Portraits to the Wall

Focusing on British and European women, this is an accessible study of lesbian history. Each chapter documents and examines a woman's life and work, or the nature of a particular partnership. Some of the women featured are famous, such as Greta Garbo, Ethel Smyth, Eve Balfour and Queen Anne, while some of the others' lives have not been documented to date. In considering each person or pair the following questions are asked: were the women "infits" or "outfits" in terms of their sexuality?; how were their relationships conducted?; how much did social status/background dictate the extent of their openness or compromise?; what sort of role models where they in their day to other women?; and what legacy did they create, if any, to the status/visibility of the contemporary lesbian?. A wide range of women of different eras, nationalities, ages and social backgrounds are discussed.