bearded ladies. This finding aids lists materials as received from Laura Bailey – most of them gathered into thematic groups in scrapbooks and photo albums.
Dates
- 1850s-2013
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Box 24 (audiovisual materials): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Box 88 (compact disks): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies of electronic files may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Box 24 (audiovisual materials): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Box 88 (compact disks): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies of electronic files may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Laura Bailey Collection of Gender and Transgender Materials is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Laura Bailey on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 2010. The index cards were the gift of Laura Bailey, 2010.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into five series: Series I. Photographs; Series II. Manuscript and Printed Materials; Series III. Correspondence; Series IV. Index Cards; and Series V. Audiovisual Materials.
Extent
77.81 Linear Feet ((92 boxes) + 1 broadside folder)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
The Laura Bailey Collection of Gender and Transgender Materials consists of a broad range of visual materials, including photographs, postcards, and many types of printed ephemera; manuscript materials, and audiovisual materials. The collection is organized largely as it was received from Bailey, with many materials in binders according to category of gender or transgender culture or performance as assigned by Bailey. Also included is a catalog for the collection compiled by Bailey and the hand-written index cards she used to catalog it.
Laura Bailey
As a natural born lifetime collector of the ephemeral, Laura Bailey has bought and sold, as both a collector and a rare book and rare paper collectibles dealer professionally in the international markets. In addition to real life experience, Laura's academic credentials include New York University and The New School for Social Research.
Her life experiences included touring in a band as a multitalented musician - (trumpet, organ, all keyboard instruments, and electronic music),- working in the hospitality industry as both manager and owner of a resort hotel in Eastern Long Island, and owning a bookstore in New York City's historic Greenwich Village. Laura Bailey was a conscientious activist even before Stonewall in 1969, and remains a staunch supporter of Human Rights today.
Laura's expansive varied collections have included beat poetry, original 20th Century art, Mayan art, stamps, and erotica. Laura continues her passions for collecting materials reflective of cultural diversity, societal taboos, and those discriminated against, ignored, persecuted and forgotten. Laura's current collection in inventory and sheer numbers ranges in the hundreds of thousands.
Her life experiences included touring in a band as a multitalented musician - (trumpet, organ, all keyboard instruments, and electronic music),- working in the hospitality industry as both manager and owner of a resort hotel in Eastern Long Island, and owning a bookstore in New York City's historic Greenwich Village. Laura Bailey was a conscientious activist even before Stonewall in 1969, and remains a staunch supporter of Human Rights today.
Laura's expansive varied collections have included beat poetry, original 20th Century art, Mayan art, stamps, and erotica. Laura continues her passions for collecting materials reflective of cultural diversity, societal taboos, and those discriminated against, ignored, persecuted and forgotten. Laura's current collection in inventory and sheer numbers ranges in the hundreds of thousands.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections [as they are acquired], and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
This collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and minimal organization.
Information included in the Description of Papers note and Collection Contents section is drawn from information supplied with the collection and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during initial processing.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
This collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and minimal organization.
Information included in the Description of Papers note and Collection Contents section is drawn from information supplied with the collection and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during initial processing.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
Creator
- Title
- Guide to the Laura Bailey Collection of Gender and Transgender Materials
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- by Leigh Golden and Michael Rush
- Date
- August 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.