Curve Magazine Records

Collection

Identifier: CURV

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the Curve Magazine Collection is composed of over two decades worth of materials generated through the production and community-building efforts of Curve. These materials include editorial files and photos, research materials, advertisements, content submissions, and published issues. The collection also includes administrative records related to the operation of the magazine and materials created or collected through its outreach and promotional activities, including ephemera, publicity materials, and circulation and subscription data.

The content reflects a wide range of subjects central to lesbian life and culture, including interviews with public figures, coverage of relationships, family-making, and workplace experiences, as well as reviews of media and consumer products and guides to travel and lesbian-friendly spaces. Photographic materials document both everyday life and community events, including portraits of individuals, businesses, and social scenes, as well as large lesbian gatherings such as Pride festivals and the Dinah Shore party.

Materials were received in assorted boxes, some labeled and dated, while others lacked clear associations. Certain materials were directly linked to specific Curve volumes or staff members (e.g., boxes labeled “Franco’s Desk”), while others remained more general. Materials with clear associations have been identified and described accordingly. Pre-labeled folders were retained when possible; when damaged, contents were rehoused and original labeling transcribed. All materials have been arranged in chronological order to the best of our ability.

The collection includes a range of media-types, including print materials, photographs, negatives, slides, banners, plaques, CDs, tapes, zip disks, and ephemera such as t-shirts. Materials are primarily organized by theme into series, with items grouped by media-type within each series, except for digital media, which has its own subseries (Subseries V - Digital Media) and oversized posters and banners which had to be moved to off-site storage.

Dates

Creation: 1991-2010

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the collection. The collection is open for research. Material containing personally identifiable information has been removed from the collection and privately stored. Private content is only available for viewing by certified Curve Staff. Folders where restricted material has been removed are labeled as such at both the finding aid and item level.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights to the physical objects belong to the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or heir for permission to publish where the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives do not hold the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

In February of 1990, lesbian bookstore owner Frances “Franco” Stevens started Curve Magazine after patrons kept asking if she had lesbian magazines in stock. The first issue, originally called Deneuve, was published in 1991 with almost three hundred submissions from writers, artists, and community members. This was America’s first lesbian “glossy” magazine. By 1995, Deneuve had become the best-selling lesbian magazine.

In 1996, Curve published its first edition under the new name "Curve Magazine" featuring the lesbian tennis player Martina Navratilova. Subsequent editions continued interviews and features with prominent lesbian public figures like actress Lea Delaria, talk show host Ellen Degeneres, musicians like Sinead O'Connor and K.D. Lang, and several insights into the lives of L-word actresses and writers. Although celebrity guests were common, Curve magazine equally showcased lesbian community members and discussed LGBTQ adoption, experiences of lesbians in the workforce, and robust documentation of the lesbian political climate around Proposition 8 and the US Supreme Court's decision to uphold marriage equality in 2015.

In 2010, Franco Stevens sold Curve to a publisher in Australia called Silk Bader and Curve became a digital magazine publication. By 2020, Franco purchased Curve again and started the Curve Foundation with her partner Jen Rainin. The foundation continues to publish editions of Curve as a non-profit project and supports the lasting legacy of the magazine.

Extent

47 Linear Feet (71 boxes, 4 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Chinese

Additional Description

Abstract

Formerly known as Deneuve Magazine, Curve is a commercial lesbian magazine that has been releasing publications since 1991. Curve periodicals are a trusted source of information for lesbians, bisexual, transgender, queer women and non-binary folks, covering a range of topics from celebrity lesbian interviews to everyday lesbian lifestyle themes, like LGBTQ friendly travel, reviews and suggestions of LGBTQ media, and much much more.

Arrangement

Series 1: Magazine Production, Subseries 1.1: Production, Subseries 1.2: Content and Research, Subseries 1.3: Curve Magazine Editions, Series 2: Publicity, Subseries 2.1: Outreach - Events and Pride Tours, Subseries 2.2: Advertising, Series III: Administrative, Subseries 3.1: Personal and Employment Records, Subseries 3.2: Staff Notebooks, Subseries 3.3: Internal Records and Operations, Subseries 3.4: Circulation Records, Subseries 3.5: Legal Contracts, Subseries 3.6: Financial and Accounting Records, Subseries 3.7: Admin Miscellaneous, Series 4: Ephemera, Subseries 4.1: General Curve Ephemera and Products, Subseries 4.2: Awards and Certificates, Subseries 4.3: Display Materials and Office Decor, Subseries 4.4: Personal Photos of Curve Staff, Series 5: Curve Digital Files, Subseries 5.1: Zip Disks, Subseries 5.2: CDs, Subseries 5.3: Tapes, Subseries 5.4: Miscellaneous Digital media, Series 6, Subseries 6.1: Photo Contest Administrative Documents, Subseries 6.2: Photo Contest Photographs

Separated Materials

Deaccessioned materials include duplicate materials and material containing personally identifiable information such as surveys with customer addresses, submission material with phone numbers and addresses, and company tax documents. Private content is only available for viewing by certified Curve Staff. Folders where restricted material has been removed are labeled as such at both the finding aid and item level.

Materials Specific Details

Some materials in the collection contains nudity. A content warning has been included in the box content list for items the processing archivists identified as containing this triggering and harmful content. The Mazer welcomes an ongoing dialog with our community about generative ways to process and describe materials that contain or reflect systemic violence. We encourage you to contact the Mazer if other harmful content is found in this collection and/or to further this dialog. You can reach us at contact@mazerlesbianarchives.org.