Gender Non-Conformity and Queerness

Queer people have always existed. Our current understanding of sexuality as a central feature of human identity, however, emerged in the late 19th century. This period also saw the formation of the queer communities and identities in defiance of heterosexual and binary norms. In this gallery, we collect historical images that transcend the binary gender system of male and female - as cross-dressing, as a "travesty" or "trouser role" in the theatre, as drag or as a lived non-binary and trans identity. The people behind these images lived eventful lives - the trans man Victor Barker, for example, married a woman in 1923 and was, among other things, a member of a fascist organisation, a restaurant owner and a servant. The lesbian painter Rosa Bonheur defied binary gender roles, wore men's clothing, had a private zoo and was the first woman to receive the Officer's Cross of the Legion of Honour.