Described at the time in the pages of the Western Mail as ‘one of the most sensational events in the criminal annals of England,’ the arrest and prosecution of Oscar Wilde on charges of ‘gross indecency’ is a tragic chapter in LGBTQ history, and represents the wider persecution faced by the LGBTQ community at the time, as well as throughout the ensuing decades. Oscar Wilde | Illustrated London News | 27 February 1892 In this special blog, we will explore how newspapers at …
LGBTQ history
As part of our celebration of Pride Month, we are delighted to welcome a very special guest post from Vicky Iglikowski-Broad, who works as the Principal Diverse Histories Records Specialist at The National Archives. In this blog, Vicky Iglikowski-Broad explores one of the latest specialist titles to be added to the British Newspaper Archive, namely Link. Read on to discover more. Register now and explore The Archive Amongst the myriad of publications that developed in the early 20th century was a curious little …
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This week at The Archive we are delighted to announce the addition of five brand new titles to our ever-expanding collection, as we have added 54,418 pages in the past seven days. Our new titles this week range from the specialist (namely, a very special early incarnation of the lonely hearts format), to the regional, with four new newspapers joining us covering the West Riding of Yorkshire, as well as the south of the county. Register now and explore the Archive Our existing …
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For just over a month in the summer of 1934, the Caravan Club in Endell Street, Holborn, was ‘London’s Greatest Bohemian Rendezvous.’ A safe space for society’s outcasts, it was a temporary haven for London’s marginalised LGBTQ community, home to an eclectic mix of clientele, from cabaret performers to bright young things. But in the early morning of 25 August 1934, the music ended. London’s Caravan Club was raided by the Metropolitan Police, whilst both its owners and members faced …
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In 1870 Ernest ‘Stella’ Boulton and Frederick ‘Fanny’ Park were arrested, charged with ‘conspiring and inciting persons to commit an unnatural offence.’ The case caused a sensation; for, when arrested, Boulton and Park were wearing women’s clothes. From Bow Street Station to the Van, April 10th, 1870 | The Days’ Doings | 20 May 1871 In this special blog, we take a look at this landmark trial and important chapter in LGBTQ history, and how it was reported at the time in …