This collection contains 17 black-and-white photographs depicting people experimenting with gender expression and cross-dressing, circa 1900-1960.

All but two photos are unidentified; one of the two shows two people identified as Ruth and Burnette, posing in masculine clothing while sitting on a park bench. The other shows a group (identified on the reverse of the picture as Johnny Ellison, Otto Neuhaus, Zollie[?], and Reuben Nordstrom) wearing prize ribbons that appear to be engaged in a drag performance in the snow beneath an overpass, with the group dressed in skirts (mostly mini-skirt length), feminine hats, and short-sleeved shirts while holding clasped hands high in victory.

Because the photographed individuals are largely unidentified and the context around these photographs is unknown, it is unclear whether any of these individuals are transgender or whether their cross-dressing is part of a drag performance or other form of expression of gender or sexuality.

This collection includes an image that may be upsetting or triggering. Specifically, one group photograph includes two people in blackface. Our institution aims not to promote or otherwise celebrate this content, but to use items of intolerance as teaching tools. Please take care when using the collection and contact Special Collections with feedback or questions about the materials.