Queer History Series
Presenting my new Photography series ‘Queer History.’ The aim of this series is to highlight previous LGBTQ+ people from history and create photoshoots inspired by their legacies. Queer people have existed since the dawn of time and I wanted to pay homage to those individuals who may have never been recognised or shed a light on. It’s so important these stories are told to enable people to understand that the LGBTQ+ community has always existed, but it is only now they feel confident enough to express their true identity. This series is an ongoing work in progress, I have more shoots planned, but here are the first two so far.
Marlene Dietrich
The German-born Actress and Hollywood star of the 1930s. She was openly bisexual and known to have had multiple relationships with men and women, and is widely considered to have paved the way for generations of unapologetically queer Hollywood stars.
One of her most memorable roles was in ‘Morocco’ (1930) – Dietrich wore a tuxedo and top hat and kissed a woman on screen, which caused controversy at the time. In her personal life, she had often enjoyed crossdressing, gay balls, boxing, and other nonconformities during her time in 1920s Berlin.
Marie Hoeg & Bolette Berg
Inspired by Marie Høeg & Bolette Berg -
The pair were photographers in the late 19th century and ran their own studio ‘Berg & Høeg’ in Norway. Marie was a known suffragist and often led discussion groups for women in their community to talk about politics.
After Marie and Bolette died, a box of their photographs labelled ‘private’ was discovered. The photos depicted the pair and their friends dressing in masculine clothing, experimenting with gender stereotypes, smoking, drinking and playing cards.
These photos might have been controversial for the time period, but centuries on, they hold great value in showing people that queer people have existed since the dawn of time
