Vintage Lesbi Photo

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By Riese
Published September 19, 2012
Last Updated October 26, 2018
click here for more posts from “the herstory issue” // “the way we were”
I really threw myself into Herstory Month, in June, eating every accessible herstory archive on the internet and spending hours in the library, accumulating massive stacks of borrowed books which I stored at the foot of my bed. My girlfriend was not a big fan of the stacks of books at the foot of the bed.
I was looking for words but eventually, also, for pictures. Honestly before tumblr it was difficult to find very much lesbian imagery at all online — it was always the same ten or twelve stock photos — let alone pictures of lesbians taken prior to 2000. I wanted to see an evolution of our community, how we’d grown and changed over the years — and not just in a montage of famous out actresses and models, but pictures of actual people, pictures of women who were active in the community — regular human beings, writers and social activists.
So I started collecting them. I scoured tumblr, discovered regional library archives online and visited websites like fuck yeah queer vintage, the new york public library digital archives, out history, and know homo. Unsatisfied with the racial diversity present in the imagery I found online, I began scanning books, screenshotting google books and even screenshotting documentaries. It took months, but every time I look at this post and the faces after faces of queer women throughout history… I get really excited!
Four quick disclaimers: 1) Obviously it’s impossible to verify the sexual orientation of some of the subjects of earlier photos I found on tumblr, the pre-1920s photos especially. But because I found them on vintage queer tumblrs, etc., I went ahead and used them, but some of these photos may just be of cross-dressers or super-close friends. 2) Obviously it’s also difficult to find photos of women of color prior to the 1950’s, because America sucks. 3) I focused on America because doing the entire world is really hard/impossible. It’s possible pics from Canada or The UK [ETA: or France, apparently!] found their way in here, though. 4)I’ve tried to credit where I found these photos and who took them. Unfortunately, because I’m an idiot, I erased the text-edit document where I was keeping track of photo credits. If you see anything here that is improperly credited or if you can identify the origin of any photos that weren’t credited at all, please email me and let me know! (riese [at] autostraddle dot com).
I’d also like to thank the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco for their permission using photos from their collection here.
Kitty Ely class of 1887 (left) and Helen Emory class of 1889, Mount Holyoke students, via vintagephoto.livejournal.com
Two women, 1899, via fyeahqueervintage.tumblr.com
Young couple seated in garden from the Powerhouse Museum Collection, via hersaturnreturns.com
Lily Elise and Adrienne Augarde 1907, via fyeahqueervintage.tumblr.com
Photo from silent film The Amazons (1917) via knowhomo.tumblr.com
via “Gay & Lesbian Richmond” (Adele Clark, bottom center, lived with fellow suffragist Nora Houston “as companions” for years)
Four couples of women pose for a photo, ca. 1910 — Image by © DaZo Vintage Stock Photos/Images.com/Corbis
Education reformer Elizabeth Irwin via historyisqueer.tumblr.com
photo by Dorothy Schmitz via “Gay & Lesbian Atlanta”
via flickr.com/photos/peopleofplatt
1921, Chicago, via fyeahqueervintage.tumblr.com
via vintage affectionate women pool on flickr
1930s Paris, photographed by Brassai. The photographs were part of a series for his 1933 book “Paris By Night,” which focused on working-class dance halls known as bals-musettes.
American blues singer Gladys Bentley (1907 – 1960) poses with bandleader Willie Bryant (1908 – 1964) outside the Apollo Theater where posters advertise a performance by Bryant & his band, New York, New York, April 17, 1936. (Photo by Frank Driggs Collection/Getty IMages)
couple in 1946, photograph by weegee, via museum.icp.org
“San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
P82-125a.6000 Training school, Bethlehem Shipbuilding, 10/14/43″
1940’s “louise” via flickr.com/photos/missing_linck
“Evelyn “Jackie” Bross (left) and Catherine Barscz (right) at the Racine Avenue Police Station, Chicago, June 5, 1943. They had been arrested for violating the cross-dressing ordinance.” via blog.chicagohistory.org
Betty “Joe” Carstairs via butch-in-progress.tumblr.com
1940s Wrens, via theinkbrain.wordpress.com
Estelle de Willoughby Ions with a YWCA Art Student, 1954, via “Gay & Lesbian Richmond”
via Wide Open Town: A History of Queer SF to 1965, by Nan Alamilla Boyd, courtesy of Mary Sager
1945, Male impersonators posing at Mona’s, via Wide Open Town History Project Records Courtesy of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
Keannie Sullivan & Tommy Vasu at Mona’s, via foundsf.org
“1950’s gay and lesbian couples” via flickr.com/photos/missing_linck
Founders of The Daughters of Bilitis with friends at Juanita’s in Sausalito. photo by Miss Cecil Davis, courtesy of the GLBT Historical Society
Bonita Jeffries, standing, with her daughter Ira and Ira’s girlfriend Snowbaby (17), celebrating Ira’s 16th birthday “at a nite club.
Kathryn-Hulme-and-Marie-Louise-Habets
guests at the bar of the chez moune nightclub (the longest-running lesbian club in Paris), via fuckyeahqueerpomps.tumblr.com
1967, Joan C Meyers via “Gay & Lesbian Philadelphia”
“Two Friends At Home” by Diane Arbus, 1965
Barbara Gittings in picket line, photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen (1965), via NYPL
Lesbian Wedding, 1968. via The Wide Open Town History Project Records. Courtesy of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
Donna Gottschalk holds poster “I am your worst fear I am your best fantasy” at Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day parade, photo by Diana Davies via NYPL
Jannette Louise Spires, Mary Alice Wesley & Brenda Ann Bush, Tampa, Florida
Three members of Lavender Menace at the Second Congress to Unite Women, New York, 1970 May (May 1970), photo by Diana Davies via NYPL
Gay Activists Alliance Softball Team, photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen via NYPL
1971, Albany Gay Rights Demonstration, photo by Diana Davies via NYPL
1970, Sylvia Rivera, photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen via NYPL
1971, Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade, photo by Diana Davies via NYPL
Gente, A Women’s Celebration at the Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA 1975, photo by Cathy Cade via leslielohman.org
Gay rights demonstration, Albany, New York, 1971, photo by Diana Davies via NYPL
1971, manonla evans and donna-burkett in wisconsin
1971, Gay rights demonstration, Albany, New York, photo by Diana Davies via NYPL
1972 – Lesbian Couple, Hollywood, photo by Anthony Friedkin
1972, The Black Lesbian Caucus at NY Gay Pride
1972 – “Lesbian Couple #1” photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen via NYPL
1973 – Gail and Kate Rebuilding Cathy’s VW Engine, Emeryville, CA, photo by cathy cade
1974 – Isis at the IHOP: Seated L to R: Suzi Ghezzi, Stella Bass, Jeanie Fienberg, Nydia Mata, Lauren Draper, Carol MacDonald and Ginger Bianco. Standing is Lolly Bienenfield. via via queermusicheritage.us
Inez Garcia at San Francisco Freedom Day, via leslielohman.org
screenshot via “After Stonewall” documentary
Women embracing at Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, 1976, photo by diana davies
1971 – Gay Pride Parade New York City (Image by © JP Laffont/Sygma/CORBIS)
1977, Germantown couple on porch, photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen via NYPL
1977. Photo by Marie Ueda from The Marie Ueda Collection. Courtesy of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.
the atlanta lesbian feminist alliance softball team
Salsa Soul Sisters meeting, New York City
“Fat Chance” Dance Group, Berkeley, CA 1979, photo by Cathy Cade via leslielohman.org
“lesbian couple” in the east village, 1981, by amy arbus
Old Wives Tale Bookstore in San Francisco, California. Photo by Carol Seajay via lostwomynsspace.blogspot.com
C1 Women’s Lib Rally 1982, © 2008 – Don Ventura
“young dykes” (from the Lesbian Herstory Archives photofiles, marches 1980s folder)
Outside the courtroom, the press interviews Marilyn Barnett, accompanied by her attorney, Joel Ladin (right), after a Superior Court judge ruled that she had no right to a $500,000 beach house she claimed was promised to her by her former lover, tennis star Billie Jean King. Los Angeles, California, December 18, 1981. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS
the indigo girls with winona laduke
Kitty Tsui by Jill Posener for “On Our Backs” magazine
lesbian avengers via lesbianavengers.com, photo by carolina kroop
1988, Mariana Romo Carmona and June Chan, photo by Robert Giard via NYPL.com
1993 Gay Pride in New York City, photo by Philip Jones Griffith
ACT UP! protest in Chicago, 1990, photo by flickr.com/photos/genyphyr
Janet Gail and Carolina Kroon, via lesbianavengers.com, photo by carolina kroon
Servicemembers in gay Pride parade, photo by cathy cade
Minnie Bruce Pratt & Leslie Feinberg, photo by Robert Giard via NYPL
via lesbianavengers.com, photo by carolina kroon
Dorothy Allison with Alix Layman and Wolf-Michael, 1995, photo by Robert Giard via NYPL
The lesbian tent at the Beijing International Women’s Conference
1995, “keisha and lia,” photo by joyce culver
1993 Gay & Lesbian March on Washington, via flickr.com/photos/perspective
lesbian couple fighting for custody of their child, 1995, via The Advocate
van dykes at the 1993 march on washington, via “The Advocate”
Susan Meiselas 1995 USA. New York City. Pandora’s Box. via magnumphotos.com
Greenwich Village 1997 via flickr.com/photos/perspective
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Riese is the 39-year-old Co-Founder and CEO of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, blogger, fictionist, copywriter, video-maker and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and then headed West. Her work has appeared in nine books including "The Bigger the Better The Tighter The Sweater: 21 Funny Women on Beauty, Body Image & Other Hazards Of Being Female," magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. Follow her on twitter and instagram.
Riese has written 2862 articles for us.
It's LGBT History Month, a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, a topic which is near and dear to our hearts because it is definitely NOT near OR dear to the hearts of anybody in charge of public education.
I want us to embark on some serious herstorical journeys through time, but I simply cannot condense herstory into one post, so I'm gonna condense everyone else's pieces, books, movies, and projects about women's history into one instead!
"I wish that people thought of it as a place to come on a Saturday afternoon, because it is important and it's special. It's not just about the things. It's about having this home."
This is fantastic! From the ’70’s on, it’s like looking in my photo album. So many familiar faces, so many gone now. Thank you for putting this together.
I love this! I was going to make a comment on how your article omitted the word “bisexual” (you know, since Bisexuality Day is this weekend and all), but then noted that your title included “and other women-loving women.” So… all good?
PS–fyeah Djuna Barnes!
This is amazing! I interviewed the author of Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold back when I lived in Buffalo. Can you search some of these images on Google image search (the drag and drop) to find out where you got them? Also, I think we have a Lesbian Archives at the library at the University of Oregon.
It wasn’t until I saw this again on tumblr that I realized Dyke Lumber Company was in my hometown. I screamed.
An excellent collection of queer culture! These are wonderful. I will say that in some of the older ones, the poses were normal for straight people, especially among women who were so segregated. Casual affectionate contact was much more common than today.
Hermosa colección. Lesbianas visibles.
I have so many feelings with this photo gallery. Most of them happy, but there’s still that little sad voice in me thinking: “Why does this even have to be a thing? Why does Riese have to spend hours upon hours finding photos validating our love in a time past?” Sigh. I have to go process again.
Also – huge huge huge props to you, Riese, for finding so many awesome WOC couples =D Thanks to the AS team for being so inclusive and aware of the trappings of our society. Mad respect!
What a simply splendid collection :) I smiled, I cried, I hooted! LOVE the Dyke Lumber company, have a similar shot of friends posing in front of the Great Dyke Pass in Zimbabwe :)
Honestly, this chokes me up. I’m smiling, but my heart hurts for those who had to suffer off-camera. <3
Wonderful compilation. Instant fave.
I’m trying to figure out how you figured out that the female war workers were lesbians. I’m bi, myself, and this isn’t a defensive thing. Just a history thing.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I love the pictures! This has been such an amazing experience…the herstory of us…Makes me proud to be the LesboOnTheCouch!!!!
Thank you!
The photo of Kitty Ely and Helen Emory is part of a photo album that I own. Kitty put it together in her lifetime, and appeared to love cuddling with her friends in front of cameras in photo studios. This photo of Kitty with Helen is wonderful, but it’s not much different than any of the other photos of Kitty and her other friends in the album. (In other words, she doesn’t appear to be Kitty’s “special friend.”) I am quite doubtful that either Kitty or Helen was lesbian. Both went on to marry men and have children.
Bless this post! :D so many beautiful queers
I’m glad to see how many pictures of lesbians with disabilities you have featured! It’s great to see representation!
I would have loved to see something in the disclaimer pointing out that we don’t know whether all of these people identify as female. Not everyone who looks to you like a woman in men’s clothing is cross-dressing. Some of these people may have been trans men. Including them in this gallery without even a note that they might exist is erasing.
Great sexy way to start my day. It’s so vital to know our history. We were fortunate enough to know and love a lesbian elder, Glad, who was part of the DOB and cross-dressed (and arrested) from the 1930’s on. She gave us her photos before she died and said, “No one else will care about them when I’m gone.” Missing her still and it’s been 15 years. Add my THANKS for your inspiration and all your work, Riese.
Eehee, marvellous collection! Aw man. I remember seeing a set of old black and white photos displayed in westport house and there was one titled “The Tango Arrives in Mayo” featuring two ladies dancing very closely. Me and my ladyfriend just giggled to eachother. I SO REGRET not getting a photo of it cos I can’t find it anywhere. ):
Have you not heard of OLOC’s OLOHP, by Arden Eversmeyer and Margaret Purcell. “Gift of Age” & “Without Apology” They have pictures and written accounts of lives of lesbian from the 1920 & forward. I’m proud to say my partner of about 48 yrs and I also marched in the 1993 March of Washington. I video our march down Pennsylvai Ave. Arden & Margaret’s works have now been moved to Smith College in Connecticut. We (J) and I have 40+ yrs of pictures of lesbian in this area. Love, Scottie
Sorry Pokey, forgot you were the one who sent Kay the Photos. I loved everyone of them. Love, Scottie
Forgot Gertrude Stein e Alice B. Toklas.
My GAWD I love this collection! Powerful, touching, poignant… what wonderful women – and courageous to boot! Bless all who put this together!
TREMENDOUS COMPILATION!!! Thank you.
We’ve come a long way baby . . . F’n Beautiful . . .
What an incredible group of photographs! Someone/s went to a lot of trouble to put this together.
Thank you! Great Job!
This is superb! Thank you. Made my day.
This is so lovely it made me smile a lot!
This is also awesome – check out those cool glasses!
A wonderful piece chronicling lesbians….wow I never imagined there would be pics going back to the 1800’s!!!! What a collection! Sorry I wasn’t in any of them, lol….70’s plus NYC!!!! Thanks for the memories
I met my partner when I was 18 We were together for 42 years until she was taken by cancer.
These were our vows
I Catriona Isobel Rose P….. take and accept thee, Gweneth B….. as my life partner and companion.Such love, devotion affection and compassion I have are thine as are all things I possess..I hold these words to be true as long as we live.
Rose P.
Great timeline showing lesbians throughout history
This is profoundly interesting and just plain beautiful to look at. Great work guys :D
This is a great collection, thank you
These are so good for me,thank you.
Amazing collection , thank you very much.
Some of the older pictures reminded me of a picture of my great grandmother. Seeing as she died before I was even 5 and the only time I met her, I was 3, I didn’t really know her. Still, I have my assumptions based off a few photographs and stories in our family history. I mean, I don’t know her so I could be wrong, but I think she was bi at least.
One of the few pictures of her from when she was younger is her as a teenager dressed in her father’s suit. Apparently that was common enough to get a picture and a story about how she went out to dances as a boy, then danced with other girls. One of those girls was not very happy when she discovered my great grandma was a woman.
Everyone else in my family considers it just jokes, but, eh, I don’t know. It just seemed like she looked a lot happier in that picture. And I don’t really know a whole lot of straight teenage girls who would jokingly go out on dates with women, pretending to be a man. Also, she definitely fit the stereotype of being a tomboy, even considering she grew up on a farm.
I guess I’ll never know for sure, but I still wish I could have known her.
This made me cry, it was so awesome.
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