Oral History Recordings

Mabel Hampton, Undated (Tape 1)
Mabel Hampton discusses, with Joan Nestle, gender identity, attraction, men, and marriage.

Mabel Hampton, Morgan Gwenwald, Pam Hicks: Breakfast at Pam's, April 9, 1989 (Tape 2)
Pam Hicks and Morgan Gwenwald chat with Mabel Hampton over breakfast about mundane topics, including lost keys and colors. 

Mabel Hampton, Morgan Gwenwald, Pam Hicks: Breakfast at Pam's, April 9, 1989 (Tape 1)
Morgan Gwenwald visited Mabel Hampton at Pam Hicks' place. 

Mabel Hampton, Lillian Foster, 1976 (Tape 1)

Mabel discusses her first girlfriend, a white woman she met while working at a girl's school.

Joan at 38, Lesbian Life / Early Life Beginnings / Mabel Hampton, undated (Tape 1)

Joan Nestle speaks about lesbian self-expression and the importance of language to identity.

Mabel's Parties / Mabel Hampton, 1981 (Tape 1)

Mabel talks about the parties she attended, the atmosphere, the people she met and the music she listened to.

Mabel Hampton for Feminary / Mabel Hampton; Joan Nestle, 1979 (Tape 1)

Oral history interview for Feminary: A Lesbian-Feminist Journal for the South. Joan Nestle interviews Mabel Hampton at 77.

Mabel H. Story / Mabel Hampton; Joan Nestle (Tape 1)

Side A: Mabel tells the story of her arrival in New Jersey, and how she found the people who first took her there. Side B: Mabel sings the American popular song, "My Buddy", and also explains how she left her uncle in New York and went to New Jersey.

Mabel Speaks / Talks About Helen / Mabel Hampton; Joan Nestle, (Tape 1) 

Mabel discusses relationships she had with married women.

Mabel Talks for Joan's Slide Show / Mabel Hampton; Joan Nestle (Tape 1)

Mabel discusses meeting her partner Lillian Foster in 1932, whom she was with for 40 years until her passing in 1979.

Mabel Hampton

Mabel describes her early childhood and rural upbringing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the early 1900s.

Mabel Hampton's Journey to New York 

Mabel describes her early childhood and rural upbringing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Mabel and Joan Peters; Mabel and Joan Nestle (Tape 1) 

Conversations between Joan and Mabel about a book Mabel enjoyed, working at the Lesbian Herstory Archives, a documentary film in the making, and Mabel's early life and sexuality.

Mabel Hampton with Joan Nestle (Tape 1)

Mabel discusses lesbian marriage in the 1930s and 1940s, including stories of women getting married and where the ceremonies were.

Mabel at 85 (Tape 1)  

Mabel discusses her life with Lillian Foster, the lesbian movement, and performing and singing.

Mabel Hampton Interviews (Tape 1)

Mabel discusses the language and culture of being gay in her time.

Mabel Hampton Interviews (Tape 1)

Mabel discusses "slumming party" where she first met A'Lelia Walker, and what it was like being gay during the 1930s.

Mabel Hampton July, 1986

Mabel discusses her early life in South Carolina and New York.

Mabel Hampton's Story, July, 1986

Mabel describes running away from home and the New Jersey family who cared for her, while they sought Mabel's family.

Mabel Speaks/Mabel talks about Helen (Tape 1)

Mabel tells stories of different women she dated and how she met Lillian Foster, who would be her partner from 1932-1978.

Mabel H. / Mabel Hampton (Tape 1)

Mabel talks about her childhood and coming out with a woman she met at Coney Island.

Mabel Hampton Singing and Talking (Tape 1)

Side A: Mabel sings and talks about her life with Lillian Foster, and stories from her youth. Side B: She describes her life in Jersey City, Coney Island and the rape by her uncle.

Mabel Hampton - The Twenties and Life With Lillian (Tape 1)

Mabel Hampton reminisces about her life in the early 1920s.

Mabel H. Story / Mabel Hampton (Tape 1)

Side A: Mabel discusses Coney Island, and her relationships with women, including Mildred Mitchell.

Mabel Hampton, 1981 (Tape 1)

Mabel discusses her relationships during her twenties, including how and why she chose her sexual partners and her relationships with married women.

Mabel Hampton's Story, July, 1986 (Tape 3)

Mabel describes her 1923 arrest (at age 18) and term at Bedford Hills Prison, and the period shortly thereafter.

Mabel Hampton's Story, July, 1986 (Tape 4)

Mabel describes her life after being released from Bedford Hills.

Mabel Hampton, November 28, 1986 (Tape 1)

Mabel talks about her life at theater Lafayette on Coney Island in the 20s. 

Mabel Hampton, 1988 (Tape 1)

Mabel discusses her early life as a lesbian in the Village between the two world wars, including the rooming house where she lived and the parties she attended.

Mabel Hampton, 1982 (Tape 1) 

Side A: Some discussion of when Mabel first heard the word lesbian, her experiences as a dancer. Side B: Mable describes her experiences caring for children, finding freedom as a child, running away from her aunt and uncle to New Jersey to live with the White family, and her spirituality.

Mabel, Madeline, and Joan, updated (Tape 1) 

Oral history interview of Mabel Hampton. Mabel talks about Lilian Foster, her partner, that she has never dated any man, and is a feminine type of lady who likes to dress up.

Mabel Hampton Life Stories, November 20, 1978 (Tape 1)

Mabel discusses the importance of lesbian writing and how she considers being a lesbian to be the most important aspect in shaping her life.

Mabel Hamption (Tape 1) 

Side A: Mabel Hampton describes meeting other lesbians and associating with other women "in the life". Side B: Mabel's WWII era activities, including being an Air Raid Warden in Harlem, and meeting married women who ""came out"" during their husband's absence due to the war."

Mabel Hampton talks about Lillian and more, January, 1988 (Tape 1)

Mabel Hampton discusses, with Joan Nestle, gender identity, attraction, men, and marriage. Mabel Hampton also discusses nicknames she shared with Lillian Foster, including "Little Bear" and "Big Bear."