Two Drag Performers in Costume Portraits Photo Archive, San Francisco, 1986

Drag Performers San Francisco

Photograph

Two drag artists posing in an improvised domestic studio photo archive, with San Francisco provenance and Kodak versos marked March 1986. San Francisco’s drag culture had developed through costume balls, Imperial Court coronations, and theatrical performance, providing a substantial tradition of elaborate costume and self-presentation. These portraits document the creative work behind that public culture through intimate studies of two performers’ contrasting personas.
Photo archive of 33 color Kodak photographs, including a few duplicates, each measuring 4 × 6 inches, circa 1986. One performer wears a patterned evening gown with puffed sleeves and an oversized feathered hat, adopting animated poses with a folding fan and long cigarette holder. Green drapery, patterned wallpaper, and a vase of flowers establish a makeshift portrait setting. The second performer wears a blonde wig and a short white classical costume, posing with a bow and quiver beside a crescent moon prop. Bookshelves visible beyond the black backdrop reveal the domestic surroundings. Close portraits and full-length studies record makeup, costume construction, and expressive gestures. The shared setting suggests a coordinated session, possibly between peers photographing one another, although photographic authorship remains unconfirmed.

San Francisco provenance. Pink verso markings read “This paper manufactured by Kodak” and “MAR 86,” documenting the paper’s manufacturing date rather than conclusively establishing when the photographs were taken. Overall in very good condition.

Item #24069

Price: $550.00