83 year old Lesbian Pulp author Artemis Smith was at NY's Rainbow Book Fair this past Saturday. Unassuming, she told the story of how she was the first author to tell the gay community in the 1960s to hurry up and “Come out of the Closet” or get left out of the civil rights movement.
When I spoke with her she showed me copies of her newly published 'Odd Girl Restored", the unedited version of "Anne Loves Beth" (original title by author) and "Odd Girl Revisited" which includes memoirs of the early years of the 1950-60's Rainbow civil rights coalition movements.
Artemis objected to the use of 'tortured women' in the subheadline.
The Third Sex, published in 1959 when Artemis was 29 years old.
Went to the opening for the photography exhibit of Ellen Shumsky at New York's Lesbian Herstory Archives in Park Slope. The photographer, as well as the moderator Flavia Rando and poet Fran Winant painted a vivid picture of radical lesbian feminism - preStonewall into the 70s. Got to re-appreciate how much the early activists did to make our lives so much easier today. The marches, the protests, the meetings and the 'more meetings'. These brave and determined women risked getting arrested during regular police raids. They risked their lives, their jobs and their family relationships.
Lesbian and gay bars were usually run by organized crime back then, no one else would financially invest in them, and they were the only ones with enough muscle to keep them open. Don't know if the bar owners really had much of a choice. Of course that still didn't prevent police raids.
Flavia told the story of a friday night out when she was turned away from her favorite lesbian hangout because the bar was raided the day before and they weren't going to let any women wearing 'slacks' enter the bar that night.
Find lesbian pulp fiction books like these at www.lavenderpulp.com
It looks like the 1958 classic pulp "Three Women" may have been a great reference for the Pulp Fiction movie poster which was designed to look like a pulp fiction book. Both have a seductive women lounging, right hand up, holding a sidewards glance. Plus the iconic red banner with yellow headlines. However Three Women by March Hastings sold for 35 cents and the Pulp Fiction 'book' with Uma Thurman sold for a dime. The biggest difference is that the main character of Three Women has another woman in the room and poor Uma only has a cigarette.
During the 1950s code words for 'lesbian' developed for lesbian pulpfiction books. One of the most popular words was twilight. Twilight, the period of the evening between daylight and darkness, a state of obscurity or ambiguity. I guess like another popular expression of the time 'third' (the third sex), it indicated something 'other' or 'in-between'. Not male or female but perhaps a third gender or a different sexuality. I'm not sure how they came up with this but everyone who wanted to know got the message.
As a side note, some Native American tribes were known to have third and fourth genders (male, female, male body/female soul, or female body/male soul). Though the sex of the baby could be determined at birth, the gender would be determined later on.
The Golden Era of Lesbian Pulp included titles such as "The Edge of Twilight" and "Twilight Women" or phrases such as "The World of Twilight Love" and "Of the love that dwells in twilight".
Get a chance to browse and purchase original vintage pulp fiction at the Rainbow Book Fair in NYC, Saturday March 24 2012 at the Center. Lavenderpulp Books will have plenty of lesbian pulps for sale. http://rainbowbookfair.org/
Dime pulp magazines, the predecessors of the pulp paperback
Before pulp
paperbacks there were the 10 cents pulp magazines, usually westerns, action and
detective mystery stories. As the genre developed so did the art. Publishers
and artists gradually started to realize that the bolder use of primary colors-
the blues, yellows and reds made the images pop out more and feel more
immediate. Instead of a book cover illustrating what had already happened, the
bright colors would now engage you as if you were witnessing a scene in the
present moment, as if it was taking place right in front of you.
Artist unknown
On the cover of
the lesbian pulp book Appointment in Paris, a young American looks directly
into the readers' eyes; you sense her fear and possibly a secret. She invites
you to enter through the doorway with her to find out what mystery she holds.
Her flushed red cheeks and lips make her appear more alive. The lush use of
colors against a darker background brings her ever so closer to you. Her
secret? Well what's a girl to do if you send her off to Paris for the summer?
The book jacket
of Appointment in Paris is a lovely example of Good Girl Art also known as GGA.
Good Girl Art is not art about a 'good girl' (far from it). Rather it is a
painting of a woman, usually a sexy attractive woman (regardless of the
storyline) that is done well. It's ‘girl art’ that is good.
Artwork by Robert McGinnis
The quality of the artwork for these 1950s books varied but several publishers employed tremendous talent. Most of the artists did this work while they were waiting for their big break into the world of fine art, and overall the cover illustrations were not highly valued at the time by the artists or the publishing houses. It is estimated that 90% were destroyed.
Recently, at an impressive exhibit and lecture at New York's Society of Illustrators, Robert Lesser, a pulp art collector confided in the audience that paintings he now owns valued at $30,000 were purchased not so many years ago for as little as $2,500.
Artwork by James Meese
One of the
nicest covers I've seen is the hard to find lesbian pulpfiction, ‘The Girls
in 3B’ (the title alone is terrific, isn't it?). Its artist James Meese is best
known for his pulp fiction paperback cover art and painterly approach
especially in the subtleties of skin and facial tones. During the 1950s he
created many detective and crime pulp covers for Mickey Spillane and Agatha
Christie books.
More by James Meese, note the execution of skin tones; the subtleties and the translucency.
What's wonderful
about these vintage books is the type of cover art that was used compared to
today's book market. Miniature paintings that tell a complete story similar to
the old movie posters before photography became the norm. If you want to own an original pulp paperback check out my online bookstore www.lavenderpulp.com
Pulp of the Month
"How Dark my Love"
Rea Michaels was one of the few
lesbian pulp fiction authors who wrote about
racial issues and interracial relationships. www.lavenderpulp.com
New York's "Harlem Renaissance" in the 1920s to mid 30s included the rise of the Jazz Age. Harlem became the worldwide center for African American musicians, jazz singers, artists, intellectuals and writers. During this time a strong gay and lesbian subculture developed. LGBT life was definitely evident in several songs of the day.
In "B.D. (Bull Dagger) Women Blues", Lucille Bogan sings: B.D. women, they all done learnt their plan They can lay their jive just like a natural man B.D. women, B.D. women, you know they sure is rough They all drink up plenty whiskey and they sure will strut their stuff
Singer Gladys Bentley and friend in front of Apollo poster
Gladys
One of the most popular lesbian performers was Gladys Bentley, sometimes called “The Brown Bomber”. Belting out songs from behind her piano, Bentley created raunchy lyrics to well known songs and flirted with the females in the audience. In her trademark tux and top hat, Bentley sang at many of Harlem's nightclubs and speakeasys. Along with Bentley's growing popularity also came financial success. According to columnists, she eventually married her female lover from New Jersey.
Gladys Bentley was a regular headliner for Harry Hansberry's Clam House, the best known gay and lesbian club in Harlem. At its height, Hollywood stars came by to check out the shows including the famous bisexual actress Tallulah Bankhead. The Clam House was a narrow, smoky speakeasy on 133rd Street's Jungle Alley between Lenox and Seventh Avenue. Blair Niles' 1931 gay novel Strange Brother loosely based on The Clam House features an out lesbian performer named 'Sybil' at 'The Lobster Pot'. (Lobster, Clam, get it?)
Tallulah Bankhead, 4th from right, with the 'girls'
Tallulah
Ma Rainey, legendary blues singer and vaudeville entertainer is also known to have had women lovers. An inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she performed with many jazz greats including Louie Armstrong. Check out the lyrics to her 1928 blues song that she wrote and performed about her relationships with women.
Prove it on Me Blues
I went out last night, had a great big fight Everything seemed to go wrong When I looked up, to my surprise The gal I was with was gone
Folks say I'm crooked I don't know where she took it I want the whole world to know
I went out last night with a crowd of my friends They must've been women, 'cause I don't like no men It's true I wear a collar and a tie, I like to watch the women as they pass by
They say I do it, ain't nobody caught me They sure gotta prove it on me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjRn7_cC8N4
During the prohibition, popular places to socialize, find liquor and some entertainment included speakeasys, 'buffet flats', house parties, rent parties and costume balls. Speakeasys were located in dark basements or back rooms behind closed doors and peepholes. Buffet flats were private after-hours spots that were usually in someone's apartment. They originally sprung up during the late 1800s to provide a safe place to stay overnight for black travelers. By the 1920s, Buffet flats gained a much wilder reputation for illegal activities such as drinking, gambling, and prostitution.
Drag Costume Balls were where the boys got to show off and the women escorted them. The Savoy Ballroom was one of the establishments that hosted gala events where the men preened before a grand entrance to the dance floor in exquisite gowns. It was not unusual to see Harlem socialites along with downtown avant-garde whites up in the balconies enjoying the spectacular. The biggest cabarets during the Harlem Renaissance were the Cotton Club, Connie's Inn, and Small's Paradise. The most famous, the Cotton Club on 125th Street still exists today.
Harlem nightlife declined dramatically after the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression and the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. Gladys Bentley took her business and her tuxedo to California performing at "Joquins' El Rancho" in Los Angeles and "Monas" in San Francisco, occasionally getting in trouble with the law for wearing her signature male attire.
Below is a 1942 advertisement for Mona's Club 440 where the words "gay" and "butch" signaled to women that Mona's was primarily a lesbian club. Mona's Club at 440 Broadway later became Anne's 440, and featured San Francisco singer Johnny Mathis.
In 1981 Rosetta Records, a small feminist record label in New York created by Rosetta Reitz produced "Mean Mothers/Independent Women's Blues, Vol. 1" including Gladys Bentley singing "How Much Can I Stand?". Document Records released "Maggie Jones & Gladys Bentley, Complete Recorded Works" in 1995.
