Collection contains five portfolios of Allen's work, dating from the 1960s to 2003, totaling 131 prints that document aspects of human sexuality, gender identity, the connections between people and art, and the social life of people in Philadelphia and New Jersey suburbs and beaches.
The first series, Transformations: Crossdressers and Those Who Love Them contains eleven 15.5 x 23 inch color prints mounted on 24x31 inch mat board. These photographs are from the book of the same title published in 1990 that documents crossdressers in everyday life.
The second series, The Woman Who Lives Inside: Portraits of Men as Women, is a portfolio of 16 gelatin silver and 15 color prints.
The third is entitled NJ/PA 1968, containing 28 black and white, 16x20, gelatin silver prints. Images include people at the New Jersey beaches, east coast suburbs, and Philadelphia.
A fourth series consists of 30 16x20 gelatin silver prints entitled People and Art, shot between 1968 and 2000. Photographs include artists at work, people looking at art, the Venice Bienniale 1999, Paris, London, and Budapest.
Finally, the fifth series consists of 31 color and black and white prints from Allen's 2004 book, The Gender Frontier, documenting transgender and transsexual people in relationships, at conferences and political rallies, and undergoing corrective surgeries. This series also includes many portraits of different transgender people.
Two CD-Rs of Allen's images are also included in the Papers Series, which also houses printed materials, brochures, and articles that include photographs by Allen. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts.
Processed by Karen Glynn, John Mayrose, May 2007; Meghan Lyon, March 2010
Encoded by John Mayrose, Paula Jeannet, and Meghan Lyon, February 2008 and February-March 2010.
Accessions 2006-0028, 2006-0133, 2007-0068, 2008-0121, and 2010-0039 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Accession 2021-0121 added by Leah Tams, November 2021.
