Horatio Nelson’s sexual orientation is once again in the spotlight after a museum in Liverpool, England, declared the British naval hero to be “queer.”
Curators at the state-funded Walker Art Museum believe his controversial final words – “Kiss me, Hardy” – are enough to include Nelson in the “Queer Relations” collection. Related works are those of Daniel Maclise death of nelson (1859-1864) and the 1806 painting of the same name by Benjamin West.
The badly wounded admiral is believed to have famously spoken these words to his fellow soldier Captain Thomas Hardy before his death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The British fleet, under Nelson’s command, defeated the combined French and Spanish navies. Hardy apparently acquiesced, kissing the admiral’s forehead and hands.
“Historians have speculated about the precise nature of the relationship between Hardy and Nelson,” the gallery said in an online post. “Whatever the truth, Nelson’s famous plea symbolizes, for many, the sometimes hidden history of queer life at sea. Whether their relationship was sexual remains unknown, but their friendship reflects the close bonds that form between men at sea. Intimate sexual and platonic relationships can develop between those on the ship.”
The Walker Art Gallery has also added the painting of Nelson’s death at Trafalgar to an online article on “History of LGBTQ+ Love” and to its wider “Love & Relationships” art collection.
However, not everyone is happy about Nelson being labeled “queer.”
These include the UK advocacy group and charity the LGB Alliance, which believes the rights of same-sex attracted individuals are threatened by the inclusion of trans people. “We’ve had enough LGB heroes throughout history without pretending straight people are gay,” Kate Barker, the company’s chief executive, said in a statement. “Rather than ‘queering’ those who can’t respond, museums should celebrate all lesbian, gay and bisexual Britons who achieved great things – despite living in a far less tolerant time than we do now.”
long time bystander Columnist Ross Clark also questioned the gallery’s decision. “This account is simply a cliché based on Nelson’s last words to Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, ‘Kiss me, Hardy,'” he wrote. “That seems to be it: it’s enough to imagine that, if Nelson were alive today, he would be happily partying in gay bars in Portsmouth and living with Hardy in a seaside penthouse overlooking the Solent.”
He added, “To be fair, I don’t think anyone can be sure that Nelson wasn’t gay. Maybe he wasn’t in Trafalgar at all and the painting was just a ruse to hide the fact that he died while in port while cavorting in a steam sauna with his men. But I would say the evidence we have is a bit unlikely. Not only was Nelson married, but when he liked something, he tended to be with Emma, ma’am.” Hamilton. As for homosexuality, the only thing we get is his comment about Hardy, which, like many last words, is controversial anyway. “
telegraph also weighed in, writing: “There is no evidence that Nelson was not heterosexual. He married Frances Nelson and had a scandal with the married Lady Emma Hamilton, of whom he spoke on his deathbed.”
Last year, the admiral took part in a Queer History Night at the National Maritime Museum in London. It decided to “examine him through a queer lens” in a presentation titled “#NELSONFEST” to mark LBGTQ+ History Month. telegraph Reports at the time said, “According to promotional materials, the Queer History Club organized a presentation that would consider ‘The Man Who Loved Him,’ but the material has been removed from the museum’s website.”
The move also sparked a backlash. Historian Lord Roberts, whose book Leadership in War chronicles Nelson’s life, told the newspaper: “This was a complete act of desperation on the part of the National Maritime Museum. Admiral Nelson’s heterosexuality was so intense that it was the subject of heated discussion by everyone who knew him, so it sounds strange to try to drag him into a queer history night. It really is a piece of bad history. Those ‘who loved him’ did it because he was a gay man.” Typical of a military leader, he fought against annihilation campaigns, not because they liked him. “
No reply from Walker Art Museum art news’ Request to comment.
