Charlene Fossum collection of subculture publications
Scope and Contents
This collection contains books, issues of magazines and catalogs, manga, and a pin, all collected throughout the 1980s and 1990s by Charlene Fossum, a Black goth who grew up in the Philadelphia area. Items were either purchased by mail order, from stores in Philadelphia, or stores in New York City (e.g. Tower Records), and are connected either to alternative goth subculture or to Japanese style and culture.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1985-2005
Creator
- Fossum, Charlene (1971-) (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Access is open to researchers by appointment at the Fashion Institute of Technology Library, Department of Special Collections and FIT Archive. If you wish to schedule an appointment to view this material or have any questions, visit our website.
Conditions Governing Use
The Department of Special Collections and FIT Archive does not own copyright for all material held in its physical custody. It is the researcher's obligation to abide by and satisfy copyright law (http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#108) when copying or using materials (including digital materials) found in or made available from the department. When possible, the department will inform a researcher about the copyright status of material, the researcher's obligations with regard to such material, and, wherever possible, the owner or owners of the copyrights. Any and all reproduction of originals is at the archivist's discretion.
Biographical / Historical
Born and raised in suburban Philadelphia, Charlene Fossum became interested in the goth subculture as a fan of the British new wave and synthesizer based music in the 1980s as an avid watcher of MTV. She later became interested in Japanese culture and comics in the late 1980s as well. Fossum attended the School of Visual Arts from 1990 to 1994, earning a BFA in illustration, married in 1996 and came to reside in Brooklyn where she works on various personal projects of embroidered textile art and pointillism illustration.
In 2025, Fossum described her personal experience as a member of the goth subculture: "I possessed unassailable cool in some quarters and utter derision in others as an African American participant of the subculture, dressing in a gothic/ post punk style. I subverted twice, in a way, against the mainstream of both Black and white cultural norms. My collection of periodicals and books grew in real time as a contemporary fan of music and culture and a bit later sought out and purchased as a curiosity to look back, learn more, to consider just why that dark culture was so appealing to me. It still informs my life and aesthetic choices to the present day even as my day to day clothes are far less extravagant."
Full Extent
74 items : 12 books; 6 catalogs; 53 magazine issues; 2 manga; 1 pin
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection came with no original order that was important to the donor, so its arrangement is devised to assist in discovery and is organized by publication type: catalogs, magazines, books.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to Special Collections by Charlene Fossum in January, 2025.
Materials Specific Details
This collection contains items that include offensive, harmful, racist, or misrepresentative creator-supplied language, symbols, and imagery. In keeping with archival best practice, these items have been retained to preserve them as a primary historical record, fostering critical examination and reflection on historical materials.
Some materials contain instances of "nazi chic," where Punk, Post-Punk, Goth, and related subcultures appropriated racist terminology and symbols in writings, graphics, and dress. While these references were often intended to challenge or subvert the power of right-wing symbols, there are cases where they may have been used to promote extremist views. Additionally, some instances involve the casual or thoughtless use of such imagery, which could also be harmful.
FIT in no way espouses or supports the beliefs, views, or actions connected to the right-wing imagery or ideas eluded to or discussed within the materials.
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Charlene Fossum collection of subculture publications
- Date
- 2025-01-23
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and FIT Archive Repository