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Hidden Histories: Discovering Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ Collections Main Menu Hidden Histories: Discovering Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ Collections Welcome to Hidden Histories! Discovering Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ Collections! What is Hidden Histories? A partnership between ONE Archives at USC and L.A. as Subject, Hidden Histories' goal is to create a centralized resource of LGBTQ+ archival material for researchers and community members. Participating Institutions L.A. as Subject member institutions from across Southern California have joined with ONE and LAAS to collaborate on this project. Topical Guide Collections from participating institutions organized based on the subject or topic of the materials.

Drag

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A performance genre involving dressing and/or using makeup to produce, emphasize, and/or exaggerate traits associated with a certain gender, which typically (but not always) is not the gender the performer primarily identifies with.

This definition is from Homosaurus v.3. For more information about the indexing term "drag," view the Homosaurus entry here.

Related Terms

Contents of this tag:

California Historical Society
Gerth Archives & Special Collections at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH)
The Claremont Colleges Special Collections & Archives
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Art & Sciences
The Outwords Archive (OUTWORDS)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Library Special Collections Punk Archive
University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Library
Finocchio's: House of the Fabulous Female Impressonators, undated A postcard of Finocchio's, that was a nightclub and bar in San Francisco. It shows five female impersonators standing in the back and five sitting in the front. The steps are a black and white checkered pattern and the background appears to be the stage. From left to right, starting in the back, a performer is wearing a bright pink robe with light pink feather lining, a silver patterned dress, silver shoes, and bright pink long earrings. Next the performer is wearing a pink and gold robe with a high collar, a pink dress, and a pink wig. The center performer is wearing a bright pink dress with a black belt. Next the performer is wearing a black and silver waistcoat with bright pink harem pants. At the end of the back row is a performer in a dark purple robe and dress, with peacock feathers and a peacock feather headdress. The five women in the front row are seated, all in similar 1920s flapper dancer outfits in different colors. From left to right, the first two women are turned slightly to the left and are in light purple outfits with pink feather headbands. In the center, facing forward, she is in a yellow dress with a green feather headband. Next, turned slightly to the right, she is in a dark purple dress and a dark purple feathered headband. Lastly, also turned to the right, she is in an orange dress and has an orange feathered headband.
Greta Garbo impersonator, undated
Men in drag, circa 1900s, image (front) and inscription (back)