"A Most Infamous Young Swindler": The Short Tragic Life of Thomas Langrel Harris - Sapphic Society

Patricia J. Fanning

"A Most Infamous Young Swindler": The Short Tragic Life of Thomas Langrel Harris

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Artistically gifted, rejected by his parents, plagued by uncontrollable mood swings, and a suicide at age 24, Thomas Langrel Harris was gay, manic and, quite...

Artistically gifted, rejected by his parents, plagued by uncontrollable mood swings, and a suicide at age 24, Thomas Langrel Harris was gay, manic and, quite possibly, a genius. Oscar Wilde called him "a most infamous young swindler" while Edward Steichen referred to him as "one of the biggest men of our time." This is the story of a talented artist, significant photographic model, and mercurial young man, all trace of whom Fate seemed determined to erase. The settings range from the small town of Petersburg, Illinois, to the grand boulevards of Paris, France. Unidentified for nearly a century, the tale of this elusive yet fascinating figure can now be told.

Patricia J. Fanning, Ph.D. is professor of sociology emerita at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Her publications include essays on connections between the arts, primarily photography and literature, and the wider American culture. She has written two books about turn-of-the-century Boston arts and culture: "Through an Uncommon Lens: The Life and Photography of F. Holland Day" (2008) and "Artful Lives: The Francis Watts Lee Family and Their Times" (2016).

Genre
Nonfiction
Pages
200
Publisher
Rock Street Press
Publication Date
March 10, 2025
ISBN
9798989416219