Abstract
This essay explores the meaning of the representation of Anne Lister, historical figure (1791–1840), for contemporary audiences, in the 2019–2022 series Gentleman Jack. Produced by HBO and BBC, the series is a very high-quality TV show, but certainly not the first, even English period piece, centering on lesbian desire. Still, the fan response was quite intense and heartfelt. Part of the power it has had on audiences is the way Anne Lister is characterized as an actual early nineteenth-century woman claiming her desires and place in the world, without shame or apology, and the fact that most viewers had never heard of her before the series. The fact that such a force of nature, who left 5 million words documenting her life, could be erased as a queer presence in popular imagination, until now, has a profound effect on many contemporary queer viewers.
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