Childhood

In Angela Calomiris’ collection at the Lesbian Herstory Archives, there is very little written or saved pertaining to her childhood.1 In her autobiography, Red Masquerade (1950), Calomiris describes aspects of her youth, though much of her adolescence would be indiscernible without census records and other legal documents.2

 

An Impoverished Childhood

Angela Calomiris was born in New York City on August 1st, 1916. Her parents were Greek immigrants, Gus and Maria Calomiris, and immigrated to the United States in 1912 and 1915, respectively.3 Her father, Gus, was a furrier who struggled to keep a job.4

By 1930, Calomiris’ father was dead, leaving her mother a widow and the sole-provider of six children5. The year of Gus Calomiris’ death and what happened to their family consequently is unclear. In Red Masquerade, Calomiris claims her father died when she was fifteen,6 though author Lisa E. Davis has claimed that this was a lie, and that Calomiris’ father died when she was seven, resulting in her being sent to the Sevilla Home for Children.7 Both claims are confused all the more by the fact Calomiris is documented twice on the 1930 census.8 She is documented as living with her mother and her five siblings in Brooklyn, and also as living at the Sevilla Home for Children with her sister, “Vesilla” (possibly a misspelling of “Celia”). The 1930 census indicates Calomiris’ mother, Maria, gave birth in 1927, maybe indicating that Gus died between 1927 and 1930.9

1930 Censuses

1930 Census, Brooklyn, New York, Page 6A, Enumeration District 0044, FHL microfilm 2341236.

1930 Census, Bronx, New York, Page 23A, Enumeration District 0228, FHL microfilm 2341205.

In 1932, Calomiris’ younger brother, Harry, died in Cumberland Hospital at the age of twelve.10 It is unclear what happened to Calomiris’ family between 1932 and 1940. By 1940, her’ older sister, Dorothy, was reported to be living in Pilgrim State Hospital, a psychiatric care facility in Brentwood, NY.11 Also on the 1940 census, her two younger sisters, Antonia and Helen, were identified as living at homes for girls in Brooklyn, NY– suggesting that their mother, Maria, died between 1930 and 1940.12

Dorothy on the 1940 Census

 1940 Census, New York, Kings, New York, Roll m-t0627-02598, Page 1A, Enumeration District  24-1993

 

Young Photographer

In light of the many instabilities of her childhood, Calomiris discovered her passion for photography. She knew early on that she wanted to be a photographer. She recalled in Red Masquerade, “I don’t think I ever consciously made up my mind to be a photographer. I was always going to be one, as far back as I can remember.”13 Taking pictures was a way for Calomiris to document her experiences and make sense of her world.

 

High School

Calomiris graduated from the Straubenmuller Textile High School, a high school specializing in textile trade and production. She was Feature Editor of the school newspaper, The Spinning Wheel.14

“U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012,”  Straubenmuller Textile High School, 1935.

 

  1. See Angela Calomiris’ Special Collection, Lesbian Herstory Archives, Brooklyn, NY. ↩
  2. See Angela Calomiris’ Red Masquerade, J.B. Lippincott, 1950. ↩
  3. 1920 Census, Manhattan, Assembly District 12, New York, New York, Roll T625_1206, Page 11B, Enumeration District 851. ↩
  4. Angela Calomiris, Red Masquerade, 17. ↩
  5. 1930 Census, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, Page 6A, Enumeration District 0044, FHL microfilm: 2341236. ↩
  6. Angela Calomiris, Red Masquerade, J.B. Lippincott, 1950, 22. ↩
  7. See page 17 and 133 of Davis’ Undercover Girl. On page 133, Davis claims: “Angela Calomiris lied a lot about things. Some were fairly obvious— that she was not paid for her FBI work, that her father died when she was fifteen instead of seven.” Davis does not provide a citation for such a claim. ↩
  8. See 1930 Census, Brooklyn, New York, Page 6A, Enumeration District 0044, FHL microfilm 2341236 and 1930 Census, Bronx, New York, Page 23A, Enumeration District 0228, FHL microfilm 2341205. ↩
  9. 1930 Census, Brooklyn, New York, Page 6A, Enumeration District 0044, FHL microfilm 2341236. ↩
  10. New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Death Certificates; Brooklyn; 1932. Harry Calomiris died July 27th, 1932 and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery on July 29th, 1932. ↩
  11. 1940 Census, New York, Kings, New York, Roll m-t0627-02598, Page 1A, Enumeration District  24-1993 ↩
  12. 1940 Census, New York, Kings, New York, Roll m-t0627-02600, Page 2A, Enumeration District 24-2053B. ↩
  13. Calomiris, Red Masquerade, 22. ↩
  14. “U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012,” Straubenmuller Textile High School, 1935. ↩