Vicki Marlane Photographs and Artifacts
Finding aid created by GLBT Historical Society staff using RecordEXPRESS
GLBT Historical Society
2023
989 Market Street, Lower Level
San Francisco, California 94103
(415) 777-5455
reference@glbthistory.org
http://www.glbthistory.org/
Title: Vicki Marlane Photographs and Artifacts
Dates: 1934-2013 (bulk 1981-2011)
Collection Number: 2014-01
Creator/Collector:
Extent: 2 cartons, 1 box (2.4 linear feet)
Repository:
GLBT Historical Society
San Francisco, California 94103
Abstract: Vicki Marlane (1934-2011) was a critically acclaimed drag performer and transgender woman who worked in San Francisco. The
Vicki Marlane Photographs and Artifacts document Marlane’s personal life in the 1970s and 1980s and her performance work in
the 1990s.
Language of Material: English
Collection is open for research.
Copyright to material has not been transferred to the GLBT Historical Society. All requests for reproductions and/or permission
to publish or quote from material must be submitted in writing to the GLBT Historical Society Archivist. Permission for reproductions
and/or permission to publish or quote from material is given on behalf of the GLBT Historical Society as the owner of the
physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by
the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Vicki Marlane Photographs and Artifacts. Collection Number: 2014-01. GLBT Historical Society
Gift of Felicia Elizondo in February 2014.
Biography/Administrative History
Vicki Marlane (1934-2011) was a critically acclaimed drag performer and transgender woman who worked in San Francisco. Marlane’s
numerous awards and the efforts of various LGBT organizations to rename a block of Turk Street after Marlane underscore her
importance to these communities.
Born on September 5, 1934, in Crookston, Minnesota, Marlane left her family’s farm after she began performing at a Minnesota
gay bar at age 16. In the 1950s and 1960s, she toured nationally in circus sideshows, then with female impersonator troupes.
In 1966, Marlane moved to, and performed widely in, San Francisco. In the 1980s, Marlane transitioned and moved to San Diego.
Returning to the San Francisco drag scene in 1998, Marlane earned critical acclaim as “The Lady with the Liquid Spine” while
performing at Aunt Charlie’s Lounge. Marlane continued to perform at Imperial and Ducal Court events, was Grand Marshal of
the 2003 San Francisco Pride Parade, and was the subject of the documentary Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight (2009). She died
July 5, 2011 of AIDS-related complications.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Vicki Marlane Photographs and Artifacts document Marlane’s personal life in the 1970s and 1980s and her performance work
in the 1990s. There is a small amount of material on her early career. The collection is divided into four series: Biographical
Material and Correspondence; Photographs; Publicity and Reviews; and Artifacts. GSSO linked terms: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000130;
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000384; http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_001443
Transgender people
Drag
Trans women