Was the Canadian painter Emily Carr a lesbian?

Answer 1

Probably not, since there is no evidence of it. Some modern scholars have speculated about her sexual orientation, since she was not associated with any long-term romantic relationships with men, but a lack of romantic friendships with men does not mean she was having them with women. We do have correspondence she sent to several close male friends and colleagues, and she seemed to long for some kind of close friendship with a man; whether she was able to achieve it is not known. On the other hand, it is also not known whether she had any intimate female friends.

By many accounts, Carr was an eccentric person and often difficult to get close to; she also seems to have struggled with several emotional crises during her lifetime. What is not disputed by anyone in the art world is how talented she was, although it took a while for her paintings to receive the recognition they deserved. She also had some success as an author. But with regard to her personal life, we may never know what relationships she had, since she lived in a time when sexuality was rarely discussed-- whether one was heterosexual or homosexual.