Essential Information
| Type | Talks and tours |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and Times | Wednesday 10 July | 1pm-1.30pm |
| Prices | Free |
Queer Seas: Merpeople, Sailors, and the Wild Blue Yonder
The sea can be a queer place. People have long imagined oceans as places where the strange and the wondrous hide, and have taken to the waves to try out new ways of living.
Join historian Seth LeJacq to explore Evelyn De Morgan's extraordinary painting The Sea Maidens as an entryway to the history of the sea as a queer space.
From The Little Mermaid and the Royal Navy's traditions of "rum, sodomy and the lash" to today's queer "mermaiding" communities, we will ask what the sea can mean for those who don't fit their societies' prevailing norms of gender and sexuality.
About the speaker
Dr. Seth Stein LeJacq is a historian of the queer age of sail. He has published extensively on the queer history of Britain's navy, including in the recent book Sexual and Gender Difference in the British Navy, 1690-1900 (Routledge, 2024). He is a Caird Fellow at the National Maritime Museum, and he is an assistant professor at the New York Institute of Technology.
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Salons in the Queen's House
This event is part of our Salons series, a programme of talks inspired by the history of the Queen's House and its collections.
The term ‘salon’ was used historically to describe social gatherings in the domestic sphere. Participation was open to a range of individuals, and women often acted as hosts. Salons were alternative spaces for learning, debate and the exchange of ideas. We continue to explore this tradition at the Queen’s House.
Speakers at our Salons include artists, researchers, curators and creative practitioners. Their talks bring to light new insights and share different perspectives.
What’s On
Visit the Queen's House
Art, architecture and sublime views: discover Greenwich's hidden gem today
Banner image: courtesy of the De Morgan Foundation