Collection Guide
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A. (Gladys) papers
7062
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: Gladys A. papers
creator:
A., Gladys
Identifier/Call Number: 7062
Physical Description:
1.31 Linear Feet
(3 containers)
Date (inclusive): 1944-06-09-1979
Abstract: The Gladys A. papers contain diaries of Gladys A., a young woman who participated in sex work in and around Downtown Los Angeles.
The diaries span from the day she arrived in LA in January of 1949 through 1953, detailing the daily experiences of her first
five years in the city. The collection also includes photographs of Gladys with unidentified individuals, correspondence from
her family in Michigan, memorabilia from her Catholic high school, and other miscellaneous personal items.
Gladys A. came to Los Angeles in 1949 from Saginaw, Michigan with very little money. To support herself she immediately began
engaging in sexual relationships with men she met in exchange for money, meals, gifts, and amusements. Gladys A. also occasionally
worked in diners and bars in and around downtown. She kept a diary of her daily activities detailing her experiences as a
young woman and a sex worker in Los Angeles in the 1950s.
The Gladys A. papers consist principally of diaries detailing Gladys's daily activities and life as a prostitute in Los Angeles
from January 1949, when she arrived from Michigan, through April 1952. The collection also contains photographs of Gladys
and others in her life, correspondence, and personal items including high school graduation memorabilia, receipts, and other
notes. These materials trace Gladys' initial experience of moving to and living in Los Angeles as an independent woman in
her early twenties. They reveal characteristics of the day-to-day places, activities, and troubles that she navigated and
detail the numerous personal and intimate relationships Gladys cultivated as a casual sex worker. Her documented life gives
insight into the complex realities of race, gender, and socioeconomic relationships of Los Angeles in the early 1950s.
The Gladys A. papers are organized into three series: 1. Writings, 2. Photographs, and 3. Personal Items.
Advance notice required for access.
[Box/folder no. or item name], Gladys A. papers, Collection no. 7062, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern
California
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Puchased from The Bookshop, December 11, 2017.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Prostitution -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Women -- California -- Los Angeles -- History -- Archival resources
Women -- Economic conditions -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Correspondence
Diaries
Ephemera
Photographs
A., Gladys -- Archives