I bought this a little over two years ago in a little antique store co-op in Novato, CA. The vintage clothing dealer had discerned that I might be a proper recipient of this delightful little packet after we got into a deep discussion about the construction of masculinity/effeminacy in men’s 20th Century dress when I was buying this unusually frank (if homophobic) comic postcard of the 1890s-1900s:

We discussed my obsession with men’s collars, and his with Mid-Century Men’s Magazines, and our mutual fascination with men’s shirts. I started pawing through part of his pile of men’s magazines, found an photo spread article about Trans life in one, and he brought out this packet with a little Transvestite dress catalog, a fetish corset catalog, and many leaflets in it. They are for custom made and ordered Trans & Drag clothing from the late 1960s, and since the company appears to have long disappeared, I want to share it with the world as a little snapshot of a time. A time when Trans life was just beginning to move out of the shadows and into the light, and starting the long and difficult task of enlightening the rest of us in the world by their efforts.

•