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AIDS Awareness Trading Cards

Print
1993 (made)
Artist/Maker
Eclipse Enterprises (makers)
Hiscock, Charles (artist)
Place of origin
USA (made)

AIDS Awareness Trading Card depicting the Canadian female impersonator and actor, Craig Russell, with a biography on the reverse. Craig Russell was one of the major female impersonators of the 1970s and 1980s, best known perhaps for their role in the 1977 film 'Outrageous!'. He sang or spoke live in the voices of the ladies he impersonated and his impressive roster of impersonations included Bette Davis, Tallulah Bankhead, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Peggy Lee, Barbara Streisand, and Mae West.

Object details

Categories
Ephemera
Prints
LGBTQ
Gender and Sexuality
Object type
Print
Titles
  • AIDS Awareness Trading Cards (series title)
  • Craig Russell - Female Impersonator
Materials and techniques
Printed card
Card
Printing
Brief description
AIDS related ephemera - AIDS Awareness Trading Card by Eclipse Enterprises, Forestville, California. USA, 1993.
Physical description
AIDS Awareness Trading Card depicting the Canadian female impersonator and actor, Craig Russell, with a biography on the reverse. Craig Russell was one of the major female impersonators of the 1970s and 1980s, best known perhaps for their role in the 1977 film 'Outrageous!'. He sang or spoke live in the voices of the ladies he impersonated and his impressive roster of impersonations included Bette Davis, Tallulah Bankhead, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Peggy Lee, Barbara Streisand, and Mae West.
Object history
Exhibition: Graphic Responses to Aids. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 12 June - 13 October 1996
Subjects depicted
Drag
Gay
Bibliographic references
  • The following excerpt is by Franklin Robinson, a specialist in the archives centre at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, and was originally published in an article in 'The Atlantic', February 14th, 2012: "The AIDS Awareness cards were distributed in packs of 12, along with a condom. When first released, the product generated some negative publicity. Card No. 7 showcases Kimberly Bergalis, who died in December 1991 after reportedly contracting AIDS from her dentist, David Acer, also depicted on the same card. The woman's father, George Bergalis, decried the cards, calling the premise of the series "sick" and accusing Eclipse of "capitalizing on people's tragedies. Another individual featured in the trading cards is Ryan White, who contracted HIV from a contaminated blood treatment, was expelled from middle school because of his disease, and died at the age of 18. His mother objected to his inclusion in the series. But [editor Catherine] Yronwode defended the cards in the Orlando Sentinel: "If you take the time to read the cards, you will come away with a good understanding of the disease," she said. Fifteen percent of the proceeds were donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a New York-based charity that raises money for HIV-infected people involved in the arts. By 1994, however, Eclipse ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy the following year".
  • Taken from R.P. 1997/265 Acquisition Form
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.156-1997

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Record createdApril 8, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O221561/aids-awareness-trading-cards-print-hiscock-charles/
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