The Many Faces of Anne Lister

Abstract

Smith, Jacob Stuart. "The Many Faces of Anne Lister: Queer Identity in Media and Curating." BA diss., University of York, 2026.

This dissertation examines the shifting legacy of the nineteenth-century Yorkshire diarist and landowner Anne Lister (1791–1840), analysing how her identity has been constructed, contested, and curated across successive generations. Historically situated at the periphery of the Georgian landed gentry, Lister has been reinvented in the twenty-first century as an international symbol of queer and feminist ideology. By bridging the disciplines of art history, media studies, and critical museology, this research investigates the tensions that arise when authentic historical lived experiences intersect with modern dramatised representations and public memory.

The research is structured around three core investigative areas. The first section explores early self-representation, contrasting the traditional, gendered conventions of nineteenth-century portraiture with the fluid personal reflections found in Lister’s coded journals. The second section charts the "Gentleman Jack Effect," evaluating the global cultural impact of recent television dramatisations and folk music traditions in popularising an idealised embodiment of Lister. The final section applies a museological critique to Shibden Hall, tracing its institutional trajectory from mid-century curatorial silences under Section 28 to its contemporary reality as a global site of queer historical pilgrimage. Ultimately, this study demonstrates the profound influence of popular media on the heritage sector and argues for inclusive curatorial frameworks that actively centre marginalised narratives within public historic spaces.