Closet Ball recordings

Finding aid created by GLBT Historical Society staff using RecordEXPRESS
GLBT Historical Society
989 Market Street, Lower Level
San Francisco, California 94103
(415) 777-5455
reference@glbthistory.org
http://www.glbthistory.org/
2023


Descriptive Summary

Title: Closet Ball recordings
Dates: 1984-1986
Collection Number: 2023-11
Creator/Collector: Carter, Carter Robert Michael Productions
Extent: .5 linear feet (one half manuscript box)
Repository: GLBT Historical Society
San Francisco, California 94103
Abstract: The collection includes 4 Beta tapes and 1 audiocassette tape of the San Francisco Closet Ball. Tape labels include: Closet Ball 1985; Edited Version CB 85 and 84; Closet Ball 1986 (in original Robert Michael Productions sleeve); and Closet Ball Tony Jeff Hershall Tape. The audiocassette is labeled Closet Ball Party October 1984. The tapes were created by Carter Carter, who participated in the Closet Ball, and Robert Michael Productions. The Closet Ball was a long-running drag event hosted in San Francisco, California.
Language of Material: English

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright to material has been transferred to the GLBT Historical Society. Some published material may remain under copyright. All requests for reproductions and/or permission to publish or quote from material must be submitted in writing to the GLBT Historical Society Archivist.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Closet Ball recordings . Collection Number: 2023-11. GLBT Historical Society

Acquisition Information

Gift of Adair Roberts, February 2023.

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection includes 4 Beta tapes and 1 audiocassette tape of the San Francisco Closet Ball. Tape labels include: Closet Ball 1985; Edited Version CB 85 and 84; Closet Ball 1986 (in original Robert Michael Productions sleeve); and Closet Ball Tony Jeff Hershall Tape. The audiocassette is labeled Closet Ball Party October 1984. The tapes were created by Carter Carter (died 1995), who participated in the Closet Ball, and Robert Michael Productions. The Closet Ball was a long-running drag event hosted in San Francisco, California. Started in 1973, the Closet Ball was billed as “San Francisco’s Most Outrageous Coming Out Party!,” and the event raised funds for a variety of organizations. The ball was a competition for first-time drag queens. Contestants would initially appear in their masculine attire, and then they would get into drag for the first time, with the assistance of more experienced queens.

Indexing Terms

Drag
LGBTQ
Gay men
Motion pictures
San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.)