British naval hero Lord Nelson was queer, says gallery
Horatio Nelson by Lemuel Francis Abbott. 1797. Oil on canvas, 29 1/2 in. x 24 1/2 inches. Located in the National Portrait Gallery, London, England, UK. (VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)
Horatio Nelson by Lemuel Francis Abbott. 1797. Oil on canvas, 29 1/2 in. x 24 1/2 inches. Located in the National Portrait Gallery, London, England, UK. (VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)
British naval hero Lord Horatio Nelson was queer, according to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
Widely regarded as one of history’s greatest naval commanders, vice-admiral of the white Nelson was fatally shot at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. His final moments onboard HMS Victory are depicted in two paintings at the gallery.
The Death of Nelson, painted by Benjamin West in 1806, shows the stricken sailor being supported by Captain Thomas Hardy and ship surgeon Dr William Beatty, while other figures bend over him.
‘Hidden queer history of life at sea’
“Nelson’s last words to him are said to have been: ‘Kiss me, Hardy’, [and] historians have speculated about the exact nature of the relationship between Hardy and Nelson,” a spokesperson for the gallery said. “Regardless of the truth, for many, Nelson’s famous request is symbolic of the sometimes-hidden queer history of life at sea.”
At the time of his death, Nelson was in a relationship with his mistress Emma Hamilton and married to Frances Nisbet.
The momentous moment is also depicted in a work by Daniel Maclise. Painted between 1859 and 1864, it has the same title as West’s picture, and includes two Black sailors, which the spokesperson said was “a matter of historical accuracy”. The gallery’s description of Nelson as queer has earned the painting a place in its LGBTQ+ collection, under the love and relationships category.
“Our collections explore the universal range of love and relationships experienced by LGBTQ+ people, from first loves and romance to adoptions and the creation of new families,” the gallery has said.
Lord Nelson isn’t the only historical figures whose sexuality has been reexamined by academics: His famed French rival, Napoleon Bonaparte, may have been bisexual.
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