Quentin Crisp

Quentin Crisp (nee Denis Charles Pratt, December 25, 1908 – November 21, 1999) knew early on that his nature was feminine. He held many jobs—from rent boy to artist’s model to illustrator—and adopted a publicly flamboyant appearance that attracted hostility in the streets of London. This period of his life became the basis for a book, The Naked Civil Servant, and subsequently a film starring John Hurt. At 72, at the crest of his early renown, he moved to New York, where spent the rest of his life. He became a public raconteur, doing performances, cadging meals from admirers, writing incisive books about developing personal style. Quentin Crisp became a sometimes controversial LGBTQ+ icon whose views did not always jibe with current opinion.

In this Artifacts Bonus: Holly Woodlawn reflects on Quentin as a pioneering figure who inspired her. Bette Bourne describes playing Quentin onstage. Lavinia Co-op notes Quentin’s love of New York. Adrian Milton and Peter McGough delineate Quentin’s radically laissez faire attitude towards housekeeping. Taken altogether: many facets of a complex pivotal figure.