Christine Jorgensen collection, 1970, 1973.

Format:

Manuscript

Contributor:

Friends of the Library Endowment Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jorgensen, Christine.

Trans people.

Trans people in art.

Trans women.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Max Rambod Rare Books (Woodland Hills, CA), 2022.

Physical Description:

1 box (0.2 linear feet)

Place of Publication:

1970, 1973.

Language Note:

eng

Biography/History:

Christine Jorgensen was born George William Jorgensen Jr. on May 30, 1926 in The Bronx, New York. In her autobiography she describes her childhood self as, "frail, tow-headed, introverted child" who "refused to play rough and tumble games" (Jorgensen, 1967). In 1945 she was drafted into the Army where she served as a clerical worker for 14 months until she was honorably discharged in December 1946.In the late 1940s Jorgensen began looking into hormones and surgical operations which led her to endocrinologist Dr. Christian Hamburger in Denmark. After saving enough money to travel to Denmark Jorgensen made the trip in 1950. Dr. Hamburger started Jorgensen with estrogen hormone replacement therapy and psychiatric evaluations for two years before Jorgensen underwent an orchiectomy and a penectomy. She then changed her name to Christine to honor the doctor. After these two surgeries Jorgensen planned to continue a private and quiet life but a letter she sent back to her parents in New York was leaked to the press and the New York Daily News ran a front-page article titled "Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty" on December 1, 1952. Upon her return to the United States in February 1953 she was met by many journalists while getting off the plane. Jorgensen realized that her quiet life would be difficult to come by and the new fame could be a way to make a living. As she said, "I decided if they wanted to see me, they'd have to pay for it" (Kelly, 2024).Christine Jorgensen soon started to appear on talk shows, participate in lectures, and performed in nightclubs. In 1953 she wrote a five-part authorized account of her story that was published in The American Weekly. In 1967 she published Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography, which sold almost 450,000 copies. In 1970 a dramatization of Jorgensen's story was made into a movie directed by Irving Rapper and produced by Edward Small called The Christine Jorgensen Story. Jorgensen was involved in the movie in some way, there is a photo of her on set with one of the main actors, but she did later claim that Small diverted $100,000 owed to her for his own use. Jorgensen died on May 3, 1989 at the age of 62 from of bladder and lung cancer.

Summary:

The Christine Jorgensen collection measures 0.2 linear feet and dates to 1970 and 1973. The collection includes two photographs of Jorgensen, one taken in 1970 and the other taken in 1973. It also has a full-sized movie poster and seven lobby cards from The Christine Jorgensen Story. The lobby cards have images from several moments of the movie. There is nothing personal from Jorgensen in this collection, it only contains published materials mostly relating to the movie. This is a very small and limited collection but the movie posters give an insight into how Jorgensen's story was marketed by showing the language and images used to attract broad public attention and interest.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund.