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Prince (Virginia) Papers
SC.VP
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Virginia Prince Papers
Creator:
Prince, Virginia, 1912-2009
Identifier/Call Number: SC.VP
Physical Description:
1.67 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1930-1980
Abstract: Virginia Prince established, edited,
and wrote for the magazine
Transvestia. As editor and writer
for
Transvestia, Prince collected newspaper clippings, magazine
articles, cartoons, and photographs on cross dressing that appeared in other print media
outlets. The clippings date from the 1930s to 1970s. She subscribed to a news service which
scanned a number of publications across the country, and sent clippings to her. The
clippings file served as a resource for the magazine.
Language of Material:
English
Virginia Prince was born on November 23, 1912, in Los Angeles. A trans woman, she began
cross-dressing at about the age of twelve, at first using her mother's clothes. In 1939, she
received a PhD in pharmacology from the University of California, San Francisco. As a
research assistant and lecturer in pharmacology, Prince used the opportunity of access to
the medical library to become acquainted with medical literature on trans identities and
related issues.
By 1956, Prince began to develop her own philosophy of trans identities and her mission to
educate the medical profession, members of the trans commmunity, and the rest of the world.
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 at that time. Little information was then available in print,
even in the medical literature, and most people's knowledge of trans identities was gleaned
from newspapers such as the British
People and
News of the World.
In 1960, Prince established
Transvestia, a magazine she also
edited and wrote for. The magazine was published by Prince's Chevalier Publications, 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 continued her efforts
on behalf of trans communities until shortly before her death in 2009.
As editor and writer for
Transvestia, Virginia Prince
collected newspaper clippings, magazine articles, cartoons, and photographs on cross
dressing that appeared in various print media outlets. The clippings date from the 1930s to
1970s, and served as a resource for the magazine.
The
Virginia Prince Papers are arranged into five series.
Series I,
People, contains clippings about specific individuals,
and is arranged alphabetically. Series II,
Advertisements, Cartoons, and
Newspaper Photographs,
is arranged alphabetically by format or title. Series III,
Dated News Clippings (1930-1972), is arranged chronologically.
Series IV,
Topical News Clippings, is arranged alphabetically by
subject. Series V,
News Clippings A-Z (1937-1972), is arranged
alphabetically by publication title.
Series I: People
Series II: Advertisements, Cartoons, and Newspaper Photographs
Series III: Dated News Clippings, 1930-1972
Series IV: Topical News Clippings
Series V: News Clippings A-Z, 1937-1972
This collection is a part of the
Vern and Bonnie Bullough Collection on Sex and Gender.
The collection is open for research use.
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Virginia Prince, 1988
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Tony Gardner
Subjects and Indexing Terms
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