Female Impersonator Collector An Interview with Femulator Staci Hunter

Staci Hunter is a 40-something-else female emulator ("femulator"). She has been collecting female impersonator ephemera for 15 years. In the following interview, Staci provides details about her wonderful collection.

ephemera: Female impersonator ephemera is a topic we haven't covered. I know a lot of collectors will be interested in learning more about this fascinating material. Tell me about you collection.

Hunter: Since I am an amateur female impersonator, female impersonation was one of the first topics I began accumulating when I started collecting postcards. Female impersonation postcards led to collecting other female impersonation ephemera like programs, matchbooks, advertisements, books, etc.

ephemera: What challenges do you encounter in collecting female impersonator ephemera?

Hunter: Female impersonator ephemera can be pricey, so I have set limits on how much I will spend on any item. On the other hand, female impersonator ephemera seems to be plentiful. I see the same items come up for auction again and again, so sooner or later I am likely to get the item I want at my price or lower.

ephemera: What are your favorite items in your collection?

Hunter: My favorite items are my black and white 50s-era postcards from Club 82 in NYC. I knew little about female impersonation until I encountered newspaper ads in the late 1950s for Club 82. Their ads depicted glamorous impersonators with the caption "Who's No Lady?" Those glamorous impersonators inspired me to attempt female impersonation, and ever since then, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Club 82.

Another favorite item is a rare, self-published book, Femme mimics by E. Carlton Winford, which describes the history of female impersonation from antiquity to 1954, the publication date of the book. Half of the 164-page book is a treasure of photos of female mimics of the first half of the 20th Century.

ephemera: The Club 82 material is really interesting. There's a lot of history there. What’s your advice for people interested in collecting female impersonator ephemera?

Hunter: Before you begin spending a lot of money, do some research and try to get a feel for what is common and what is not so common and you will get a real feel for the rarity of the items you seek.

ephemera: That's great advice, Staci. What resources do you recommend for collectors who might want to build a similar collection?

Hunter: There is not much out there in the way of books, magazines, and catalogs that cover my area of collecting, but I do subscribe to Postcard Collector and I search eBay daily for new items to add to my collection. I store most of my collection in archival PVC-free, acid-free clear plastic pages, which are stored in common, off-the-shelf three-ring binders.

ephemera: Thanks for sharing your fascinating collection with the ephemera blog, Staci.

Search Abebooks for the books listed in this interview.

Comments

[Tom Murphy]

I mentioned Stacie a few days ago in this blog article:
http://www.pga-auctions.com/wordpress/?p=281

That article has gotten a lot of hits since then.

Glad to see you covering the story in more detail Marty.

Tom

[John Ptak]

Fascinating--I love this sort of unexpected interview. (Men have been impersonating women on stage for thousands of years as probably everyone must know--what I'd like to know, and perhaps Staci knows this, is when/where the modern concept of female impersonator begins.) Thanks for this.

[Brigitte Beaulieu]

Hello João all right? I would also like to know about this because I am a student and for me to do a more thorough job, I wonder about where the modern concept of imitative beginning, thank you for your time, embrace drag queen Brazil's Brigitte Beaulieu my e-mail: [email protected]

[brigitte beaulieu]

Hello all right? I also like to know all about drag queens and female impersonators, where it comes from? Where origion there? For my college. some could help me, for I am a student and for me to do a more thorough job, I wonder about where the modern concept of imitative start?, thank you for your time, embrace drag queen Brazil's Brigitte Beaulieu my e-mail: @ dragbrigitte ig.com.br

[Paulett]

I am looking for blond bombshell named Rayleen