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[LGBTQ][Gay Activism][Drag] "Miss Jessie" photo archive chronicling 30 years in the life of San Diego drag performer and gay community activist Edward "Jesse" Taylor. The archive documents 30 years of Taylor's life, as well as images from his 1987 title as Empress XVI in the California Imperial Court, and his drag career as Miss Jessie. Taylor's also wrote as a columnist for the San Diego based LGBTQ community newspaper The Gay and Lesbian Times. Included in this archive is a scan of Taylor's 1998 obituary from the Gay and Lesbian Times, a touching personal remembrance during a period marked by the AIDS crisis and its aftermath, highlighting Taylor's cherished role in San Diego's LGBTQ community. Archive comprises approximately 330 photographs, primarily color snapshots with some black-and-white prints, dating from the 1960s through the 1990s, with strong concentration in the late 1970s and 1980s. The photographs depict Taylor from childhood and adolescence to adulthood; with 18 images documenting drag performers, including Taylor as Miss Jessie. The images include stage performances in sequined gowns and formal dresses, candid backstage and social images, and an image of Taylor wearing a crown, captioned en verso "Miss Jessie / Empress", likely an image of Taylor as Empress XVI (1987) in the California Imperial Court. The archive also includes numerous photobooth strips, snapshots annotated on versos with names, dates, and personal inscriptions, and a California driver's license identifying Edward Gray Taylor, linking Taylor's legal identity with his drag persona. Images show Taylor in costume, both drag and playful dress-up, posing with partners, loved ones and family, and traveling across the country and abroad. Several images show Taylor reading palms at a rainbow-decorated booth. The obituary clipping from the Gay and Lesbian Times dated October 29, 1998, provides personal detail, noting Taylor's title as Empress XVI, his performance career, and his role as a columnist, as well as his belief in the mystic and professional psychic and palm-reading work. Jesse is described by those who knew him as as "an asset to the community and a gentle man who gave a lot of himself," and "an extremely loving man." The archive is an intimate personal glance at San Diego's LGBTQ community during an immense period of increased visibility through the Gay Liberation Movement of the 60s and 70s and of intense sorrow through the AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s. Organizations such as the Imperial Court System and local drag performance revues were both sources of escapist entertainment and fundraising supporting the gay community. Taylor's life bridged performance with community journalism and gay activism. Light edge wear, minor surface scratching, and occasional fading present across photographs; some verso inscriptions in ink; driver's license shows creasing and corner wear; overall condition good. A rare cohesive, rich and intensely personal archive offering insight into the life of a beloved figure in San Diego's LGBTQ history.
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