Gay Myths by Edward H. Hutchins

Gay Myths

Edward H. Hutchins, 1993
Editions, Verplanck, New York
First Edition • Signed • Miniature Artist’s Book

Gallery Description

Gay Myths is a remarkable miniature artist’s book by American book artist Edward H. Hutchins, created in the aftermath of the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. Published by Hutchins’s Editions in Verplanck, New York, the first edition appeared in 1993 and was produced as a small, hand-sewn artist’s book with fold-out pages and black-and-white imagery. The edition was signed by Hutchins.

Despite its diminutive size—approximately 1¾ × 3 inches—the book addresses some very large and very familiar questions. Hutchins presents a series of stereotypes and prejudices directed toward gay people, including “We recruit,” “It’s our parents’ fault,” “We’re not fit to teach,” “We all have good taste,” and “We’re ‘butch’ or ‘femme.’” The statements are paired with found and photocopied imagery, creating an intentionally simple but pointed confrontation with the assumptions surrounding homosexuality.

The work is particularly compelling as an example of the copier-art and independent artist’s-book movements of the period. Rather than presenting its message through a conventional political publication, Hutchins transforms the book itself into an intimate object of activism. Its hand-sewn construction, miniature scale, fold-outs, pasted elements, and photocopied illustrations make the physical form inseparable from its social commentary.

The book’s connection to the 1993 March on Washington is especially significant. Hutchins’s colophon references the enormous crowds at the demonstration, dedicating the work to those “missed” in the competing estimates of attendance. The result is simultaneously humorous, confrontational, and deeply rooted in the history of LGBTQIA+ political organizing.

Why It Matters

Gay Myths captures a fascinating moment in queer history: a period when LGBTQIA+ artists and activists were actively challenging deeply entrenched cultural stereotypes while demanding visibility, equality, and recognition. Hutchins does this without producing a conventional political manifesto. Instead, he uses humor, satire, visual contradiction, and the physical intimacy of the miniature book to make the viewer reconsider ideas that had been presented as unquestioned truths.

The book’s small size is almost part of the joke—the object is tiny, while the myths it challenges are enormous.

For a collection documenting queer history, LGBTQIA+ activism, queer visual culture, and the history of artist’s books, Gay Myths is an especially meaningful addition.

Collection Categories:
Queer History • LGBTQIA+ History • Gay Male History • Artist’s Books • Miniature Books • Political Art • Copier Art • LGBTQIA+ Activism • 1990s Queer Culture

Bibliographic Note: First edition, Editions, Verplanck, NY, 1993. Miniature hand-sewn book with fold-outs; signed by Edward H. Hutchins. Contemporary bookseller records identify examples in fine/near-fine condition and note the distinctive black wraps and pasted pink triangle.