Nance

This photo of the stage and film actress Nance (pronounced Nancy) O’Neil, comes up on eBay from time to time, always, so far, for a starting bid of $75.

It is a lovely image, but the seller’s description is not to be taken as fact, i.e. there is no proof whatsoever that Lizzie Borden and Nance O’Neil were lesbian lovers. They were, we know, friends for some time.

As an actress she was the star in companies featuring the young John and Lionel Barrymore, but she remains known to posterity in part due to the fact that she was the lesbian lover of the legendary acccused murderess Lizzie Borden. A rare original silver print photograph of Nance O’Neil with Elsie Ferguson in the play The House of Women. Dimensions ten by eight inches. Light corner wear with small chip to one corner else fine.