The Incredibly True Adventures of Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe.

June 3, 2013 10:00 AM

The true story (NSFW) of turn-of-the-century lesbian romance, erotic Deco illustrations rife with harlequins and crinolines, the world’s first male-to-female sex reassignment surgery, and the 1950s pulp novel that brought it all to light. A Decree by the King of Denmark was required to Free Danish Artist from the wife he had married before his sex was reversed. How the divorce was reported in 1933.
Some more of Gerda's work.
posted by adamvasco (8 comments total)

*Settles in for the night, with crisps, and reading glasses*
posted by infini at 10:15 AM on June 3, 2013

Wonderful story.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:36 AM on June 3, 2013

The story of Lili Elbe is being made into a major Hollywood to-do, starring Nicole Kidman (based on the book The Danish Girl).
posted by AwkwardPause at 10:57 AM on June 3, 2013

In fairness, before I do much of anything important, I check in with the king of Denmark. Just to be sure.
posted by delfin at 11:01 AM on June 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

Nothing rotten in his state, I trust?
posted by infini at 11:23 AM on June 3, 2013

Oh, I'm loving this! I'm new to the story and to the artist, but OH MY! Such delicious art deco illustrations and wonderfully complex people!

Thank you for introducing me to this.
posted by _paegan_ at 12:18 PM on June 3, 2013

A Decree by the King of Denmark was required to Free Danish Artist from the wife he had married before his sex was reversed.

I feel like this is a bit of a misleading quote, though, given that they were still intimate post sex change - the breakup apparently had more to do with freewheeling than gender.

The pictures, though, are lovely.
posted by corb at 1:32 PM on June 3, 2013

Great post, adamvasco.
posted by homunculus at 12:12 AM on June 4, 2013