On January 5, 2018 I posted a scan of an autographed photograph I purchased that showed Christine Jorgensen posing with an unknown gentleman named Frank. Both are dressed in nautical gear, but the location, date, and circumstances of the photograph were completely unknown to me. That image is reposted below (click on the photograph to see the high-resolution scan).
Then on August 3rd of 2018 I received mail from a gentleman named Richard Karras, who told me the following:
I found several photos of my father and a woman I believed to be Christine Jorgensen on a fishing boat in March 1954 in Florida. To see if it was really her I did a search and found the Transas City article on her and was surprised to see a photo from that same trip. It was the autographed photo with “Frank”. I thought you might be interested so I am attaching a quick snapshot of the photos.
And indeed he not only sent me snapshots, he worked hard to scan the box of photographs. As far as I know, these incredibly rare photographs of Christine Jorgensen have not been presented anywhere else online, and might never be found outside of Mr. Karras’ collection inherited from his father Ted.
Examining the photographs in detail indicates that they were likely taken in early 1954 at Bay Harbor in Miami Beach, Florida. The unknown “Frank” featured in my autographed photograph appears in several of the photographs, as do many other individuals which are unknown.
You may click on each photograph below to access the high-resolution scan of the original. This collection, which I call the Ted Karras collection, has been provided by his son Richard under the conditions that the photographs be unaltered, unhidden, and made available to the public freely. Which has always been our policy here at Transas City. Enjoy!
This first photograph was scanned from a slide found among the collection, and might not have ever been made into a full-sized photograph before.
Christine Jorgensen striking a pose on the dock.
Christine Jorgensen with three other women.
Ted Karras, the father of the contributor of this collection, with Christine Jorgensen.
Christine Jorgensen along with the “Frank” in the original photograph I found.
Christine Jorgensen on the boat next to Ted Karras.
Christine Jorgensen, backed by a grim cowboy.
Christine Jorgensen, “Frank,” fish, and the gals.
Christine Jorgensen, “Frank,” and his aforementioned “harem.”
Christine Jorgensen and “Frank.”