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Legends of Drag: Queens of a Certain Age
Legends of Queens of a Certain Age is a tribute to the groundbreaking drag icons who helped pave the way for the queens of today.
Prelude and Foreword written by fashion icon Miss J Alexander and drag superstar Sasha Velour
Drag has officially transcended the underground and exploded into the mainstream. Queens have more visibility than ever, and it’s been hard won through decades of perseverance, imagination, and intergenerational support within local drag communities. It’s time to honor the queens who paved the way for the new generation of drag and are still carrying out their work today.
To create Legends of Drag , a photo book and archive of living drag history, authors Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus traveled coast to coast, visiting 16 cities to meet 80 legendary entertainers who shared boundless wisdom and powerful anecdotes from their lives. These queens are featured in stunning portraits shot on location and styled with unique floral elements.
“Through its attention to archiving drag history and capturing the precious and fleeting moments with our queer elders, Legends of Drag will go down in history itself. It is essential reading, and in this day and age, when LGBTQ+ literature, chronicles, and history are being banned, this book is more important than ever.” — Bust magazine
Prelude and Foreword written by fashion icon Miss J Alexander and drag superstar Sasha Velour
Drag has officially transcended the underground and exploded into the mainstream. Queens have more visibility than ever, and it’s been hard won through decades of perseverance, imagination, and intergenerational support within local drag communities. It’s time to honor the queens who paved the way for the new generation of drag and are still carrying out their work today.
To create Legends of Drag , a photo book and archive of living drag history, authors Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus traveled coast to coast, visiting 16 cities to meet 80 legendary entertainers who shared boundless wisdom and powerful anecdotes from their lives. These queens are featured in stunning portraits shot on location and styled with unique floral elements.
“Through its attention to archiving drag history and capturing the precious and fleeting moments with our queer elders, Legends of Drag will go down in history itself. It is essential reading, and in this day and age, when LGBTQ+ literature, chronicles, and history are being banned, this book is more important than ever.” — Bust magazine
- GenresNonfictionArtLGBTQueer
240 pages, Hardcover
Published June 21, 2022
13 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 25, 2022
The Legends of Drag: Queens of a Certain Age is a collection of photographs and interviews with elderly drag queens and female impersonators. Over the course of writing this book, the authors traveled to 16 cities across the country and interviewed 80 different queens! The result is a book rich with history!
I love drag history and I am passionate about sharing and preserving drag history, so this book is everything I ever hoped for! I am ecstatic that this book exists! Thank you so much Hanson & Antheus for making this.
There are so many incredible historical figures featured in this book like Joan Jett Blakk, Darcelle XV, the Goddess Bunny, Hot Chocolate, Chili Pepper, Maya Douglas, Jojo Baby, and many many more. Even those I was already familiar with I was able to learn new things about.
What can I say but that this book is incredible. These two magnificent humans documented so much of our oral history so that it will not be lost when these queens are gone. I will forever be grateful to them for it.
I love drag history and I am passionate about sharing and preserving drag history, so this book is everything I ever hoped for! I am ecstatic that this book exists! Thank you so much Hanson & Antheus for making this.
There are so many incredible historical figures featured in this book like Joan Jett Blakk, Darcelle XV, the Goddess Bunny, Hot Chocolate, Chili Pepper, Maya Douglas, Jojo Baby, and many many more. Even those I was already familiar with I was able to learn new things about.
What can I say but that this book is incredible. These two magnificent humans documented so much of our oral history so that it will not be lost when these queens are gone. I will forever be grateful to them for it.
June 24, 2022
Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus's beautifully designed photography book, LEGENDS OF DRAG, is a tribute to 79 legendary drag elders who paved the way for the new generation of drag. Though a few died after being photographed and interviewed, the majority of the subjects of this lavish book are still working today. The profiles are arranged regionally, covering 15 cities across the United States, making it easy for readers to find their hometown (s)heroes. "No two queens define the art form the same way," write the authors. "By highlighting this wide-ranging cast of queens, we intend to offer many entry points into this varied and category-defying tradition."
In addition to fascinating origin stories and anecdotes about entertaining, the queens have stories involving decades of LGBTQ+ activism. In the early 1990s, Joan Jett Blakk ran for mayor of Chicago. Chilli Pepper, another legendary Chicago queen, boasts appearances in the 1980s and '90s on talk shows hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue and Joan Rivers. The subjects of these profiles are both inspiring and funny. New York City's Flotilla DeBarge says, "I always start off the show looking like Halle Berry and by the end I wind up looking like Chuck Berry. Get into the delusion, darling!" Kitty Litter calls her home state of Texas "the button-fly on the bible belt."
The book ends with a "non-exhaustive chronology" of international attacks on gender normality--from a rebellion in Greece in 390 after the passing of a law that punished "male effeminacy" to the 1970 opening of a house for homeless drag queens and queer youth in New York City.
In addition to fascinating origin stories and anecdotes about entertaining, the queens have stories involving decades of LGBTQ+ activism. In the early 1990s, Joan Jett Blakk ran for mayor of Chicago. Chilli Pepper, another legendary Chicago queen, boasts appearances in the 1980s and '90s on talk shows hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue and Joan Rivers. The subjects of these profiles are both inspiring and funny. New York City's Flotilla DeBarge says, "I always start off the show looking like Halle Berry and by the end I wind up looking like Chuck Berry. Get into the delusion, darling!" Kitty Litter calls her home state of Texas "the button-fly on the bible belt."
The book ends with a "non-exhaustive chronology" of international attacks on gender normality--from a rebellion in Greece in 390 after the passing of a law that punished "male effeminacy" to the 1970 opening of a house for homeless drag queens and queer youth in New York City.
June 30, 2023
I enjoyed this collection of stories from very interesting people. Since it was Pride month, I decided to read a few stories everyday. These drag queens have wonderful histories. The photography was lovely.
August 22, 2022
Contrary to what some young people seem to believe...drag did not begin with RuPaul. Neither did LGBTQIA+ history. Although a little repetitive, this unique photo book highlights both of these points.
November 12, 2022
This book is beautiful. Ostensibly a coffee table book, its only shortcoming in my opinion, is that it's too small - it's only 8x10". It should have been much bigger. The photography of the queens with the floral arrangements is amazing. I've seen some of these images in a gallery, and they stand up to being seen at 3x4 feet.
But here's another thing about the book being so small - the text is small. While this might be a problem for readers of a certain age, what this really means is that there is a lot of information on the page. It seems like it would be light reading, since there's basically a photo on one page, and a bio on the other (except where the subjects warranted three pages of story), but due to the density of text, there is a lot of story.
The Queens' stories were quite interesting as well. They range in age from their forties to some who had been doing their thing since the sixties. I thought it was well-written, and I learned quite a bit. Along with the individual stories of how they arrived at where they are, one learns about the scene in general, and what it was like back in the day.
But here's another thing about the book being so small - the text is small. While this might be a problem for readers of a certain age, what this really means is that there is a lot of information on the page. It seems like it would be light reading, since there's basically a photo on one page, and a bio on the other (except where the subjects warranted three pages of story), but due to the density of text, there is a lot of story.
The Queens' stories were quite interesting as well. They range in age from their forties to some who had been doing their thing since the sixties. I thought it was well-written, and I learned quite a bit. Along with the individual stories of how they arrived at where they are, one learns about the scene in general, and what it was like back in the day.
August 15, 2022
Ebook
The photos were amazing. Loved seeing all of the queens in their outfits, from regular classy to over the top. I attended my first drag show during the SF Pride weekend and it was so fun. I'm thinking now, after reading this book, that the show was a mix of drag and female impersonators. The one thing that I felt most through this book though was both sadness and resilience. The ridiculous laws (coming from someone who was required to wear a dress to school every day as a child until 4th grade - school rules in the 70's) about what someone could wear and the punishment if found cross dressing! Sadness at the lack of family support except for a few. One of the constants was that each one claimed a title of some sort. And I appreciated the shout outs to their mentors. It's also sad that there are so many splinters in a part of the population that is already splintered.
The photos were amazing. Loved seeing all of the queens in their outfits, from regular classy to over the top. I attended my first drag show during the SF Pride weekend and it was so fun. I'm thinking now, after reading this book, that the show was a mix of drag and female impersonators. The one thing that I felt most through this book though was both sadness and resilience. The ridiculous laws (coming from someone who was required to wear a dress to school every day as a child until 4th grade - school rules in the 70's) about what someone could wear and the punishment if found cross dressing! Sadness at the lack of family support except for a few. One of the constants was that each one claimed a title of some sort. And I appreciated the shout outs to their mentors. It's also sad that there are so many splinters in a part of the population that is already splintered.
December 31, 2024
Queer history at it’s finest
I loved this book! I moved to San Francisco and picked it up in a book store in the Castro, Fabulosa books. This book gave me great insight in the history of drag and made me respect the art form much more while exploring the city of San Francisco. I was able to meet some of the legends in this book that are still highly influential in the city at large.
I loved this book! I moved to San Francisco and picked it up in a book store in the Castro, Fabulosa books. This book gave me great insight in the history of drag and made me respect the art form much more while exploring the city of San Francisco. I was able to meet some of the legends in this book that are still highly influential in the city at large.
August 11, 2022
A gorgeous big coffee table book with fabulous photography and loving profiles of elder Queens in the US. Visibility of elder LGBTIQA+ folk is SO important and this book does so lovingly. And again, the photography is stunning!
August 31, 2022
a really lovely, joyful homage to some of our drag elders
November 8, 2022
Great photos!
June 12, 2023
Excellent photography, Very informative write-ups on some of the leading members of pre Ru Paul drag history. Very nicely done, Thank you! Will we see a sequel?
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews