Butch in Progress

                       ^(Source)

[K] Before Photoshop and tumblr, there was Edward Steichen (1879-1973) - one of my favorite photographers as well as - ostensibly - the original Greta/Marlene-shipper, predating New Queer Cinema’s lesbian darling The Meeting of Two Queens (Dir: Cecilia Barriga, 1992, 14 min) by almost 60 years with this Vanity Fair photomontage of “The Swedish Sphinx” and “The Blonde Venus”.

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[K] Oh my, dear Hollywood, new stories must be hard to come by. AfterEllen already lamented the lazy insanity/insane laziness you show by having not one or two, but actually three version of Snow White in the making. (Quick question here: are you hoping to speak to a different demographic each time, or do you think that your demographic likes sequels so much, they must go crazy over seeing the same story told three slightly different times?) Also, you probably know this, but between this ‘darkest of them all’-version starring Sigourney Weaver (!) and the ‘sweetest of them all’-Disney version, I feel like the story of Snow White and the evil fairy is pretty well covered and lit from a lot of different angles. But, that may be just me and my insane purism. Go ahead, and proove me wrong.

Now, however, you hit me even harder.

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[K] It’s kind of a last minute thing, but still, I couldn’t let this week end without introducing you to a new Vintage Butch of the Week, could I?

To make up for the rather late posting, I chose an actual historic person instead of a fictional characater, and a true heroine of mine: Mercedes de Acosta (born 1893).

Leaving a trail of broken hearts … without an alternative lifestyle haircut

I have no clue whatsoever, whether she identified as butch (probably not) or even a lesbian. I couldn’t care less, however, because no movie script or pulp novel could have come up with more spectactular sexual conquests than she had to show for herself in real life.

She is, so to speak, the original dyke-playboy: an aristocrat of European descent, who came to Hollywood to become a writer and instead became the lover of nearly every single desirable queer-inclined woman of the time. She was in no way a perfect rolemodel for baby dykes today: she was married to a guy (on paper at least), she talked too much about things supposed to be private (as her memoires prove) and she really just lived off the fortune of her family, because her scripts didn’t sell that well (who could blame her).

But, and this is actually more of a BUT!!!!, she is the one woman, heck, human being, on the face of this planet in this or any other time, who can claim to have to her lover Marlene Dietrich console her about losing her ex-lover Greta Garbo.

You read that right: Mercedes de Acosta had affairs with both Greta ‘The Divine’ Garbo and eternal icon Marlene Dietrich. Do you need a second to let that sink? Here are some pictures to help you:

I would brag as well, woulnd’t you?

As if this wasn’t accomplishment enough, de Acosta was additionally tied to famous diva and dancer Isodora Duncan (who died one of the most movie-worthy deaths of all time) and infamous actress Alla Nazimova (who happend to be married to - now that we already are on the topic of Hollywood gossip anyway - Rudulp Valentino, who was professionally linked to another dream factory gay lady) among others …

And since the world of the gay and famous, has always been a small one, Getrude Stein’s lover, writer Alice B.Toklas, had an opinion about de Acosta as well. It sums up my fascination with her pretty neatly:

“…you can’t dispose of Mercedes lightly—she has had the two most important women in the US—Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.”

Next time you are invited to a ‘Your hero’-costume party, forget about your Gaga-Wig, Shane-pants or Belle-dress (that might be just me), and consider this instead:

Not quite like wearing motorcycle boots, but hey, it was the twenties!

Have fun googling her and enjoy your Sunday!