getting teary eyed thinking about gerda gottlieb’s paintings of her wife after she transitioned
thing is, for a lot of these paintings it wasn’t “after” lily elbe’s transition. there was no after to it. the one op posted was painted in 1928. this was 2 years before lily legally changed her name and began undergoing revolutionary gender affirming procedures. unfortunately she died due to complications of an experimental uterine transplant in 1931.
up until that point, during the day lily continued to dress in masculine clothing and even attended galleries showing gottlieb’s paintings of her. which was kind of iconic. she got to stand in a room full of people who were marveling her beauty, not knowing she was right next to them. it must have been such a cute little secret for them as a couple.
here’s gerda and lilly together
not to mention that for most people there is no real “after” to a transition. especially for these trans historical figures who had to balance identity and safety at all times.
i think having a wife paint these portraits must have felt really amazing for lily. to be able to see herself through the eyes of someone who loved her. i’m very much seconding op on the getting teary eyed.
here are some of my favorite gottleib lily paintings
Ancient loaves of bread from the sister cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum that were carbonized in volcanic pyroclastic flows of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD
Last night i had a dream that my friend was brutally murdered and I found her body in the creek but it was all like Halloween decoration skeleton parts :( but then later on in the dream I realized that that wasn’t real and she was almost certainly ok. And day I’ve been trying to decide if I should text her about it
It’s so funny having never gone by my legal first name (since my parents decided i would be nicknamed) and then deciding to go by my middle name instead of that nickname as an adult because sometimes I am trying to confirm my dentist appointment over the phone and they ask me what my first name is and I’m like “I don’t know :(“
![disease:
““UNTITLED (HEADACHE)”
YOSHITOMO NARA 奈良 美智 // 1998
[acrylic and coloured pencil on paper | 41.6 x 35.4 cm.]
”](https://64.media.tumblr.com/a09c3fa03d6f9c6490b65ff2b5851e6b/37d5964357b271ac-57/s500x750/f6f9135de4f6c9cfb4213898c828af8331c7307d.jpg)
