I met the Lily White Troupe in 1996 while working on a project for the National
Hospice Foundation and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Joy Ufema, director of
the York House Hospice where I was photographing, asked me to participate
in a fund-raiser held in York, Pennsylvania. Lily White was a drag act who
performed lip-synching musical extravaganzas. When I showed them the pictures
of the event, they asked me to do individual portraits, at which time I paused
and asked myself what new insights I could visually discover about a photographed
subject. I proceeded cautiously, not wanting to tread over well-worn ground.
But, after spending time with the cast members, I began to appreciate their
bittersweet humor, their individuality, and their relationships with each
other. They instinctively provided a narrative and dialogue with the viewer
that I didn't think possible.
© 1975-2008 Jack Radcliffe. All Rights Reserved
