The Story of Miss C.’s Seduction of Young Women: A Methodological Quest into Female Same-SexRelations at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

This article explores a series of newspaper articles from 1908,describing Miss C. – a Copenhagen woman who, apparently,hosted carnal orgies in which she ‘converted’ young womeninto sapphism. While most historical sources only hint atfemale same-sex relationships or describe women’s romantic(platonic) feelings for one another, these articles are explicit intheir descriptions of lust and carnal sex. For this reason, theyadd nuance to our historical perceptions of (Western) femalesame-sex relations during the turn of the twentieth century.Methodologically, I use my renovation of a Copenhagen flatas an entry point into the articles. I see both projects (the ren-ovation and the analysis) through the lens of a palimpsest,understanding the surface to hide deeper layers of meaning.Thus, the renovation serves as an allegory of my search forknowledge about Miss C. and her lovers, which I attempt touncover by engaging in reparative readings. As I develop theanalysis, I reflect upon my longing to find historical characterswho mirror my own identity, as well as the challenge facedby historians researching sexuality in their attempts to writeabout the past in ways that respect subjects without castratingthem or depriving them of agency.