Virginia Prince Papers, 1912-2009

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Summary

Creators:
Prince, Virginia
Abstract:
Virginia Prince was born in Los Angeles on November 23, 1912. In 1960, Prince established Transvestia, a magazine she also edited and wrote for. The Virginia Prince Papers document Prince's life, activism, engagement with trans and crossdressing communities, and work as editor of Transvestia.
Extent:
24 linear feet
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materials guide.

Background

Scope and content:

The Virginia Prince Papers document Prince's life, activism, engagement with trans and crossdressing communities, and work as editor of Transvestia. As an activist and engaged member of her community, Prince collected newspaper clippings, magazine articles, cartoons, photographs, and newsletters from crossdressing organizations. She wrote extensively on trans and crossdressing topics independently of the magazine, and took part in correspondence with crossdressing and trans people across the United States from the 1960s to the 2000s. The collection has been divided into three major series: Clippings (1929-1979), Writings and Publications (1936-2000), and Personal Files (1912-2009).

Series I, Clippings (1929-1979), contains clipped newspaper and magazine articles and images divided into six subseries: People (1950-1959); Advertisements, Cartoons, and Newspapers Images; Dated News Clippings (1930-1979); Topical News Clippings; News Clippings A-Z (1937-1979); and Newspaper Issues (1929-1974). People contains clippings about specific individuals, and is arranged alphabetically. Advertisements, Cartoons, and Newspaper Images is arranged alphabetically by format or title. Dated News Clippings is arranged chronologically. Topical News Clippings is arranged alphabetically by publication title. News Clippings A-Z is arranged alphabetically by publication title. Newspaper Issues is arranged chronologically when materials are dated, then alphabetically by topic for the remainder.

Series II, Writings and Publications (1936-2000), has been divided into two subseries: Transvestia (1960-1979) and Books and Articles (1936-2000). Transvestia is primarily comprised of materials originally used by Prince in production of various Transvestia issues, organized by issue number and arranged chronologically. Books and Articles contains works authored by Prince. Included in this subseries are papers and manuscripts, some with several copies, which may contain edits, correspondence about the written work, or publishing queries. Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Series III, Personal Files (1912-2009), contains materials documenting Prince's life. The series includes familial documents, correspondence, and photos, and also correspondence with other members of the crossdressing community, friends, and colleagues, such as Dr. Robert J. Stoller. It also includes newsletters from different crossdressing groups and organizations, as well as related correspondence and ephemera. Notably, this series contains correspondence between Carol Beecroft and members of the Society for the Second Self (SSS or TRI-ESS) organization. The bulk of this series is made up of photographs of people wearing women's clothing. Prince filed some by the individual pictured, and others as a mix of identified and unidentified individuals. Other photos are arranged by subject. They are filed alphabetically.

Biographical / historical:

Virginia Prince was born in Los Angeles on November 23, 1912. In 1939, Prince received a PhD in pharmacology from the University of California, San Francisco. As a research assistant and lecturer in pharmacology, Prince had access to an extensive medical library and conducted her own research on trans identities and related issues. She worked and served as president at Cardinal Laboratories, Inc., where she researched and published works on cosmetology geared towards beauticians and beauty schools in the 1950s and 1960s.

By 1956, Prince began to develop her own philosophy of trans identity and her mission to educate the medical profession, the trans community, and the broader community. This involved the development of the idea of 'femmiphilia', or love of the feminine. Prince preferred to call herself a femmiphile (FP) rather than a "transvestite," the label assigned to her by mainstream society and the medical community at that time, when most people's knowledge of trans identities was gleaned from sensational tabloid newspapers such as the British People and News of the World. Still, Prince collected any clippings she found broaching the subject of trans identities and crossdressing from the late 1930s until the mid-1970s.

In 1960, Prince established Transvestia, a magazine she also edited and wrote for. The magazine was published by Prince's Chevalier Publications in Los Angeles, and was sold by subscription and through adult bookshops. Over the years Chevalier Publications also published trans fiction, some of it written by Prince herself. Prince also wrote dozens of articles and manuscripts throughout her career on the topics of trans identities, sexuality, and human psychology under a variety of pseudonyms, including Virginia Bruce, Charles Prince, and Virginia Charles Prince, among others. She also founded and was a member of several organizations centered around the act of crossdressing, including TRI-ESS. Prince took an interest in similar groups and organizations, and collected their newsletters and other communications. She was an avid traveler and active member of the community, continuing her efforts on behalf of trans communities until shortly before her death in 2009. While she would likely identify today as a trans woman, she did not describe herself with those words during her life.

Acquisition information:
Virginia Prince, 1988
Processing information:

Tony Gardner processed Series I in 2008. Staff updated finding aid front matter in 2012 to align with current descriptive standards. Staff updated finding aid front matter in 2022 to more accurately reflect collection content. Abigail Jurusik processed Series II and III in 2025, updating the finding aid to include description of the additional materials.

Arrangement:

Series I: Clippings, 1929-1979

Subseries 1: People, 1958-59

Subseries 2: Advertisements, Cartoons, and Newspaper Images, undated

Subseries 3: Dated News Clippings, 1930-1979

Subseries 4: Topical News Clippings, undated

Subseries 5: News Clippings A-Z, 1937-1979

Subseries 6: Newspaper Issues, 1929-1974

Series II: Writings and Publications, 1936-2000

Subseries 1: Transvestia, 1960-1979

Subseries 2: Books and Articles, 1936-2000

Series III: Personal Files, 1912-2009

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materials guide.

Location of this collection:
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330, US
Contact:
(818) 677-4594
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