15 Iconic Queer Couples Throughout History

Wherever and whenever LGBTQ+ people have lived, they have loved. Here are the most iconic couples in queer history.

 

Oscar Wild and Bossie, www.vintag.es  

1.Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas

Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright.
Lord Alfred Douglas nicknamed Bosie (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945) was a young aristocrat and poet, the youngest son of the Marquess of Queensberry.

Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. www.advocate.com

2.Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West

Virginia Woolf (25 January 1882 – 28 March 1941) was an English writer.
Vita Sackville-West (9 March 1892 – 2 June 1962) was an English author and garden designer.

Greta Garbo and Mercedes de Acosta. www.girlsroom.pl

3. Greta Garbo and Mercedes de Acosta

Greta Garbo (18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress.
Mercedes de Acosta (March 1, 1892 – May 9, 1968) was an American poet, playwright, and novelist.

Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, www.historycollection.com

4. Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas

Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector.
Alice B. Toklas (April 30, 1877 – March 7, 1967) was an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century.

Gore Vidal and Howard Austen, www.listal.com

5. Gore Vidal and Howard Austen

Gore Vidal (October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual.
Howard Austen (January 28, 1929 – September 22, 2003) was the long-time companion of American writer Gore Vidal for 53 years until Austen’s death.

Michelangelo and Tommaso de Cavalieri, www.pinterest.it

6. Michelangelo and Tommaso de Cavalieri

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564) was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance born in the Republic of Florence.
Tommaso de Cavalieri (c. 1512 to 1519–1587) was an Italian nobleman, who was the object of the greatest expression of Michelangelo’s love.

Tennessee Williams and Frank Merlo at the Key West House. Courtesy the Mississippi Library Commission. www.interviewmagazine.com

7. Tennessee Williams and Frank Merlo

Tennessee Williams (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983) was an American playwright.
Frank Merlo (1922 – September 21, 1963) was an American actor.

Jean Cocteau and Jean Marais, www.criterion.com

8. Jean Cocteau and Jean Marais

Jean Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic.
Jean Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998) was a French actor, writer, director and sculptor.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Vladimir Davydov, en.tchaikovsky-research.net

9. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Vladimir Davydov

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period.
Vladimir Davydov (December 14 [O.S. December 2] 1871 – December 27 [O.S. December 14] 1906) was the second son of Lev and Alexandra Davydov, and nephew of the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who called him “Bob”.

James Baldwin and Lucien Happersberger, nmaahc.si.edu

10. James Baldwin and Lucien Happersberger

James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist.
Lucien Happersberger ( September 30, 1932 – August 21, 2010) was an bisexual Swiss painter that author James Baldwin once called “the one true love story of my life.”

Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, www.pride.com

11. Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok

Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat and activist.
Lorena Hickok (March 7, 1893 – May 1, 1968) was an American journalist.

Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner, www.cafemom.com

12. Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner

Lily Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer.
Jane Wagner (born February 26, 1935) is an American writer, director and producer.

Lili Elbe and Gerda Gottlieb, www.advocate.com

13. Lili Elbe and Gerda Gottlieb

Lili Elbe (28 December 1882 – 13 September 1931) was a Danish painter and transgender woman, and among the early recipients of sex reassignment surgery.
Gerda Gottlieb was a Danish illustrator and painter.

Frida Kahlo And Chavela Vargas, www.ismorbo.com

14. Frida Kahlo And Chavela Vargas

Frida Kahlo (6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico.
Chavela Vargas (17 April 1919 – 5 August 2012) was a Costa Rica-born Mexican singer.

Hieroglyph of Niankhkhnum (standing, left) and Khnumhotep (right, with his right arm on Niankhkhnum’s shoulder) www.makingqueerhistory.com

15.  Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum

They were ancient Egyptian royal servants and are history’s first documented gay couples. They were buried together at Saqqara and are listed as “royal confidants” in their joint tomb.

This article was compeled from multiple sources by Liviu Bulea.

Author

SMART. QUEER SMART.

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