Henry Diekow/Baroness von Dieckoff papers

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

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

Collection is open for research.

[Identification of item]. Henry Diekow/Baroness von Dieckoff papers. Collection Number: 1992-01. GLBT Historical Society

Gift of Arthur Hurwith on January 18, 1992. Additional materials were donated by Jose Sarria in 1997.

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.

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.