Primary Source Set: Elsa Gidlow

Elsa Gidlow (29 December 1898 – 8 June 1986) was a lesbian poet, philosopher, and woman of letters. Her book On a Grey Thread (1923) was the first collection of openly lesbian love poetry published in North America, and her autobiography, Elsa: I Come With My Songs (1986) was the first lesbian autobiography whose author did not publish under a pseudonym. In 1954, she purchased a ranch which she named Druid Heights and used as both a personal home and a retreat for fellow artists, feminists, and bohemians. An appearance in the 1977 documentary Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives brought a larger audience to Gidlow, who lived her long life outside of the closet and in queer community.

Selected Source Set

Additional Resources

Elsa Gidlow papers (#1991-16) at the GLBT Historical Society.

Elsa Gidlow papers digital collection.

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