Known for his over sized and grand paintings (over 900) of wealthy clients, John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925) was at first portrayed as a quiet American gentleman and life long bachelor. It was the Victorian era, and no one dared associate him with the gay Oscar Wilde.

In modern times when the Victorian rosy glasses started falling from the eyes of scholars, the notion that Sargent was gay arose convincingly. Adding weight to the theory was a nude painting of Thomas E. McKeller, an African American bellhop who worked in a Boston Hotel. The painting (and its sketches) were never shown in Sargent's life time, and the lowly bellhop went unknown to his grave.

Next time you are checking out the grand paintings of Sargent in your favorite museum, stop for a moment stop thinking of the grand ladies in Downton Abbey clothes, and remember Thomas E. McKeller shown at left. (See a full size photo in the Forums below.)