The collection documents gay bar culture of Bradley’s Corner Bar with 370 color prints of mostly men and some lesbian women. Bradley’s Corner Bar, 1949 – 1987, was a neighborhood tavern located at 900 Cole Street in San Francisco. In March 1965 the tavern became a gay bar and in 1967, the bar was owned by Harold (Bill) Lloyd Giddings and Thomas (Tom) W. Stuart. Giddings became the sole proprietor in 1971 and owned the bar until 1987. Bill Giddings compiled this collection of photographs of Bradley’s Corner Bar. The bar events documented in the photographs include Halloween with cross-dressing, holiday and birthday parties and one wedding celebration. Most of the photographs are of the interior of the bar with a few exterior shots. The photographs not of the bar include a bus trip to Guerneville and house parties.

Harold (Bill) Lloyd Giddings was born August 11, 1927 in Yuba City and graduated from Colusa High School in 1945. Following high school he served in the United States Army and the Merchant Marines. He learned his cooking skills while a Merchant Marine and subsequently worked for Standard Oil as a cook on various oil tankers. Upon retirement from Standard Oil, he owned and operated Bradley’s Corner Bar in San Francisco. Giddings enjoyed bartending as well as cooking. After selling Bradley’s in 1987, Giddings moved to Guerneville and ultimately Santa Rosa. Harold Giddings died on February 12, 2008.

1 manuscript box with 370 color prints

All requests for permission to publish from photographs must be submitted in writing to the Photo Curator. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.

The collection is available for use during Photo Desk hours.