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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.

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.

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.

Dates
1850s-2013
Extent
77.81 Linear Feet ((92 boxes) + 1 broadside folder)
Related Names
Bailey, Laura E., 1951-
Language of Materials
English