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♪
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♪
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♪
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- People talk about queerness
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as if it's something new, right?
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But we've always been here.
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And because of society seeing
our community as other,
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it's been a very complex search,
I guess,
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looking for myself within media.
10
00:01:03,693 --> 00:01:06,871
You know, I've always seen
bits and pieces of myself,
11
00:01:06,914 --> 00:01:11,528
but I don't think I've ever seen
myself complete or whole.
12
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But then...
13
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Oh, my God!
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I can't, I can't, bb.
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Black trans power.
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Black trans power, bb.
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It's huge!
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Queer folks are often
looked over
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and not even given a chance.
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So seeing these beautiful
representations of queerness
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that portray what
you're either feeling
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or what you want to experience
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give some kind of hope
that you can just be yourself.
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[ Laughs ]
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But going back into our history,
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queerness was so criminalized,
27
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we had to keep a low profile
28
00:02:04,764 --> 00:02:09,509
and use coded language
to express ourselves safely.
29
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And we've seen it within art
and advertising,
30
00:02:14,252 --> 00:02:18,431
like in the imagery of this
gay artist, JC Leyendecker,
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00:02:18,475 --> 00:02:21,740
who was working
in the early 1900s.
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He was able to thread in
queerness
33
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in an era when
it's not accepted.
34
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But he was kinda erased
from history.
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♪
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♪
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♪
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[ Page turning,
pencil scratching ]
39
00:03:09,534 --> 00:03:14,061
- December 3rd, 1950.
40
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I've spent the day
thumbing through old paintings
41
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in the studio,
42
00:03:18,197 --> 00:03:21,592
many of them from decades ago.
43
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The canvases take me back
to a time less encumbered
44
00:03:24,726 --> 00:03:27,076
by what might have been,
45
00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,472
the beginning of it all.
46
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I still remember
leaving Chicago,
47
00:03:32,648 --> 00:03:34,694
boarding an ocean liner
headed for Europe.
48
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[ Bell clanging ]
I was 19 years old.
49
00:03:39,264 --> 00:03:43,705
I'd saved every penny
to achieve my dream,
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to study art in Paris.
51
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♪
52
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- Paris was the art center
of the world,
53
00:03:55,282 --> 00:03:59,636
and Leyendecker studied at
the Académie Julian, which was
54
00:04:01,333 --> 00:04:03,902
more encouraging of
the free spirit to come out.
55
00:04:06,426 --> 00:04:09,778
And he actually got to study
and become friendly with
56
00:04:09,822 --> 00:04:13,086
the famous
French poster artists --
57
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Chéret...
58
00:04:15,089 --> 00:04:16,873
Toulouse-Lautrec...
59
00:04:16,917 --> 00:04:21,357
and Mucha,
who became JC's mentor.
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This was Art Nouveau,
which was less formal,
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00:04:29,801 --> 00:04:32,804
and all this advertising art
62
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was plastered all over
the Paris streets.
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And JC was entranced.
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He realized that you could
do something
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00:04:45,427 --> 00:04:48,344
that you felt good about
as an artist,
66
00:04:48,388 --> 00:04:53,089
but you were also delivering
a message to an audience.
67
00:04:55,178 --> 00:04:58,355
So he went to
the center of publishing,
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which was New York.
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00:05:00,141 --> 00:05:05,147
♪
70
00:05:06,017 --> 00:05:09,194
- When he arrives in New York,
71
00:05:09,238 --> 00:05:12,982
this is right after
the Oscar Wilde trial,
72
00:05:13,025 --> 00:05:17,334
when Wilde is locked up
for being gay.
73
00:05:17,377 --> 00:05:20,338
So Leyendecker is
coming at a moment
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00:05:20,381 --> 00:05:24,865
when there's such concern about
degeneracy in the arts.
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00:05:26,432 --> 00:05:28,782
And wanting to be
a commercial artist,
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00:05:28,826 --> 00:05:30,785
Leyendecker had to keep
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00:05:30,829 --> 00:05:35,137
his sexuality under wraps,
of course.
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00:05:35,181 --> 00:05:38,707
- And in 1899,
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00:05:38,751 --> 00:05:43,234
Leyendecker did his first cover
for "The Saturday Evening Post,"
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00:05:44,845 --> 00:05:46,890
and at the time,
"The Saturday Evening Post"
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00:05:46,934 --> 00:05:51,678
was the most popular weekly
magazine across America.
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And its cover told
the whole story in one image.
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So for Leyendecker,
this was a moment of arrival.
84
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Leyendecker was a master
85
00:06:09,047 --> 00:06:12,920
at painting the male figure.
86
00:06:12,964 --> 00:06:16,838
He found candlelight was
exaggerating the light
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00:06:16,882 --> 00:06:18,927
and the shadow,
88
00:06:18,971 --> 00:06:22,932
so if he would put a little oil
on the muscles of his models,
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00:06:22,976 --> 00:06:26,894
he could then capture
an exquisite male form.
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♪
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He would always have the most
gorgeous men model for him.
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And some of them became
famous actors,
93
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such as John Barrymore...
94
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- I fell in love last night.
95
00:06:47,352 --> 00:06:49,833
- ...Brian Donlevy...
96
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- I know. Its tough.
97
00:06:52,967 --> 00:06:55,709
- ..and Fredric March...
98
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- Man is not truly one,
99
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but truly two.
100
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- But then...
101
00:07:04,414 --> 00:07:08,767
- It was late 1903 when a
particularly striking young man
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00:07:08,811 --> 00:07:11,989
appeared at my door.
103
00:07:12,033 --> 00:07:15,036
He said his name was
Charles A. Beach
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00:07:15,079 --> 00:07:16,864
and that he wanted to be
a model.
105
00:07:21,957 --> 00:07:24,569
- Leyendecker was enthralled
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00:07:24,612 --> 00:07:27,485
with Beach's tall,
beautiful body
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00:07:27,528 --> 00:07:32,273
and his perfect nose,
perfect eyes, perfect mouth.
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00:07:33,361 --> 00:07:37,323
He loved painting Charles Beach.
109
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- I was hired by Arrow shirts
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00:07:41,196 --> 00:07:44,287
to design an advertisement for
their new collars
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00:07:44,331 --> 00:07:48,378
that would feature a man
in Arrow clothes.
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I pitched their advertising
director
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00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,036
to make it something more --
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not simply a man,
but the perfect man,
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00:07:57,259 --> 00:08:01,132
brought to life
in an advertisement.
116
00:08:01,176 --> 00:08:04,658
- He gave him different
hair coloring many times,
117
00:08:04,702 --> 00:08:07,967
but the Arrow collar man was
always Charles Beach.
118
00:08:11,231 --> 00:08:15,671
And Arrow shirts
sold like crazy,
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00:08:15,715 --> 00:08:20,373
putting almost every other
shirt maker out of business.
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00:08:22,418 --> 00:08:24,812
Before that point,
the male fashion plate
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00:08:24,855 --> 00:08:27,598
was incredibly rigid,
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00:08:27,642 --> 00:08:32,691
just like cut-out dolls,
essentially.
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00:08:32,735 --> 00:08:36,043
But Leyendecker's clothed
figures are always nude,
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00:08:36,086 --> 00:08:38,088
in a way,
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00:08:38,132 --> 00:08:42,876
because there's always a body
underneath that suit.
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00:08:44,617 --> 00:08:48,361
And that is something that
we may take for granted today.
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00:08:49,884 --> 00:08:51,757
You know, you sell through
the body.
128
00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:56,414
♪
129
00:08:56,457 --> 00:08:58,852
But Leyendecker was
one of the first,
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00:08:58,895 --> 00:09:02,029
if not the first, to do that.
131
00:09:05,425 --> 00:09:10,212
- The Arrow collar man became
the first male sex symbol.
132
00:09:11,823 --> 00:09:16,089
I mean, even my age, I still
find a well-dressed man sexy.
133
00:09:19,093 --> 00:09:23,010
- There was something about
the way Leyendecker captured men
134
00:09:23,053 --> 00:09:25,926
that straight women
would find appealing
135
00:09:25,970 --> 00:09:27,928
and a straight man would look at
and say,
136
00:09:27,972 --> 00:09:31,020
"I want to look like him,"
or, "I want to be like him."
137
00:09:31,063 --> 00:09:35,067
But a gay man would say,
"Mmm! [Laughs]
138
00:09:35,111 --> 00:09:39,333
There's someone I think I might
want to put on the wall."
139
00:09:39,377 --> 00:09:43,773
- It was an innovation.
140
00:09:43,817 --> 00:09:48,039
And as Charles Beach posed
more and more for Leyendecker,
141
00:09:50,085 --> 00:09:52,479
they fell in love.
142
00:09:56,745 --> 00:09:59,356
- When I first came out,
I always had a hard time
143
00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:01,359
because, you know,
I find trans women
144
00:10:01,403 --> 00:10:03,187
to be the most beautiful women,
right?
145
00:10:03,231 --> 00:10:04,971
We're powerful
and we walk down the street,
146
00:10:05,015 --> 00:10:06,712
and I'm like, "Oh, my God, yes!"
147
00:10:06,756 --> 00:10:08,019
You know, I want to be real
loud, but I'm like,
148
00:10:08,063 --> 00:10:09,934
"You know, you have to be
subtle, you know?
149
00:10:09,977 --> 00:10:12,458
Maybe the girl doesn't want
everybody to know her tea."
150
00:10:12,502 --> 00:10:15,593
So I give little hand gestures
and little winks,
151
00:10:15,636 --> 00:10:18,552
just to acknowledge that,
you know, I recognize you.
152
00:10:18,596 --> 00:10:22,122
And this kind of coding is what
JC Leyendecker does
153
00:10:22,166 --> 00:10:25,169
in a lot of his images.
154
00:10:25,212 --> 00:10:29,957
- He builds a kind of homoerotic
intimacy and physical connection
155
00:10:31,524 --> 00:10:34,005
in places where you may not
even notice it.
156
00:10:37,966 --> 00:10:42,667
Like, he's very interested in
putting male athletes
157
00:10:42,711 --> 00:10:44,887
in various states of undress
158
00:10:44,930 --> 00:10:48,674
in relationship to clothed men.
159
00:10:48,718 --> 00:10:51,024
- Or when he was given
a commission --
160
00:10:51,068 --> 00:10:54,159
"We have a new collar coming out
for Arrow shirts.
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00:10:54,203 --> 00:10:55,813
You run with it" --
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00:10:55,856 --> 00:10:59,165
he comes up with a gorgeous
depiction of sexual tension.
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00:10:59,209 --> 00:11:02,255
- This man who's holding
the golf clubs --
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00:11:02,299 --> 00:11:05,259
he's got an interesting grip
on that bag --
165
00:11:05,303 --> 00:11:08,175
the way it's splayed
between his legs,
166
00:11:08,219 --> 00:11:11,440
the way it covers the crotch,
the direction of it,
167
00:11:11,484 --> 00:11:13,529
and there's another man
that's looking
168
00:11:13,573 --> 00:11:15,618
really past the woman
in between them
169
00:11:15,662 --> 00:11:19,667
at looking at him.
170
00:11:19,710 --> 00:11:23,672
- This was coded advertising
with a double message
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00:11:23,715 --> 00:11:26,196
that's supposed to, you know,
portray one thing,
172
00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:28,677
but it really means another.
173
00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,291
And for people who aren't
familiar with queer culture,
174
00:11:33,335 --> 00:11:35,947
that would go
right over their heads.
175
00:11:35,990 --> 00:11:37,949
- As subtle as he was,
176
00:11:37,992 --> 00:11:41,431
he was still showing us
male relationships,
177
00:11:41,474 --> 00:11:44,652
this intimacy between men.
178
00:11:44,696 --> 00:11:49,571
- So Leyendecker --
through his seductive surfaces,
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00:11:49,615 --> 00:11:53,836
he is able to lend anything
a kind of homoeroticism.
180
00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:58,407
♪
181
00:11:58,451 --> 00:12:02,412
- For many years, I owned
a particular advertisement
182
00:12:02,456 --> 00:12:07,288
painted by JC Leyendecker
for an Ivory soap bar.
183
00:12:07,331 --> 00:12:11,030
It looked absolutely magnificent
on the wall,
184
00:12:11,074 --> 00:12:13,860
and I walked by it all the time.
185
00:12:13,904 --> 00:12:18,517
So one day, Whoopi Goldberg,
who was a friend of mine,
186
00:12:18,561 --> 00:12:20,433
came over, and she said,
187
00:12:20,477 --> 00:12:22,696
"Judy, did you see
that painting?"
188
00:12:22,740 --> 00:12:26,048
And I said, "Yes, I've had it
for 10 years."
189
00:12:26,092 --> 00:12:28,834
So I looked at it just like
I've always looked at it,
190
00:12:28,877 --> 00:12:32,142
and I said, "I don't see.
Is there something the matter?"
191
00:12:32,186 --> 00:12:35,842
And she finally points
192
00:12:35,885 --> 00:12:38,933
to the shadow of an erection.
193
00:12:42,502 --> 00:12:45,245
And now that's the only thing
I see.
194
00:12:45,288 --> 00:12:48,987
- It's kind of hard to imagine
[laughs] that he didn't --
195
00:12:49,031 --> 00:12:51,339
that he didn't know what he was
doing when he did that.
196
00:12:51,382 --> 00:12:53,297
[ Clears throat ]
197
00:12:56,561 --> 00:12:58,782
I was partner and founder
of an agency
198
00:12:58,825 --> 00:13:03,308
that specialized in LGBT
marketing in the early '90s.
199
00:13:04,571 --> 00:13:06,094
And we learned that
the lesbian community
200
00:13:06,138 --> 00:13:08,923
had been a big fan of Subaru
for years.
201
00:13:08,967 --> 00:13:10,709
It was kind of like
a little secret.
202
00:13:12,537 --> 00:13:15,540
It became a game
of figuring out,
203
00:13:15,583 --> 00:13:18,892
how do we signal the consumer
that this ad is meant for them
204
00:13:18,935 --> 00:13:20,981
using just language?
205
00:13:21,024 --> 00:13:24,202
And one of the first campaigns
that most successfully did that
206
00:13:24,246 --> 00:13:28,991
had vanity plates designed to
speak to the consumer.
207
00:13:30,775 --> 00:13:33,387
And at the time, Lucy Lawless
was in "Xena: Warrior Princess."
208
00:13:33,430 --> 00:13:36,782
And for some reason,
the lesbians adored Xena.
209
00:13:36,826 --> 00:13:38,697
So that was one of the plates.
210
00:13:40,046 --> 00:13:42,267
And so I'm standing at a corner
in San Francisco,
211
00:13:42,311 --> 00:13:46,837
and a bus pulls up, and it had
one of these ads on the side.
212
00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:50,624
And straight people just looked
at it as if it was nothing,
213
00:13:50,668 --> 00:13:53,584
but a gay couple looked at it
and they kind of pointed at
214
00:13:53,627 --> 00:13:56,936
the "XENA LVR" plate,
and they start laughing.
215
00:13:56,979 --> 00:13:58,851
And I thought, "Job done."
216
00:13:58,894 --> 00:14:00,897
They connected all the dots,
and they got,
217
00:14:00,941 --> 00:14:03,422
"That's for me.
That's the message for me."
218
00:14:03,465 --> 00:14:06,207
And I now realize that
the solutions
219
00:14:06,250 --> 00:14:08,819
that we came up with
for Subaru --
220
00:14:08,863 --> 00:14:12,170
they're not that different than
what JC Leyendecker did
221
00:14:12,214 --> 00:14:14,391
back in the 1920s.
222
00:14:16,872 --> 00:14:20,616
- In JC Leyendecker's imagery
of Charles Beach,
223
00:14:20,659 --> 00:14:24,968
you see a definite strong love
for him, you know?
224
00:14:25,011 --> 00:14:27,798
And I think when you are
trying to get
225
00:14:27,841 --> 00:14:31,062
authentic emotion within art,
226
00:14:31,105 --> 00:14:33,065
the relationship between
artists,
227
00:14:33,108 --> 00:14:36,416
like painter and subject,
is so important.
228
00:14:38,114 --> 00:14:39,942
- Leyendecker and Charles Beach
229
00:14:39,986 --> 00:14:43,076
were in a committed
relationship.
230
00:14:43,119 --> 00:14:47,516
And Leyendecker recognized that
they complemented each other.
231
00:14:50,868 --> 00:14:54,437
JC was more interested
in just painting,
232
00:14:54,481 --> 00:14:59,617
while Charles was
the business personality.
233
00:14:59,661 --> 00:15:04,406
So eventually,
Charles became his manager.
234
00:15:05,842 --> 00:15:07,365
They were making,
in today's dollars,
235
00:15:07,409 --> 00:15:10,282
millions of dollars.
236
00:15:10,325 --> 00:15:12,980
And they moved into
a beautiful mansion.
237
00:15:13,024 --> 00:15:17,116
♪
238
00:15:17,159 --> 00:15:19,510
They had acres of land
239
00:15:19,553 --> 00:15:21,860
so they could be
out in the garden
240
00:15:21,903 --> 00:15:25,517
or inside,
modeling and painting.
241
00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:29,652
♪
242
00:15:29,696 --> 00:15:32,655
They had spectacular parties.
243
00:15:32,699 --> 00:15:35,964
It was like "The Great Gatsby."
244
00:15:36,007 --> 00:15:40,359
F. Scott Fitzgerald and other
famous friends would come
245
00:15:40,403 --> 00:15:44,582
who were very open
and interested in art.
246
00:15:46,236 --> 00:15:50,110
- The '20s was a moment
of great progress and visibility
247
00:15:50,154 --> 00:15:52,504
for queer folks.
248
00:15:52,548 --> 00:15:56,944
- And New York at that time
was arguably the place to be
249
00:15:56,988 --> 00:15:59,120
if you're gay.
250
00:15:59,164 --> 00:16:03,909
- You have these nightclubs that
were melting pots of New York,
251
00:16:05,214 --> 00:16:07,261
where people of different
identities,
252
00:16:07,304 --> 00:16:09,045
like gender variant people,
253
00:16:09,089 --> 00:16:12,528
what we consider to be
drag queens nowadays,
254
00:16:12,572 --> 00:16:16,967
could have community at
and be free.
255
00:16:17,011 --> 00:16:20,058
- And this is Leyendecker
and Beach's life.
256
00:16:20,102 --> 00:16:22,365
♪
257
00:16:22,408 --> 00:16:24,585
- In the Roaring Twenties,
258
00:16:24,628 --> 00:16:29,416
American illustrators were like
celebrities today.
259
00:16:29,460 --> 00:16:32,072
And Leyendecker
was a household name.
260
00:16:35,380 --> 00:16:40,125
And it's because of the iconic
American imagery he created,
261
00:16:41,953 --> 00:16:46,219
like his holiday covers for
"The Saturday Evening Post."
262
00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,834
- Leyendecker provided the
imagery for American traditions,
263
00:16:51,878 --> 00:16:56,623
around which those holidays then
start to be organized --
264
00:16:57,972 --> 00:16:59,756
fireworks as a part of
the 4th of July,
265
00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:03,326
flowers on Mother's Day.
266
00:17:03,369 --> 00:17:07,548
- And he came up with
the rotund, jolly Santa Claus
267
00:17:07,591 --> 00:17:09,594
that you see all around today.
268
00:17:12,728 --> 00:17:17,211
So advertisers demanded
JC Leyendecker.
269
00:17:17,255 --> 00:17:22,000
He captured that essence of
"The Great Gatsby" era
270
00:17:23,523 --> 00:17:25,438
when you were carefree and gay
and uninhibited.
271
00:17:25,481 --> 00:17:30,487
♪
272
00:17:32,838 --> 00:17:33,969
- The richest country
in the world
273
00:17:34,013 --> 00:17:37,147
began a bitter journey downhill.
274
00:17:37,191 --> 00:17:39,672
The stock market buckled
and crashed,
275
00:17:39,715 --> 00:17:43,720
and the nation's economy
plummeted into the Depression.
276
00:17:43,764 --> 00:17:46,985
- In the '30s,
during the Depression,
277
00:17:47,029 --> 00:17:49,422
it's as if it's
a back-to-basics,
278
00:17:49,466 --> 00:17:53,906
back-to-morality
kind of moment in the U.S.
279
00:17:53,950 --> 00:17:56,735
And there was this clamping down
280
00:17:56,779 --> 00:18:00,827
on anything deemed excessive
or non-normative.
281
00:18:00,871 --> 00:18:04,265
- These laws are put in place
to police people,
282
00:18:04,309 --> 00:18:08,488
to police how people dress,
to police who they love.
283
00:18:08,531 --> 00:18:13,015
- So JC and Charles hid their
relationship from the public
284
00:18:14,451 --> 00:18:17,454
because society wasn't open
285
00:18:17,498 --> 00:18:19,719
and society wasn't accepting.
286
00:18:19,762 --> 00:18:21,634
[ Indistinct talking ]
287
00:18:25,421 --> 00:18:29,120
- At a banquet for the
New Rochelle Art Association,
288
00:18:29,164 --> 00:18:33,778
I met a young illustrator named
Norman Rockwell.
289
00:18:33,822 --> 00:18:36,651
It seemed he was looking for
something of a mentor.
290
00:18:38,741 --> 00:18:42,353
Rockwell took a studio
next to mine in the city.
291
00:18:42,396 --> 00:18:46,445
He'd often knock on my door
and ask my advice on a painting.
292
00:18:46,488 --> 00:18:51,233
- It was Rockwell's aspiration
to become like Leyendecker.
293
00:18:52,713 --> 00:18:55,542
He even wanted to know
Leyendecker's secret
294
00:18:55,585 --> 00:18:58,067
of how he painted.
295
00:18:58,111 --> 00:19:00,548
And Rockwell confesses
in his book,
296
00:19:00,591 --> 00:19:04,379
"I tried and I failed."
297
00:19:04,422 --> 00:19:08,557
- Rockwell said again and again
he wanted to please people,
298
00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,953
like the audience of
"The Saturday Evening Post" --
299
00:19:11,996 --> 00:19:16,132
those middle-class,
straight Americans.
300
00:19:16,175 --> 00:19:19,744
And Leyendecker didn't do
any of that.
301
00:19:19,788 --> 00:19:21,965
[ Cheers and applause ]
302
00:19:22,008 --> 00:19:26,621
- While Leyendecker shrunk
from the public eye,
303
00:19:26,665 --> 00:19:31,105
Rockwell sought it.
304
00:19:31,149 --> 00:19:35,937
And it drove him to become even
more popular than Leyendecker.
305
00:19:39,898 --> 00:19:41,857
- By the end of the Depression,
306
00:19:41,901 --> 00:19:45,252
I'd lost many of most of my
notable commissions,
307
00:19:45,295 --> 00:19:48,778
among them Arrow collar
and Kuppenheimer clothing.
308
00:19:50,824 --> 00:19:54,219
Then in 1942,
I received word from
309
00:19:54,263 --> 00:19:57,005
"The Saturday Evening Post"'s
new editor,
310
00:19:57,048 --> 00:19:59,748
informing me that
my next cover illustration
311
00:19:59,791 --> 00:20:01,793
was to be my last.
312
00:20:01,837 --> 00:20:06,451
I'd created over 300 covers
for the magazine over 40 years.
313
00:20:08,279 --> 00:20:11,021
Charles was beside himself
with anger,
314
00:20:11,064 --> 00:20:13,764
ranting "If it weren't for
JC Leyendecker,
315
00:20:13,807 --> 00:20:15,156
there would be no 'Post'!"
316
00:20:17,724 --> 00:20:20,467
[ Pencil scratching ]
317
00:20:22,861 --> 00:20:25,647
- I've looked everywhere
to try to find the answer
318
00:20:25,690 --> 00:20:29,042
to why he was fired
from the "Post."
319
00:20:29,085 --> 00:20:31,828
We don't really know why.
320
00:20:31,872 --> 00:20:36,920
Maybe it is because of his
seclusion, his sexuality,
321
00:20:37,792 --> 00:20:40,446
but whatever the case,
322
00:20:40,490 --> 00:20:45,191
this is the moment when
Leyendecker falls out of favor.
323
00:20:48,499 --> 00:20:53,200
And in the '50s, another one of
these backlash periods happens.
324
00:20:54,593 --> 00:20:57,858
And the repressive,
incredibly homophobic atmosphere
325
00:20:57,902 --> 00:21:02,908
of McCarthyism starts to
take over American culture.
326
00:21:04,300 --> 00:21:08,304
- And so by the end
of Leyendecker's career,
327
00:21:08,348 --> 00:21:12,962
he and Beach became
more reclusive.
328
00:21:13,006 --> 00:21:15,226
They kind of fell out
of fashion.
329
00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:22,713
- The house at Mount Tom Road
began to feel rather lonely.
330
00:21:22,756 --> 00:21:24,715
We were forced to release
all of our staff
331
00:21:24,758 --> 00:21:27,588
when the money dried up.
332
00:21:27,632 --> 00:21:31,854
So now it's just Charles and I,
left to wander the gardens
333
00:21:33,594 --> 00:21:35,119
and drink alone
in the great halls
334
00:21:35,162 --> 00:21:39,297
that once played host
to so many wonderful people
335
00:21:39,340 --> 00:21:41,300
not so long ago.
336
00:21:43,693 --> 00:21:48,351
- Leyendecker lived
with Charles Beach for 50 years,
337
00:21:50,049 --> 00:21:53,488
and then in 1951,
JC was out one day, relaxing.
338
00:21:58,536 --> 00:22:02,280
He had a cocktail in his hand
and it fell out,
339
00:22:02,324 --> 00:22:05,981
and he yelled for Charles,
and Charles came out,
340
00:22:06,024 --> 00:22:10,333
and he died of a heart attack
in Charles' arms.
341
00:22:10,376 --> 00:22:15,382
♪
342
00:22:18,865 --> 00:22:20,388
- Special to
"The New York Times,"
343
00:22:20,432 --> 00:22:23,000
August 13th --
344
00:22:23,043 --> 00:22:27,222
"'Model' inherits $30,000.
345
00:22:27,266 --> 00:22:32,011
Joseph C. Leyendecker left half
of his $60,400 estate
346
00:22:33,099 --> 00:22:34,317
to a friend who had posed for
347
00:22:34,361 --> 00:22:37,800
the original Arrow collar
portraits.
348
00:22:37,843 --> 00:22:40,194
The friend is Charles A. Beach,
349
00:22:40,237 --> 00:22:43,807
who had been associated with
Mr. Leyendecker for 49 years
350
00:22:43,850 --> 00:22:48,594
as his secretary and aid."
351
00:22:50,032 --> 00:22:51,990
The way it's covered
in the press,
352
00:22:52,034 --> 00:22:54,862
it's coded just like the art is,
353
00:22:54,906 --> 00:22:59,433
through all of these terms
that circle around
354
00:22:59,477 --> 00:23:02,220
the reality of their intimacy.
355
00:23:02,263 --> 00:23:05,440
He's an aid.
He's a secretary.
356
00:23:05,484 --> 00:23:10,272
I mean, Beach is
his lifetime partner,
357
00:23:10,316 --> 00:23:15,061
and there's real pain
and trauma there.
358
00:23:16,149 --> 00:23:19,369
- In JC's will, he had expressed
359
00:23:19,413 --> 00:23:24,419
that he wanted Beach
to destroy everything --
360
00:23:25,115 --> 00:23:28,032
all of his mementos,
361
00:23:28,076 --> 00:23:32,819
anything relating to
their relationship,
362
00:23:33,734 --> 00:23:35,998
and his paintings.
363
00:23:38,174 --> 00:23:42,918
- If you feel that you have to
obliterate traces of your life
364
00:23:45,269 --> 00:23:47,141
so that you won't be judged
365
00:23:47,185 --> 00:23:51,928
or your art won't be judged
according to your life,
366
00:23:53,540 --> 00:23:55,411
I would imagine
he didn't have high hopes
367
00:23:55,455 --> 00:23:58,327
for where queerness could live
368
00:23:58,371 --> 00:24:01,027
within mainstream culture
in the U.S.
369
00:24:03,377 --> 00:24:05,075
- The more that we stay firm
in our identities
370
00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:09,297
and what we stand for
and what we believe,
371
00:24:09,340 --> 00:24:12,953
the more I think
people will see us for us.
372
00:24:12,997 --> 00:24:16,435
- And with the power of
advertising specifically
373
00:24:16,479 --> 00:24:21,311
to embed ideas
in people's minds,
374
00:24:21,354 --> 00:24:25,142
one clear way to do that
is to shout it out
375
00:24:25,185 --> 00:24:28,058
visually, powerfully.
376
00:24:28,101 --> 00:24:31,801
♪
377
00:24:31,845 --> 00:24:36,067
But, you know, we tend to think
linearly about social progress.
378
00:24:37,808 --> 00:24:42,030
But it does not move
in a linear fashion.
379
00:24:42,074 --> 00:24:44,903
It's cyclical.
380
00:24:44,947 --> 00:24:49,431
- As queer people, every move
we make is politicized --
381
00:24:50,519 --> 00:24:52,216
me stepping outside every day,
382
00:24:52,260 --> 00:24:55,176
me being able to love
who I want to love.
383
00:24:55,219 --> 00:24:59,877
And it just further tells us
that we need to keep fighting.
384
00:25:01,183 --> 00:25:04,796
- Because there's always a risk
of forgetting history
385
00:25:04,839 --> 00:25:07,974
and entering another one
of these backlash periods
386
00:25:08,017 --> 00:25:10,324
against queer people,
387
00:25:10,368 --> 00:25:12,152
just like with Leyendecker.
388
00:25:12,196 --> 00:25:15,200
♪
389
00:25:15,243 --> 00:25:18,159
His sexuality is fundamental
390
00:25:18,203 --> 00:25:23,252
to his removal from
the historical record today.
391
00:25:24,906 --> 00:25:28,737
- And although he was the
primary image maker of his day,
392
00:25:30,217 --> 00:25:34,657
by the time he died,
he was almost forgotten.
393
00:25:34,700 --> 00:25:39,706
♪
394
00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:44,842
♪
395
00:25:45,887 --> 00:25:48,238
But 10 years after his death,
396
00:25:48,281 --> 00:25:53,548
an artist rented
Leyendecker's studio.
397
00:25:54,767 --> 00:25:57,248
She allowed kids
to play in there,
398
00:25:57,291 --> 00:26:01,731
and they climbed a ladder,
they went through a hatch,
399
00:26:01,775 --> 00:26:03,646
and they found a chest full
400
00:26:03,690 --> 00:26:06,868
of undiscovered
Leyendecker artifacts,
401
00:26:06,911 --> 00:26:10,045
like sketches and paintings
402
00:26:10,088 --> 00:26:12,266
that were not destroyed.
403
00:26:12,309 --> 00:26:17,315
♪
404
00:26:22,015 --> 00:26:27,021
♪
405
00:26:31,766 --> 00:26:36,772
♪
406
00:26:41,734 --> 00:26:46,218
♪
407
00:26:51,572 --> 00:26:56,273
♪
408
00:27:01,235 --> 00:27:06,241
♪
409
00:27:10,942 --> 00:27:15,948
♪
410
00:27:20,954 --> 00:27:25,698
♪
411
00:27:30,747 --> 00:27:35,753
♪
412
00:27:40,498 --> 00:27:45,504
♪
413
00:27:50,204 --> 00:27:55,210
♪
414
00:27:59,868 --> 00:28:04,874
♪
415
00:28:09,923 --> 00:28:14,668
♪
416
00:28:19,674 --> 00:28:24,375
♪
417
00:28:29,337 --> 00:28:34,343
♪
418
00:28:39,044 --> 00:28:44,050
♪
419
00:29:03,812 --> 00:29:08,818
♪
420
00:29:11,081 --> 00:29:16,087
♪
421
00:29:21,615 --> 00:29:26,229
♪
30075
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