I am my own woman

Description:

Hailed by Der Spiegel as speaking to "the fate of a whole generation of German homosexuals," I Am My Own Woman is the exquisitely written autobiography of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, whose lifelong pursuits of sexual liberty and antique furniture offer a unique perspective on European history. During World War II, von Mahlsdorf murdered his father, dubbed himself Charlotte (after his cross-dressing lesbian aunt's lover) and has lived openly as a transvestite since. Dressed in high-heeled sandals and a good suit, Charlotte has collected furnishings from the Grunderzeit for half a century: in the Third Reich, she "rescued" pieces from Jewish deportees; in the German Democratic Republic, she protected "bourgeois cultural assets" from the Stasi. Now well past sixty, a quietly passionate, steadfast and serene figure, Charlotte shuns makeup, wearing the simplest frocks. The Grunderzeit Museum - which Charlotte and her friends have defended against assault from skinheads - has become a symbol for the German lesbian and gay community.

subjects: Transvestites,  Conservation and restoration,  Gay men,  Gründerzeit Museum (Mahlsdorf, Berlin, Germany),  Collectors and collecting,  Art objects,  Architecture,  National socialism,  Biography,  Furniture,  Cross-dressers,  Furniture, collectors and collecting,  Art objects, collectors and collecting,  Architecture, conservation and restoration,  German Art objects

People: Charlotte von Mahlsdorf (1928-)

Places: Germany,  Mahlsdorf (Berlin)