Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography/Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
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Descriptive Summary
Title: Henry Diekow/Baroness von Dieckoff papers
Dates: 1940-1992, bulk 1940-1958 and 1980-1991
Collection Number: 1992-01
Creator/Collector:
Extent: 10 linear feet (three cartons, one half manuscript box, two small oversize boxes, one medium oversize box, one costume box)
Repository:
GLBT Historical Society
San Francisco, California 94103
Abstract: Henry William Diekow (1915-1988), also known as Baroness Eugenie von Dieckoff, was a major figure in the Imperial Court System
and midcentury Bay Area drag society. Diekow’s papers include photographs, honoraria, and ephemera documenting his participation
in San Francisco’s drag society and motorcycle clubs, as well as a complete reproduction of his gossip column-style journal,
“Bag-a-Drag-by-the-Bay.”
Language of Material: English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Henry Diekow/Baroness von Dieckoff papers. Collection Number: 1992-01. GLBT Historical Society
Acquisition Information
Gift of Arthur Hurwith on January 18, 1992. Additional materials were donated by Jose Sarria in 1997.
Biography/Administrative History
Henry William Diekow (1915-1988), also known as Baroness Eugenie von Dieckoff, was a major figure in the Imperial Court System
and midcentury Bay Area drag society. Between 1940 and 1958, Diekow kept a private journal written in the style of a gossip
column, which he called “Bag-a-Drag-by-the-Bay”—a play on the title of Herb Caen’s column “Baghdad by the Bay.” The journal
chronicles the activities of San Francisco’s gay socialites and drag luminaries, describing events ranging from tea parties
to annual balls. It also offers coded glimpses into Diekow’s personal life—for example, the Baroness is described as having
married numerous times, as well as adopting a daughter.
Diekow joined the Imperial Court System, a nonprofit organization that celebrates drag culture and fundraises for San Francisco’s
LGBT community, soon after its founding in 1965. He assumed a position on the Council of Empresses, but was vocal about his
dislike for the politics of the Imperial Court—describing himself as “a socialite not a politician.” Diekow was involved in
drag societies outside of the Bay Area, as well, such as the Golden Eagle Court of San Diego.
Diekow was a member of several early gay motorcycle clubs in the 1960s, including the San Francisco-based California Motorcycle
Club and the London-based Sixty-Nine Club. Outside of his social engagements, Diekow was employed in the domestic service
industry. He worked as a butler at Rose Court, the estate of Helen de Young Cameron, for thirty years. After Cameron’s death
in 1969, Diekow worked as a freelance butler for the remainder of his life. He was in a romantic partnership with teacher
and activist Arthur Hurwith until his death in 1988.
Scope and Content of Collection
Diekow’s papers include photographs, honoraria, and ephemera documenting his participation in San Francisco’s drag society
and motorcycle clubs. His journal, “Bag-a-Drag-by-the-Bay” (1940-1958), is an important primary source documenting pre-Imperial
Court drag society. Most of the collection is related to the Imperial Court System. It includes extensive campaign and events
ephemera related to the San Francisco Imperial Court as well as court systems outside of the Bay Area. The collection also
includes ephemera related to San Francisco and London’s motorcycle clubs and leather culture.
Indexing Terms
Imperial Court System
Drag
Gay men
Motorcycle clubs
Additional collection guides