By Lawrence Lai
Apr 27, 2012 2:36pm
Les Amies de Place Blanche: Transvestites of 1960′s Paris
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/04/les-amies-de-place-blanche-transvestites-of-1960s-paris/ (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/04/les-amies-de-place-blanche-transvestites-of-1960s-paris/)
Christer Strömholm (1918-2002) is considered one of the great photographers of the 20th century, though he is little known outside of his native Sweden.
Arriving in Paris in the late 1950′s, Strömholm settled in the Place Blanche, home to the Moulin Rouge, in the heart of the city's red-light district. There he befriended the "ladies of the night," transgendered males who were struggling to live as women and raising money for sex-change operations.
The hidden history of transsexual Paris: Intimate portraits documenting the lives of the red light district's 'ladies of the night'
Exhibition features intimate portraits of the lives of transsexuals
By Kerry Mcqueeney
PUBLISHED: 13:09 EST, 8 May 2012 | UPDATED: 13:10 EST, 8 May 2012
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2141360/Christer-Str-mholm-Photography-exhibition-documents-transgender-women-Paris.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2141360/Christer-Str-mholm-Photography-exhibition-documents-transgender-women-Paris.html)
For ten years Swedish photographer Christer Strömholm lived alongside the transgender men occupying the red-light district of Paris, documenting their struggles to exist as women,
And after a decade documenting their lives, the fruits of Strömholm's labour are to be displayed in a photography exhibition.
Christer Strömholm: Les Amies de Place Blanche - an exhibition described as raising profound issues about identity, sexuality, and gender - features 40 photographs, historical publications, and ephemera documenting young transgender males in the heart of Paris' red-light district in the 1960s.
The photos associated with the articles present a fascinating look at 1960's fashion.
The B&W photography, I think, adds to the period presentation.