Conserving LGBT+ History Webinar: Anne Lister’s Journals

Anne Lister, born in 1791, was the owner of Shibden Hall in Halifax. Today she is remembered as “the first modern lesbian”, whose life and adventures were depicted in the BBC drama Gentleman Jack. Anne kept detailed diaries throughout her life, writing the most private and intimate sections in a secret code.

In 2017, the West Yorkshire Archive Service Conservation team stabilised the diaries for digitisation and access as source material for the TV drama.

In this webinar, Shirley Jones and Elizabeth Stettler, Head of Conservation and Conservator for the WYAS, will outline the conservation work undertaken as well as reflect on the unexpected explosion of interest in Anne and her diaries following the TV drama, and the pioneering diary transcription project which coincided with the global covid pandemic.

There will be ‘live’ examples of Anne’s diaries to see.

Fundraiser

All proceeds from this webinar will be donated to The Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive, an Edinburgh based archive dedicated to preserving LGBTQ+ books and providing a free and welcoming community archive space for reading, research and socialising. Tickets start at £1 but we’d like to encourage you to donate more to support Lavender Menace, either by paying more for your ticket or donating to the Save Lavender Menace! crowdfunding campaign.

This webinar will be recorded, and the recording will be shared with delegates after the event takes place. If you’d like to donate but can’t attend live, you can always book your ticket and watch it at some other time.

Save Lavender Menace! crowdfunding campaign:  https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-lavender-menace

Accessibility

Icon Scotland is committed to helping conservators from all socioeconomic backgrounds access conservation training. If you’d like to attend this event but cannot afford the cost, please contact [email protected].

If there are any other barriers preventing you from attending this event, please contact [email protected] . We’ll do our best to provide the support you need.

Conserving LGBT+ History Webinars

This is the first of what we hope can be a series of webinars about conservation projects related to LGBT+ history and historical figures. If you have worked on a relevant project that you would like to share with us, please contact [email protected]