In honour of the wonderful Oscar Wilde, whose 159th birthday it is on the 16th, pictured here with his beautiful and beloved Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas. (My earlier posts featuring this dapper pair can be found here)
“A little something for the Oscar Wilde fans out there: this charming photo of Lord Alfred Douglas was taken at Oxford in 1891. No wonder Oscar was bowled over…”
(As well as the above picture submitted complete with caption, a dear follower has sent me some definitive information on a previous photograph of Bosie, clearing up a mystery at last - which I have edited to include in the relevant place, here. I thank you for your kind contributions!)
A submission from one of my dear followers of impeccable taste, who suggested it as a romantic addition to my collection - a truly charming picture, I agree!
There’s a little contradiction over who the photograph does show - there’s no doubt that the lap-sitting young chap is Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, famed as much for his relationship with Oscar Wilde as for his writing, but some credit the other fellow as Francis Douglas, while a library collection and well-researched book state confidently that he is Maurice Schwabe. I’m hesitant to say for certain, but it is a lovely photograph either way!
[edit, one year later] I have recieved further illuminating information, as follows - …regarding the mystery surrounding the photos of Bosie with a man variously identified as his brother Francis, Maurice Schwabe or simply 'a companion’ - in 1930 Bosie himself informed William A Clark, founder of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library which now holds an important collection of documents including the Lord Alfred Douglas Collection:
“The boy with me in the photograph was Maurice Salis Schwabe who was a friend of mine for many years. He was killed in the war. His father was Colonel Schwabe who commanded the 16th Lancers, & afterwards, as General Schwabe, was governor of Chelsea Hospital. Maurice was the same age as myself, though he was not at Oxford. The photograph was rather by way of being a joke, though really I forgot what the idea was now.“
So many vintage photographs of two male sitters appearing intimately linked may be nothing more than platonic affection between friends or relations, but in this case they are undoubtedly lovers, as we know exactly who they are for a change, famous faces indeed!
As the other photograph from this studio session with Lord Alfred Douglas has been one of my most popular items, now I present the rather better-known double portrait as well, as it seemed neglectful not to have this in the collection somewhere.
So Oscar Wilde’s niece, Dolly Wilde, had a lover named Natalie Barney who once had an affair with Olive Custance, who was the fiancée (and later wife) of Lord Alfred Douglas who had been Oscar Wilde’s lover.
