Special Thanks to Andrew Shaffer
All year long, we have been sharing selections from our archives—from the drag performers who graced the stage a century ago to the dreamers who dared to imagine a utopian community in the Nevada desert, and many more.
For the final installment of our Community Treasures series, we are sharing a mystery—and an invitation.
The photos seen here are from a scrapbook of “anonymous lesbian photographs.” The collection spans the mid-1940s to the early 1960s, and includes pictures of individuals, pairs, and small groups at social gatherings. Some photos are in the snow, others are from the beach; some capture time in the military, and many are just snapshots of everyday life.
That’s about all we officially know; the rest is a mystery. The scrapbook was spotted in a Berkeley junk shop decades ago, and lovingly preserved because the right person happened to stumble upon it and knew to send it to us.
Countless people have contributed artifacts to us over the years, and our archives now hold one of the largest collections of LGBTQ historic materials ever assembled in human history.
While many collections come directly from the person who created them, some—like this scrapbook—come without any context. We faithfully preserve them regardless, because we know that our stories will be forgotten unless we ourselves remember them.
So, as we wrap up this series, we want to invite you to help us keep remembering.
To make a tax-deductible donation to help us preserve and share our vast queer past, visit www.glbthistory.org/donate
Or call us at 415-777-5455 x007.
To talk to our archivists about contributing your material to our growing archive, visit www.glbthistory.org/archives
Or email kelsi@glbthistory.org
To book your visit to our museum or archives, visit www.glbthistory.org
We have so many more treasures than what we can fit in these pages—and we can’t wait to share them with you.
Community Treasures from the GLBT Historical Society Archives
Published on December 7, 2023
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