Charles Winslow Hall

Charles Winslow Hall, born Caroline (May 22, 1860 – September 29, 1901) was an American artist of animals and portraits. He is best known for having lived as a man for the last ten years of his life while being biologically female, a fact which was only discovered upon his death from consumption in 1901.

Early life Hall was born in Massachusetts in 1860 to John R. Hall, an architect, and Caroline Winslow Hall (née Barrett). His mother was an artist as well, and his father was the architect of the Hollis Street Theatre. Hall traveled to Europe with his mother at 17 to study art, and spent much of the rest of his life in France and Italy.

Relationship with Giuseppina Boriani Various sources have described Hall's relationship with Giuseppina Boriani (sometimes known as Josephine or Giuseppina Boriana) as a lesbian relationship or a close sisterhood. The two traveled together for years, first under the guise of brother and sister, then as husband and wife. On their last journey together, Boriani was listed as "Mrs. Charles Winslow Hall" in the ship's manifest. Boriani believed at the time of Hall's death that he would leave some of his extensive wealth to her. Most descriptions of their relationship imply a romantic connection.

Gender identity Some contemporary sources refer to Hall as a woman, while modern sources refer to Hall variously as a man or a lesbian woman. How Hall may have identified himself is unknown, but at the time of his death, he did not wish his female biological sex to be known.