Digital Transgender Archive
The Felicity Chandelle Collections consists of photographs from albums owned by Felicity Chandelle (1905-2008) that depict Felicity and other members of The Playgirl Club, mostly from the early 1960s. The Playgirl Club was a social group of mostly white people who self-identified as cross-dressers. Most of the members presented as men in their daily lives and adopted “femme-names” and used she/her pronouns when dressed in feminine attire. Felicity Chandelle was also known as John Miller and was one of the first commercial airline pilots in the U.S. Felicity was arrested in 1964 under an antiquated law that prevented someone from appearing in public with their face “painted, discolored, covered, or concealed” in a way that might prevent them from being recognized. This collection provides a glimpse into Felicity’s life attending Playgirl Club house parties, red carpet events, and shopping on 5th Avenue. For more information, see https://tgforum.com/felicity-chandelle-1905-2008-pilot-and-crossdresser/ and https://zagria.blogspot.com/2011/05/felicity-chandelle-1905-2008-pilot.html.
The following institutions have contributed to this collection:
