Arcana:

(FINOCCHIO'S). Finocchio's. San Francisco, CA. ND (Circa Early 1960s): Finocchio's. Edition Not Stated. 4to. Various Printed Materials. Nightclub Souvenirs. Near Fine.. One 7 x 11 ½" heavy textured paper sheet printed offset recto and verso, machine-folded in half vertically to make 4pp, 2 illustrations + three glossy single-weight 10 x 8" photographs. This is a group of four items related to "Fabulous" Finocchio's, the legendary San Francisco bar and club that opened at 506 Broadway in 1929. Owned and run by Joe Finocchio, the cabaret was billed as home to "The World's Most Famous and Talented Female Impersonators", and was a Bay Area gay mainstay that operated for an astonishing seventy years until its closing in 1999. The first item is a jaunty "mailing souvenir" brochure likely from the early sixties with an Art Deco-inspired cover whose interior contains a black and white image of the female impersonators - heavily favoring Joan Crawford and Bette Davis - from the club's then-current review produced by well-known local drag artist Lestra La Monte along with a prosaic if not hyperbolic text. This is accompanied by three 10 x 8" headshot photographs of frequent Finocchio's performer "The Fabulous Lee Leonard" - who can be seen in the brochure's cast photo. A well-preserved and interesting gathering of items from this important and influential early LGBTQ venue. Inventory Number: 026965