This profile is part of a series of interviews chronicling the experiences of researchers who use The New York Public Library's collections for the development of their work. The 'Working from Home' edition focuses on how researchers, through the challenges created by COVID-19, continue to use the Library’s resources remotely.

Jo Weldon is the author of The Burlesque Handbook and Fierce: The History of Leopard Print. She is the Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque and the founder of Sex Worker Style. She has been a sex workers’ rights activist and advocate for over three decades.

What research are you working on?    

I'm examining the intersections of sex work with dress, fashion, and culture. This includes researching examples of sex worker influence on the meaning and purpose of couture and clothing in relation to the fashion system. I’m also gathering examples of sex workers creating fashion to demonstrate self-expression and resistance to oppression, hoping to share their work with a wider audience.

What resources are you using for your research?    

I rely on newspaper and image archives to get a sense of contemporary perceptions of sex work, and look for existing perspectives in academic journals. 

I’m often fact-checking sensationalized reports for historical accuracy and studying inaccuracies to see what effect they have had on popular culture, public policy, and law. I’m attempting to gauge the changing perceptions and public reactions to sex work over time as presented across a variety of news sources. Through my research at the Library, I’ve made discoveries that have lead me to research people like Mary Jones, a Black transgender sex worker who dressed as herself in spite of legal oppression and persecution. Through access to historical journals and periodicals, I seek examples of sex workers mentioned as influential in society. I’ve found some fascinating articles about how, in Victorian London, there were frequent concerns about milliners and dressmakers who were either sex workers themselves, or were concealing brothels behind their establishments. I’ve also been researching academics outside of the Western system to understand the tawaifs or courtesans of Mughal India, who influenced fashion and etiquette, and eventually led some of the military resistance against the British Empire.

What tabs do you currently have open on your computer? 

A document in which I’m writing my articles on sex work and roses for Valentine’s month, and, with regard to my current research, two NYPL sites: the research catalog record for Images of Sex Work in Early Twentieth-Century America Gender, Sexuality and Race in the Storyville Portraits, a book about sex work in the early 20th century, and an image from the Digital Collections, "Picture of rooms for foreigners at Iwakaro (brothel) in Yokohama", an illustration of a nineteenth century brothel in Yokohama. (I might be a bit all over the place at the moment.)

I also have a tab open where I’m editing an interview I did with Marinka, who passed away this week. She was a feature dancer in burlesque from the 1960s till the pandemic began. She published her book, Marinka From Havana to Burlesque, last year in which she describes coming from Havana to the United States, and this book is also the first time she came out about being transgender. 

What's your working from home setup?    

I’m using my kitchen table for a desk and doing most of my research there, which means we usually eat in the living room. Since I’ve moved my burlesque school online, I’m also teaching in my bedroom because that’s where the light is best, with the addition of a ring light behind the computer as I teach. Although the space is a bit tight, I’ve managed to do a full fan dance in there! I never thought I’d be teaching from my bedroom, but since the students are also learning in their bedrooms, it works out perfectly.

What research tools could you not live without?    

The Berg Fashion Library! It’s an incredible resource that puts all kinds of information literally at my fingertips. There are some of the most fascinating books and articles in the world there. I’m also finding more people who share my interests there, by finding their books, and following their work often leads me to find resources and events I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

What's your favorite distraction or snack when working from home?    

Pointed pen calligraphy is my favorite distraction. I picked it up this past summer to have something to do inside that isn’t related to any of my other work. Of course I started drawing all my favorite arcane keyword search terms in fancy script. My favorite snack break is another cup of coffee. I miss stepping out of the Library into Bryant Park to get my coffee, though not as much as I miss going to the Library, and can’t wait to be back in there. 

Are you using NYPL Library collections to research from home? We’d love to hear about your work! Not familiar with our online collections? Whether you'd like a quick introduction to our newspapers, journals, or e-books, or if you need help with something more specific, our online consultations take advantage of screen-sharing technology so we can show you exactly how and where to find things and recommend titles relevant to your work.

Just let us know what you need help with and we'll be in touch to schedule a time.