Brian Lantelme is a fine art photographer celebrated for his trailblazing work documenting the vibrant spirit of New York City's LGBTQIA+ communities. He focused particularly on a BIPOC trans club and show bar named Sally's Hideaway which thrived in Times Square in the 1980s and 1990s. His photo archives, unmatched and unique, capture this crown jewel of the trans community. He had photographed similar venues prior to Sally's — the Greenwich Pub and Midtown 43, however, his documentation of Sally's Hideaway was the most comprehensive.

 

Lantelme studied documentary and experimental film at Cornell University, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974, then promptly moved to NYC into the legendary Chelsea Hotel. There he met luminaries in the art and fashion world — fabled designer Charles James, artist Richard Bernstein, filmmaker Harry Smith and fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez.

 

That same year he began his career as personal assistant to the illustrious and renowned American fashion designer, Halston. After three fascinating years working alongside the celebrity designer, Lantelme decided to pursue his first love, photography, and departed Halston. He then dedicated himself to honing his craft, studying at The New School, School of Visual Arts (SVA), and NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Lantelme refined his photography skills by capturing black-and-white images of friends, local performers and models while also gaining experience as a darkroom assistant in various photography studios. He ultimately mastered the art of darkroom printing and analog photography.

 

His journey into the trans, male burlesque, and drag ball communities began in the early 1980s as house photographer at the Odyssey, an iconic gay club in Asbury Park, New Jersey. In 1985 he started shooting at the Greenwich Pub in the West Village where one prophetic night he met Dorian Corey, a Founding Mother in the Ballroom scene and a star of the iconic documentary released in 1991, Paris is Burning.  They became close friends. Dorian invited him to join the House of Corey after Lantelme attended his first Ball at the Elks Lodge in 1987, The Harlem Fantasy Ball. He continued photographing the Balls for the next ten years.

 

One night in 1992 Dorian Corey invited him to accompany her to Sally's Hideaway where she hosted a weekly cabaret show. Lantelme soon became a fixture there, capturing with his Hasselblad — pageants, Balls, drag and go-go boy shows, while also forging friendships that would endure for years to come.  

 

Mr. Lantelme debuted his photography in a 1994 solo exhibition titled, "The Times Square Show on Transsexual Identities" at the MBM Gallery located in the heart of Times Square on 42nd Street. Vince Aletti, photography critic of the Village Voice, characterized the exhibition as "Lantelme's black-and-white portraits of transsexuals and drag queens are interesting primarily because they teeter so precariously between flattery and exposé, between Beaton and Arbus. The glamour here is hard-won, sometimes desperate, sometimes heroic -- gender as a battlefield."

 

For five years Lantelme dedicated himself to capturing the performances, life experiences, aspirations, and beauty of the many performers, community members, and visitors who graced Sally's Hideaway.

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Mr. Lantelme continues to engage in his artistic endeavors, passionately recounting stories of the family he met at Sally's Hideaway through word and image. He fondly and respectfully refers to this family as "the gods and goddesses of Times Square."