1954 Press Photograph of Charlotte McLeod Shielding Her Face from New York Photographers After Her Return from Denmark.
New York City: United Press Telephoto / World Telegram, January 17, 1954. Press photograph measuring 8 ½ x 6 ½ inches. Caption in negative; verso with wire-service markings. Fine condition. Item #List3891 A 1954 press photograph of Charlotte McLeod, an American trans woman whose sex reassignment surgery in Denmark drew national press coverage in the wake of Christine Jorgensen’s rise to celebrity. McLeod is shown covering her face after what the caption describes as an altercation with United Press photographer Edward Jerry in New York. The printed caption states: “Charlotte McLeod, a former U.S. soldier who said she changed from man into a woman as a result of sex surgery in Copenhagen, covers her face after engaging in an altercation with United Press photographer Edward Jerry (L, with Cigar). Annoyed by photographers, Charlotte swung her umbrella at Jerry. She missed and the force of the blow made her fall to the floor.” The photograph shows the press spectacle surrounding early trans visibility in the United States. McLeod’s case was widely covered in 1954, including stories about her travel to Denmark, return to New York, employment, and public treatment; the Digital Transgender Archive records a Charlotte McLeod Collection with 1954 material on her surgery, photography, and press coverage.
Price: $400.00